Rear View Mirror – Lee Selby
“Thank you, boxing”
So said Lee Selby in his statement announcing his retirement from boxing after 27 years as both an amateur and professional boxer.
And so, the boy raised in a council estate in South Wales in the town of Barry decided to bring the curtain down upon his career.
The former Welsh, Celtic, British, Commonwealth, European and IBF world titlist, who Emerged from the shadows of his brother Andrew to become a Welsh boxer both worthy and proud of being mentioned alongside not just his brother but great fighters like the incomparable Joe Calzaghe.
This Selby was always a respectful and humble pugilist. By the end of it all he was also financially secure, and Selby decided to leave a sport that had given him so much and in return he had quite unusually fought for boxers in the modern era stayed very loyal to the people who began his professional career ending with the same coaching team that started it all.
Once described as the Welsh Mayweather, Lee Selby, 26-1, 9 KOs is a guy who, according to his former promoter, Eddie Hearn, had the world at his feet and then sent them in the wrong direction. It will always be argued that Selby made some wrong decisions and the year 2017 was his annus horribilis; a year that Selby could do with forgetting.
He had been a world champion since 2015, and much was expected of his reign with many convinced he would be supreme in his division and across the worldwide boxing scene – it did not all pan out as it should have. He was currently the defending IBF featherweight champion and was due to defend his belt against Eduardo Ramirez 20-1-3, 7 KOs.
Ramirez was unable to make weight as prescribed by the British Boxing Board of Control as being a safe weight; he came into the ring 8lbs over.
Ramirez, following the calamitous weigh in, then went missing when he was supposed to be at a Press Conference. He was eventually found but not after a frantic search for over an hour before he turned up and tuned out. There then began the questions as to whether or not the guy would even bother to turn up and fight at all. We need not have worried too much, and after being blasted for unprofessionalism, Ramirez entered the ring, danced competently round it, was beaten for the first time in his career and no doubt ended up with a fat pay cheque right afterwards.
Selby was, however, lacklustre.
A cut above, he did enough to win and do so comfortably, but it was far from the impressive end of 2017 Selby needed. It could have been argued too that the lack of competitive edge that came from putting your belt on the line led to a very pedestrian, risk removed 12 rounds for Selby.
It was so disappointing despite the way in which the 2017 had developed for him.
The beginning of the year saw him sitting, ironically, at a Las Vegas weigh in, ready to fulfil a boyhood dream of fighting in that city, only to be told that his opponent, Jonathon Victor Barros, 41-5-1, 22 KOs, had failed a blood test!
The interview Sleby conducted afterwards with a distraught fighter is tough to watch. He knew that fighting on the undercard of the Leo Santa Cruz/ Carl Frampton fight was going to propel him, possibly into a fight with either one of the two headliners but now he was drifting towards the wilderness – perhaps fitting for a fight due to be fought in a desert.
His then UK promoter, shrinking violet that he is, Eddie Hearn, bemoaned Selby’s lack of activity. He had wanted Selby in Wales and as part of a hero’s welcome home. This would have cemented Selby’s reputation and legacy. Instead, he was chasing an American dream, signed to Al Haymon and missing out on big domestic paydays, according to Hearn. With the first Barros fight lost, it seemed like Selby was just going to have to rebuild.
He did get the opportunity to fight Barros and brought him to the UK in July, but he went into the fight following the death – just days before – of his mother. To compound the tragedy, that family tragedy was followed, a week after beating Barros by unanimous decision, by the death of his grandfather.
Selby had such resilience in abundance after a long and arduous path which put him in the top 5 featherweights in the world – no matter who was ranking them. Between 2011 and 2014 he held the trilogy of British, Commonwealth and European titles in the professional ranks so he was well schooled in belt winning.
His only defeat on his record came early on in his career when, in his 5th fight, Samir Mouneimne 17-2-1, 5 KOs managed to win on points over just 4 rounds. Four fights later he took the Welsh title, then the Celtic belt and since then tried not to look back.
That British title came when he was the underdog against Stephen Smith, 25-4, 15 KOs, and managed to stop the Liverpudlian in the 8th round with a left hand that must have been felt by all four brothers.
World honours came in May of 2015 when he beat Evgeny Gradovich, 23-2-1, 9 KO’s, when Gradovich, cut from an accidental head cash was unable to continue and the fight was declared a technical draw; Selby was ahead on all 3 score cards at the stoppage, thus won.
With a successful defence in the bag before facing Barros, Selby was in the place most fighters dream of being; a reigning world champion. With that world at his feet and could have gathered more baubles and more opportunities to secure his future.
In 2018 he went in against Josh Warrington on the 19th of May at Elland Road in Leeds. It was a massive event, and Selby went into Warrington’s backyard for Selby’s IBF title.
Unfortunately for Selby after a cut above his left eye in a second-round head clash and another cut in the sixth he lost a split decision to Warrington after it was stopped early and went to the scorecards. Only one of the judges came down in his favour
2019 saw him go in and win the IBF Intercontinental lightweight belt against Omar Douglas on the 23rd of February in the O2 Arena, London. It was a points win that was not as comfortable as a unanimous decision ought to be with one judge having it a Selby win by a single point.
He then, in October, welcomed veteran Ricky Burns for the Scot’s 52nd fight, beating him on a majority decision after a judge had decided they could not separate the two of them.
Wembley Arena beckoned in 2020.
He lost a split decision against George Kambosos Jr, where two relatively comfortable judges verdicts saw it in Kambosis Jr’s favour. However, one had him a narrow winner by 115 to 114.
His final professional contest came in Buenos Aires against Gustavo Daniel Lemos, the unbeaten Argentinean. Selby found himself down in the 4th round, back down in the 5th not once but twice and losing by stoppage. He decided to retire.
Perhaps from 2017 onwards his demise, in one sense with at least, was due to judges sending him subtle messages that the time of his ending was coming, however when you keep winning that is always the drug that keeps you going.
When he retired, I don’t think anybody was particularly surprised and many probably relieved. Relieved that a fighter so distinguished in the amateurs managed to win at each and every level in the professional game and got out before the battering became a cognitive issue, leaving sweat in the ring and incredibly memories in our minds.
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