Sunday 31 May 2015 07:26, UK
Lee Selby out-classed Egveny Gradovich to become the latest British world champion and Paul Smith thinks he can get even better...
Lee Selby was quality. Pure quality.
People had been saying that I didn't want to see him win because of what he did to my brother Stephen, but that was utter nonsense.
I gave Selby all eight rounds and had it continued, he'd probably turned up the gas and it would've been a whitewash.
It was not only four years ago, but it was a boxing match. What else do you climb into the ring to try and do, other than beat the other guy?
James DeGale beat me, but of course when I saw him at the O2 on Saturday, the first thing I did was go and shake his hand and congratulate him.
Even if he wasn't a world champion, I would have done the same and I was always wanting to see Selby beat Evgeny Gradovich and become another British world champion.
Of course, if him and my brother meet again, I want Stephen to win! But Saturday's performance deserves all the credit it gets.
From where I was sat - all of two rows from the ring - I couldn't see how bad Gradovich's cut was, but if I was him, I'd rather have gone out like that, rather than go on and lose every single round and really suffer.
I gave Selby all eight rounds and had it continued, he'd probably have turned up the gas and it would've been a whitewash.
I have a feeling there is even more to come from him, even if what he is doing now is enough. He has just won a world title of course.
But it's scary because it looks like there's another gear for him to move up into and he can do even more. Selby looked that good, I have a feeling he can get better.
He is the sixth British world champion and that is something special. All of them deserve every ounce of credit and all of them look like they have got more to offer.
Selby in particular. He seemed to do things exactly how he wanted to do and Gradovich was by no means a mug who somehow won a world title, he was good.
