Tuesday 26 May 2015 15:07, UK
Lee Selby bids for a world title when he fights Evgeny Gradovich on May 30. Here are five of the fights that have made him favourite to relieve the unbeaten Russian of his IBF world featherweight title when they meet at the O2 Arena.
Stephen Smith
The second oldest of the four Smith brothers, Stephen Smith came into the highly-anticipated domestic clash with Selby as an unbeaten fighter. The Liverpudlian had just overcome John Simpson twice to earn himself the British and Commonwealth titles and with his home crowd roaring him on at the Olympia, he was expected to disrupt Selby's smooth style with his busy, fast punching and general relentlessness. Could he inflict a second career defeat on Selby and establish himself as the leading British hope in the division?
It was an intriguing clash. With Selby at the age of 24 and Smith just 22, these were two bright young things fighting for graduation to the next level. Smith was as busy as expected and Selby, who so often had evaded punches with his slick movement, had to sustain several solid left hooks from the home fighter.
The end came in the eighth, as Selby continued to fire with impressive accuracy, timing and venom and Smith tiring slightly. With Selby's height and reach advantage making it increasingly difficult for Smith to get inside and get his work off, Selby unleashed a chilling left hand with Smith on his way forward. The fight was over in emphatic fashion.
Patrick Okine
Having defended his titles against John Simpson by way of a fifth-round stoppage, Selby headed home for Wales to play host to combatant Ghanaian Patrick Okine, who came to fight. Although he was fighting outside of his own country for the first time, the 21-year-old had stopped his last five opponents and there was concern he could cause an upset should Selby's natural cockiness expose his chin too much.
Again, Selby would prove those who had him down as 'just' a boxer wrong. Boxing on the back foot when it suited, the champion met Okine in the centre of the ring when he had to and took his best shots - often having the last word in the exchanges with fierce counter-punching.
By the fifth, it was clear the visitor was out of his depth and Selby began to pour it on and impose himself as the sole aggressor - pinning his foe in the corner and unleashing a barrage that left Okine slumped on his knees and unable to continue.
Viorel Simion
Viorel Simion was seen as Selby's gateway to European exposure. The powerful Romanian arrived in Hull boasting a 16-0 record and would provide the first detailed examination of Selby's credentials as a potential world champion. Ranked number four by the WBC, Simion was not lacking in confidence and his excellent fitness levels led some to predict Selby's rapid rise would derail at Craven Park.
Selby began the fight in his typical fluent style - allowing his opponent to lunge forward and utilising his counter punching to take the early rounds on style if not work rate. In truth, the styles failed to really gel and it was not the best spectacle but Selby - who had often been guilty of showboating during his fights when winning comfortably - learned valuable lessons in the latter stages of the fight with Simion refusing to lie down.
Although Selby had tired towards the end of the fight, he still walked away with a comfortable unanimous decision and said afterwards: "I thought it was a close fight, but he’s ranked number four in the world, so it was bound to be tough."
Rendall Munroe
Rendall Munroe had mixed it at the top level of boxing for several years when he fought Selby for the vacant European title in Cardiff. At the age of 33, Munroe had already fought for world titles on three occasions - losing valiantly to Toshiaki Nishioka for the WBC world super-bantamweight title in Tokyo via a unanimous decision and then losing to Scott Quigg in a rematch after their first bout was stopped early when Munroe sustained a nasty cut from a head clash.
Munroe had rebuilt with three quick-fire victories after the Quigg defeat and looked to be back in the ascendancy. Was he a class above Selby despite stepping up to featherweight? Selby dictated from the off. He immediately looked comfortable with Munroe's forward movement - picking him off with the jab and connecting with several withering hooks to the body in the opening few rounds. Munroe couldn't get through initially, and when he did - a sweet left hook at the end of the fifth - Selby shrugged.
Munroe was on the retreat in the following session and Selby even motioned to call in the ref as he trapped his man in the corner. Ian John-Lewis obliged seconds later and Selby was featherweight champion of Europe.
Joel Brunker
To get his IBF world title shot, Selby had to make it past Joel Brunker at the O2 Arena. Brunker arrived in London as somewhat of an unknown quantity. The Australian had racked up a perfect 26-fight record but had fought outside his home country just once. On paper, the 28-year-old could have been anything and Selby could afford no slip-ups. It was immediately clear that the visitor would be all hustle and bustle and Selby, wisely, danced on the back foot and flicked out the jab early on - establishing the fact he was the superior boxer.
As the fight wore on, Brunker's energetic assaults became less frequent and Selby began to dictate the exchanges. In the ninth, the Welshman accelerated up through the gears - sensing Brunker's punch resistance was finally eroding. A pinpoint left hook to the body slowed his opponent right down and the fight was stopped with Selby on the offensive and Brunker sat on the bottom rope.
Looking forward to his title tilt, Selby said afterwards: "There's a lot more to come. As soon as I can bring my sparring skills into the ring you're going to see a true champion who can mix it with anyone."
Watch Selby v Gradovich live and exclusive as part of Brook v Gavin, on Sky Sports Box Office on May 30, with Joshua and Mitchell also on. Book via your phone or online now. If you want to record the event, book via your Sky remote. skysports.com/brookgavin
