Lee Selby
Former IBF World featherweight Champion
Lee selby retirement statment
After 27 years as an amateur and professional boxer, I know the time is right for me to hang up the gloves.
Being raised on the council estate in Barry, South Wales you learn early on about adversity. For many young people the burden of growing up in poverty takes its toll, but boxing saved me more than I ever thought possible.
I am forever grateful to my mum and dad who took me and my brothers to Rhoose Amateur Boxing Club and Craig Smyth who always supported me. I had around 90 amateur contests, but it was my brother Andrew who was the star attraction for the Selby family in the amateurs.
My professional career began to little fanfare on the small hall shows at the Newport Centre, it humbled me starting at the bottom on smaller purses and made it all that much sweeter for my team and I as we rose to the top against all the odds. I’m proud the team I started with was the same team I ended my career with, and I am grateful for the 14-year pro journey we shared together through all the highs and lows. My management team of Chris and Jamie Sanigar, the endless hours in the gym with my trainer Tony Borg and experienced cornermen Billy Reynolds and Nigel Christian. We can all look back on a job well done.
I had to do things the hard way, going the traditional route winning every possible title along the way including the Welsh, Celtic, British, Commonwealth, European and IBF World Title. I won the Lonsdale belt outright and successfully defended my world title on five occasions. Of my 32 professional contests, 22 of those bouts were either title fights or twelve round contests. I am proud to be the 12th Welshman to win a world title and my name will now forever sit in the record books alongside those great fighters. When I look back on my career, I have realised everything I set out to achieve.
I tried to be a good champion and treat people with respect. I have always demonstrated the importance of hard work and sacrifice in achieving my goals. I’ve experienced some amazing victories but also learned valuable lessons in defeat that made me the man I am today. I hope my career can be an inspiration to those boxers starting out on small shows that your dreams can become a reality. As the money started to roll in, I’m thankful my manager taught me the importance of investing and we always stuck to the motto of “buy houses, not Bentley’s”. To any young boxer out there, trust me, there’s no harder earned money than a boxer’s purse and it goes as quickly as it comes, so spend it wisely!
A special thanks goes to my family. To my mum Frankie for all her sacrifices and I’m blessed she got the opportunity to see me crowned world champion sadly before her passing in 2017. To my brother Michael, who passed away after my second pro fight, I know he was always looking down on me as I wore his nickname “Slinky” on my fight shorts. To my dad, Lee Selby Snr, who first encouraged me to put on the gloves and was by my side during every training camp. My brother Andrew, who always gave me the motivation to just try and be as good as him in the gym. My partner Meggie and our three children for their love and sacrifice as I chased my dreams to give us all a brighter future.
A special thanks to Guy Sillett for all his strength and conditioning work throughout my career also the support in recent years from Eryk Jodlowski. A big thanks to everyone at St Joseph’s Boxing Club and Bristol Boxing Gym. Thanks to my sponsors who supported me throughout my career especially Nina Estate Agents in Barry, Sharyn Donnachie at Capital Cabs, Health Hut in Newport and Everlast who were always in my corner.
My biggest thank you goes to all my fans, your support over the years has been incredible.
I exit the ring with no regrets, happy, healthy and with my family financially secure. Boxing has been my life and I am sure my involvement in the sport will continue in the years to come as I look to set new goals.
Thank you boxing.
Lee Selby
Fighter Profile
Bio
Birth name: Lee Selby
Alias: Lightning
Nationality: Barry, United Kingdom
Date of Birth: 29-11-1983
MEasurements
Height: 5′ 8½″ / 174cm
Reach: 69″ / 175cm
Debut
12th July 2008
Lee Selby (born 14 February 1987) is a Welsh professional boxer trained by Tony Borg and managed by Chris Sanigar. He held the IBF featherweight world title from 2015 to 2018, and previously the British, Commonwealth, and European featherweight titles between 2011 and 2014.
Selby began his professional career on 12 July 2008 with a win over Sid Razak (3-8) at the Newport Leisure Centre in Wales. He compiled a record of 4-0 before losing for the first time in his professional career to Samir Mouneimne (1-0-1) by points decision in a four-round contest at the Fenton Manor Sports Complex in Stoke on 29 May 2009. Selby won his next three fights before beating Dai Davies (6-13-1) for the Welsh Area title on 30 October 2010 claiming the belt with a second-round knockout. On 30 July 2011, he met Scotsman James Ancliff (11-14-2) for the vacant Celtic featherweight title and claimed the belt with a sixth-round stoppage.
On 17 September 2011, Selby claimed the British and Commonwealth titles with a win over then champion Stephen Smith via an eighth-round stoppage at the Olympia in Liverpool. Despite being the underdog going into the fight Selby took control of the centre of the ring and caught Smith with a left hand in the 8th round, a punch from which Smith was unable to recover Selby said after the fight that the win feels like I've won a world title" adding "It's something that I have been dreaming about since I was a kid. It's a big achievement and not a lot of people have done it.
On 20 April 2013 Selby dismantled the former unbeaten Australian champion Corey McConnell. McConell's corner threw in the towel in the fifth round. Selby won the Lonsdale belt outright in October 2013 defeating Ryan Walsh via unanimous points decision. Selby then went on to win the European Title against Rendall Munroe and then subsiquent World Title eliminators against Romulo Koasicha and Joel Brunker.
In May 2015, Lee Selby won the IBF featherweight title from Evgeny Gradovich at the O2 Arena, London. The fight ended in a unanimous TD after Gradovich was cut from an accidental head clash, and was unable to continue. Selby had dominated the fight up to this point.
Selby retained his IBF featherweight title in October 2015 with a win over Mexican Fernando Montiel in Arizona, USA. He dedicated the win to his childhood friend Darren Bray, who had recently died. On July 2017, Lee made his next defence of his IBF featherweight crown versus Argentinian Jonathan Barros winning again by unanimous decision.
On 19 May, 2018, Selby defended his IBF featherweight title for the fifth time, against unbeaten Josh Warrington. Selby suffered a bad cut over his left eye in the sixth round, but was allowed to continue the fight. Selby lost the belt to Warrington via split decision, 113-115, 116-112 and 115-113 for Warrington.
After losing his IBF belt, Selby bounced back with a victory over Omar Douglas. In a bloody fight, Selby managed to outbox Doulgas to get the unanimous decision victory.
In his next fight, Selby faced former world champion Ricky Burns, Selby proved two much for Burns to win on two of the scorecards, 116-112 and 116-113, while the third judge had it a draw, 115-115.
Selby was scheduled to face George Kambosos Jnr in Cardiff on 9 May 2020. but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fight eventually went ahead on 31st October at The SSE Arena in London, where Selby went the distance but lost by split decision.
On 26th March 2022 Lee travelled to Buenos Aries, Argentina to face Gustavo Lemos in another final eliminator for the IBF world title. Lee started well winning the early rounds but the younger and fresher Lemos proved too strong stopping Lee in the fight round. Shortly after the fight Lee announced his retirement from boxing.
