LEEDS, England -- May 19 will be a busy night of boxing, with the action kicking off from across the pond when Lee Selby (26-1, 9 KOs) defends his IBF featherweight world title. Selby will defend against Josh Warrington (26-0, 6 KOs) in Warrington's hometown of Leeds. The fight will stream live on Showtime's Facebook page and YouTube channel.
What Selby lacks in power he makes up for in skills. Typically at the end of one of his fights his hand is being raised as the unanimous decision winner. Selby fights out of the orthodox stance and he is adept at controlling the distance with his jab. Often following that jab is a straight right hand and Selby will also find success with the left hook to the body. Selby is also quite good at changing the pace and moving in and out.
This will be Selby's fifth defense of his IBF title, a title he won in 2015 when he stopped Evgeny Gradovich. Since that win Selby has also beaten quality veterans like Fernando Montiel and Jonathan Victor Barros. Also on Selby's resume is a win over the very talented but very frustrating Eric Hunter, all fights he won by the way of unanimous decision. If Selby wants to keep his title though he will need to hand Warrington the first loss of his professional career.
Warrington is also an orthodox fighter and in his nine year career he has never tasted defeat. Warrington really likes to stay on the balls of his feet and use lateral movement to frustrate opponents. He doesn't take the lead very often and prefers to use his movement and jab. He also likes to counter with an overhand right from the outside and when he does get in the pocket he likes to work the body and throw uppercuts.
One issue for Warrington is that he doesn't let his hands go that often. He isn't the type of fighter who loves putting together his combinations and can often go long stretches of a round without throwing much at all. Warrington's two best wins came in recent years against Patrick Hyland and Kiko Martinez but Selby is probably his best opponent to date. Warrington should be extra pumped off for this fight though because it is his first chance at winning a world title.
Neither Selby or Warrington would ever be accused of being a big puncher so most likely this fight will go the full 12. Fans will see a high level of skill on display and this bout will be much more of a chess match than a brawl. Selby is the busier puncher but Warrington could frustrate him with his constant movement. However, the lack of punch output from Warrington could be his downfall in what should be a closely contested fight.
PREDICTION: Lee Selby and Josh Warrington are similar fighters with similar styles and similar records. The biggest difference is that Selby lets his hands go more and puts his combinations together better and those attributes will contribute to Warrington's first career loss. This fight will be close but when the scores are read Selby will have successfully defended his title by the way of unanimous decision.
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| Selby catching Evgeny Gradovich with an uppercut |
This will be Selby's fifth defense of his IBF title, a title he won in 2015 when he stopped Evgeny Gradovich. Since that win Selby has also beaten quality veterans like Fernando Montiel and Jonathan Victor Barros. Also on Selby's resume is a win over the very talented but very frustrating Eric Hunter, all fights he won by the way of unanimous decision. If Selby wants to keep his title though he will need to hand Warrington the first loss of his professional career.
Warrington is also an orthodox fighter and in his nine year career he has never tasted defeat. Warrington really likes to stay on the balls of his feet and use lateral movement to frustrate opponents. He doesn't take the lead very often and prefers to use his movement and jab. He also likes to counter with an overhand right from the outside and when he does get in the pocket he likes to work the body and throw uppercuts.
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| Warrington landing a right hand |
Neither Selby or Warrington would ever be accused of being a big puncher so most likely this fight will go the full 12. Fans will see a high level of skill on display and this bout will be much more of a chess match than a brawl. Selby is the busier puncher but Warrington could frustrate him with his constant movement. However, the lack of punch output from Warrington could be his downfall in what should be a closely contested fight.
PREDICTION: Lee Selby and Josh Warrington are similar fighters with similar styles and similar records. The biggest difference is that Selby lets his hands go more and puts his combinations together better and those attributes will contribute to Warrington's first career loss. This fight will be close but when the scores are read Selby will have successfully defended his title by the way of unanimous decision.
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