Lee Selby – “It’s just Frampton left now”

Lee Selby [24(9)-1(0)] hopes that he will fight Carl Frampton this Summer in Belfast, and the Welshman feels he has the tools to secure an easy win.

The current IBF featherweight champion has long been linked with Frampton, and ‘The Jackal’ is in search of a homecoming opponent for his huge fight at Windsor Park this Summer.

Initially envisioned as a unification, Frampton [23(14)-1(0)] has since lost his WBA title in a rematch with Leo Santa Cruz. Some believed that this would change the negotiating landscape, but Selby is still willing to travel to The Titanic City as Frampton is the only name on his wishlist.

Selby explained to ESPN that “they’ve [the WBA] just ordered Leo Santa Cruz v Abner Mares and I’d been looking to fight one of them or Carl Frampton, so it’s just Frampton left now.”

“He said he wants the fight in Belfast and I’d be happy to go there. Ideally, I’d have it in Cardiff but I’d have no problem going to Belfast for that fight.”

Selby had been scheduled to fight on the Frampton-Santa Cruz rematch undercard in Vegas back in January, only to see him mandatory challenger Jonathan Victor Barros pull out due to a sanctioning issue. Since then the Barry boxer has won a non-title bout with Andoni Gago.

The IBF are keen for Selby to defend against Barros, however Selby and his team are confident of circumnavigating this and securing a Frampton fight.

Selby, who is taller than Leo Santa Cruz, believes the blueprint to beating the Ulsterman has been laid and he noted how “in the defeat to Santa Cruz, I wouldn’t say he was exposed as one-dimensional but what it did prove was that Frampton can be out-boxed. He was out-boxed by Santa Cruz and I’m a much better boxer than Santa Cruz.”

“I imagine that Frampton would come out and go straight at me — trying to knock me out early. That will just play into my hands though. I’ll stay on the back foot, use my boxing skills and just be picking him off.”