Lee Selby has vowed to silence Eric “The Outlaw” Hunter next month and then look to defend his world title against Carl Frampton.
Welshman Selby, the current IBF featherweight champion, has confirmed he will meet mandatory challenger Hunter at the O2 Arena in London on April 9 on a bill that will also feature Anthony Joshua’s world heavyweight title bout with Charles Martin.
Selby successfully kept his title following a points win over Fernando Montiel in Arizona in October and faces number one contender Hunter, who will fight outside of America for the first time next month. The 29-year-old Hunter has won 21 of his 24 professional bouts, with 11 knockouts.
But the fight already has a spicey flavour thanks to Hunter’s branding of Selby as “mentally weak” for wanting to fight in the UK.
Selby took a break from training on the beach in his home town of Barry to warn: “I hope Hunter can fight as well as he talks.
“I’m the champion and I deserve to defend the title at home in front of my own fans. I think he’s going to be in for a shock when he gets to London.”
Two of Hunter’s three defeats have been due to disqualification and Selby believes the fight will be awkward and possibly rough with it.
“He fight in the Philadelphia style – the Philly Shell, the call it, where the fighter uses his shoulder to try and defend.
“But he’s also a bit roughhouse, too. He was disqualified for knocking one guy out after the bell and another for a low punch. I’ll need to keep an eye on him.”
If Selby comes through unscathed he could then look towards an all-Celtic clash with Irishman Carl Frampton, the new WBA and IBF super-bantamweight champion, later this year.
Frampton – managed by Barry McGuigan – recently outpointed England’s Scott Quigg in a high-profile contest.
Selby added: “Frampton called out my name after the Quigg fight and I’d be more than open to taking on that fight.
“He would have to move up a weight, but it would a good fight and one I’d be confident enough of winning.”
Despite having not lost since May 2009, the Hunter bout represents the biggest of Selby’s career since he beat Evgeny Gradovich to capture the IBF crown in 2015.
“This is a great fight,” said Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn. “I think the toughest of Lee’s career. I think the atmosphere and occasion will see him shine on this bumper night for British boxing.”