UNLEASH ELL
LEE SELBY has vowed to turn Josh Warrington’s Elland Road dream into a nightmare.
Warrington will fight for a world title at the home of his beloved Leeds United when he challenges Selby for his IBF featherweight crown tonight.
The unbeaten Warrington, 27, who is 26-0, will be cheered on by more than 20,000 fans, Leeds band the Kaiser Chiefs will perform and former Elland Road hero Lucas Radebe will accompany him on his ring walk.
Selby knows everything is being staged for his rival to become Leeds’ first world champion and claims the Yorkshireman will be disappointed.
“It’s all set up for him,” said the Welshman. “It’s like 10 minutes from his house, at the ground of his beloved football team, you got some band singing him out, you’ve got footballers walking him out – he has everything.
“On the night, I will feel like, ‘All these people have shown up for his big night, let’s ruin it’. I have a reputation for spoiling these hometown guys’ big fights and he’ll be calling me ‘The Nightmare’ after Saturday.”
It is four years since Selby, 31, last fought in Wales. He knows he could finally land a shot against his real domestic rival Carl Frampton if he LEE SELBY’S car was attacked by yobs after his weigh-in for tonight’s fight.
The IBF world champion was leaving the Civic Centre in Leeds after his head-tohead with Josh Warrington when a number of people punched and kicked his car.
A window was smashed as thugs tried to rip open a passenger door where Welshman Selby (right, top) was sitting. The shameful beats Warrington, and says he will also wreck the Belfast fighter’s big night at Windsor Park on August 18.
“There’s a lot riding on this fight,” he said. “If I beat Josh, then I’m happy to go to Belfast to fight Frampton, and I’ll ruin his big night too.”
Selby should win, but Warrington’s dad and trainer, Sean O’hagan, claims he has his number because he trained the only fighter to beat him as a professional.
O’hagan prepared Samir scenes came despite Sean O’hagan, Warrington’s coach and father, appealing for calm ahead of the weigh-in.
Selby, preparing for his fifth defence of the title and Britain’s longest-reigning current world champion, had earlier had plastic sheep thrown at him. There could be 25,000 fans at tonight’s fight as Warrington (right) bids to become Leeds’ first world champion. Mouneimne for his points victory over Selby nine years ago.
“We know how to beat Selby,” he said. “An amateur coach brought Samir to me and said, ‘We’re fighting Lee Selby. Whoever wins gets a professional contract’. So I had Samir for three weeks and we beat Lee Selby.
“Then we boxed Samir some years later and Josh stopped him. So Josh has beaten the man who beat the man. It’s 1-0 to me!” THREE cracking world title fights in three countries either side of the Atlantic. I’m going nowhere tonight. First up Lee Selby defends his IBF featherweight crown against Josh Warrington in Leeds (above).
Over in Maryland,
WBC featherweight champ Gary Russell Jnr defends against fellow Olympian Joseph Diaz. Arguably the pick of the lot, light-heavyweight king Adonis Stevenson makes a ninth defence of his WBC title against Badou Jack in Toronto. He is all about knockout power. The only defeat on his record was a shock, second-round KO at super middle against Darnell Boone, who was down twice in the opening round. Stevenson got cocky and walked onto a big right. He’s learned his lesson since. A slick southpaw, he throws the jab from the hip, but it is the backhand that does the damage, racking up 24 early finishes, one of them Tony Bellew. He came to the pro game late at 28. Having turned 40 it is difficult to judge how long he has left. Jack is a solid fighter and six years younger. There is every chance we could see Stevenson age in the ring.
Russell Jnr, fighting for only the fourth time in as many years, is fast, flashy and terrific to watch. Diaz, unbeaten in 26 fights, is a good all-rounder with excellent timing. I give him a chance but only a slim one.
Same for Warrington in the battle of the Brits. He is on home turf at Elland Road, but does not have the power to trouble Selby, who is too quick and too clever. He will make his class count.