Lee Selby is in Las Vegas to play the right cards he hopes will deal him a Belfast bonanza against Carl Frampton.
Both Welshman Selby and Northern Irishman Frampton fight at the MGM Grand casino resort on Saturday before they hope to turn their sights on each other.
Selby – the Barry fighter who’s happy to be known as “Lightning Lee, but less content to be branded the “Welsh Mayweather” – is firm favourite to make a successful defence of his IBF world featherweight title against Jonathan Victor Barros on the undercard of Frampton v Santa Cruz II.
Selby (23-1, 8KOs) has won 19 fights in a row, including two defences against Fernando Montiel and Eric Hunter since claiming the belt against Evgeny Gradovich back in May 2015, but former world champion Barros (41-4-1, 22 KOs) has triumphed in his last seven to earn another shot at a title.
WBA king Frampton then defends his belt in a re-match with Leo Santa Cruz and the hope of both UK fighters is for a unification scrap at Windsor Park in Northern Ireland this summer.
For that to happen, Selby has acknowledged he must satisfy the demands of TV companies and promoters by not just beating Barros, but winning in style.
“I think people have been overlooking my fight,” says 29-year-old Selby. “It’s going to be a very tough battle.
“I don’t think it’s going to be an easy fight, but if I can come through okay it would be a massive fight against Carl Frampton next. I think it would be one of the biggest in the UK.
“Having already fought in the US is valuable because it helps me know what to expect. But fighting in Las Vegas will be different. Carl Frampton has brought a lot of fans over and we’ll see whether they cheer or boo me. Either way it’ll be a good atmosphere.”
“This is massive for where I came from. To build myself up to this moment is amazing and I’m excited to be here.
“I think every boxer dreams of fighting in Las Vegas, especially in the UK. We’ve watched Floyd Mayweather fight here for years and we want to emulate that. It’s not an unrealistic dream now.
“My opponent is a big physical guy with a lot of experience. He can definitely punch and he’s going to try throw shots from an unorthodox position. Hopefully my angles will help me be successful.
Selby boxed in Belfast four years ago on a Frampton undercard, beating local favourite Martin Lindsay.
Having done so once, he is perfectly happy to go back for what would be a huge unification clash if both still have their crowns.
“There is a lot of pressure but I just try to blank it out.
“They’re expecting me to come over and get beaten by Frampton. They’re bringing me over as an opponent.
“Eddie Hearn made that mistake when he brought me over to fight Martin Lindsay. There was a bit of a shock there.
“I went over to Belfast, into hostile territory, and defended my title. The Irish are boxing fans. They booed me into the ring, jeered me and swore at me.
“Then they gave me a standing ovation after. I thrive in that environment. It is not proving the boxing people wrong, it is proving the crowd wrong as well.”
Something promoters have got wrong, according to Selby, is the label attached to him in some quarters that compares him to ring legend Floyd Mayweather.
“It’s a terrible name. How can they call me the Welsh Mayweather? There’s only one Mayweather.
“I’m a quarter of what he is. It’s an insult to him to call me that. He’s the best fighter of our era, so it’s great to be boxing in his home.
“Do I mimic him? Yeah, I don’t try the shoulder roll too much though. It’s the counter-punching and stuff, just sitting back, jabbing, using the right hand.”
Selby is hoping Frampton can do his bit and defeat Santa Cruz which would set up their unification bout.
He added: “It was hard to pick a winner between Frampton and Santa Cruz in the first fight and I was sitting ringside. I’m rooting for Carl Frampton this time so we can make that huge unification fight.
“This is a great opportunity for fans to see two international stars like Carl and myself in-person and we’ll certainly put on a great show.”