Lee Selby has called for a showdown with fellow Briton Josh Warrington after successfully defending his unbeaten IBF world featherweight status against Eduardo Ramirez.
The Barry fighter secured a unanimous points victory over Ramirez, although his belt was not on the line after the Mexican failed to make the weight.
England’s Warrington is Selby’s mandatory challenger after beating Dennis Ceylan in October, and Selby believes the fight would be good for British boxing.
“First of all it’s a massive fight,” Selby said. “He has earned the mandatory position so to get there he has to be a good fighter.
“We’ve sort of exchanged words in the past but a fight between Josh and I would be massive and fantastic for British boxing.”
Selby will be glad to see the back of 2017. The title-holder defeated Ramirez at the Copper Box Arena in London on Saturday, but the victory will not be listed as an official defence because the Mexican southpaw weighed in two pounds over the division limit of 126.
Selby used speed and distance to stay a step ahead of his opponent in a fight that was generally devoid of excitement. As the rounds passed, the 30-year-old utilised a sharp body attack, but he was careless in spots and allowed Ramirez to have a surprising amount of success.
Official scores were 119-109, 118-110 and 116-112 in Selby’s favour.
“I thought it was a decent performance against a game opponent,” said Selby in an interview with BT Sport.
“I wasn’t fazed (by Ramirez) not making weight. I just concentrated on myself and got the job done.”
In January, Selby (26-1, 9 knockouts) lost out on the chance to make his Las Vegas debut when opponent Jonathan Victor Barros failed a pre-fight medical following the weigh-in. Two months later, the Welshman halted the unheralded Andoni Gago in a non-title affair before scoring a 12-round decision over Barros in July.
Ramirez not making the weight was something Selby could have done without and just staying motivated must have been a challenge.
Next year promises to be a lot more meaningful as Selby is almost certain to settle the score with long-time rival Warrington who said he would prefer the fight to be at Leeds United’s Elland Road stadium but would be prepared to come to Wales.