Selby in line for European title shot

Lee Selby will earn himself a crack at the European champion Alexander Miskirtchian, providing he can defeat John Simpson in the first defence of his British and Commonwealth featherweight titles on 18 November at York Hall. The Welshman caused one of the biggest upsets of the domestic year when dethroning former amateur standout Stephen Smith with a shock eighth round knockout in September, a win which has seen him installed as the EBU’s official challenger for Miskirtchan's title.

Belgium’s Miskirtchian, 20-2-1 (7), captured the European featherweight crown with a split decision win over Sofiane Takoucht last month. His two blemishes have both come on points against Middlesbrough’s Paul Truscott (pts 8) and Antionion De Vitis for the IBF International crown (UD 12) in 2008

“Lee is in line for a European title shot against Miskirtchian but we are going ahead with the Simpson fight first and then we’ll take a view after that,” explained Selby’s manager Chris Sanigar to BoxRec News.

“Simpson is going to be a very tough test for Lee, in our opinion it will be harder than the Smith fight due to Simpson’s experience and his aggressive style. It should make for a great, action-packed fight,” Sanigar added.

Simpson, who seems to have been around forever yet is still only 28, has dropped two close decisions to Smith (by majority and split decision) but is likely to prefer Selby’s willingness to engage in a toe-to-toe slugfest. The Scot, 22-8 (9), is aiming to become a British and Commonwealth featherweight champion for a third and second time respectively and has acquired a wealth of experience in comparison to the 12-fight Selby.