Thursday 15 October 2015 13:47, UK
Lee Selby made a successful first defence of his IBF featherweight title with a unanimous points win over Fernando Montiel in Arizona.
The Welshman was seriously troubled at times by Montiel, a former three-weight world champion, and scores of 119-109 118-110 and 116-112 did not reflect a tough battle for the Barry man on his American debut.
Selby had found his range in the opening round, gaining the Mexican's respect with two right hooks, and tried to unload his swift punches behind a probing jab.
A thudding right hand from Selby seemed to rock Montiel in the third round, drawing a determined response from the 36-year-old, who forced the Barry man onto the back foot with sustained aggression.
Selby was lacking his usual crisp timing and struggled to hold off his experienced foe in the sixth round, suffering a worrying cut above his right eye.
But he regained his accuracy and composure by the eighth, stemming Montiel's charge with stinging shots, and started to punish his tiring opponent in the ninth.
In the closing rounds, Selby was still unable to relax as Montiel marched forward in search of a big telling shot before the final bell.
Any concerns that Selby held about the scoring were soon eased as all three judges favoured his cleaner work with wide scores.
But Selby was far from satisfied with his performance and admitted he did not showcase his slick skills to the US fans.
I got the win and it was a great feeling to get my first one on US soil, but the fans didn't see me at my best, and a big part of that was Montiel's experience.
"My jab, reach and speed were my biggest advantages tonight," he said. "That was how I got the win."
"All the cuts I've had in my career have come against shorter fighters like [Montiel]. When I got cut tonight in the sixth round it was the same thing. I caught a head butt.
"I was honestly disappointed in my performance tonight. I got the win and it was a great feeling to get my first one on US soil, but the fans didn't see me at my best, and a big part of that was Montiel's experience. He's a great fighter."
There was a major upset on the bill as American welterweight Devon Alexander suffered a unanimous points loss against the unheralded Mexican Aaron Martinez.
The St Louis fighter, who previously held two titles at super-lightweight, appeared to be outworked by Martinez and will find it hard to rebuild after his third defeat in five fights.
