By Ian S Palmer
The British and European Featherweight Championships will both be on the line in Cardiff, Wales on Saturday, February 1 when British titleholder Lee Selby meets Rendall Munroe at the Motorpoint Arena. The 26-year-old Selby of Wales carries a record of 17-1 with him along with six Kos. The 33-year-old Munroe, who hails from Leicester, England, is a three-time challenger for the world title and will enter the ring with his record of 27-3-1 with 11 Kos. The European title is currently vacant with the winner of this bout claiming it.
Selby’s best wins have been over Stephen Smith, Martin Lindsey, Viorel Simion, and John Simpson, who aren’t exactly household names to most North American fans. His only loss was a four-round decision to Samir Mouneimne in 2009. Selby throws a lot of accurate punches during his bouts and prefers to press the action. He’s got an effective jab and can box equally as well from the outside. He isn’t blessed with much power, so makes use of his boxing skills.
Munroe is a southpaw who has faced and beaten the likes of Victor Terrazas and Kiko Martinez. His two losses were against Toshiaki Nishioka back in the fall of 2010 and in late 2012 he was beaten by WBA Super Bantamweight king Scott Quigg. He also fought to a draw with Quigg, but was stopped in the sixth round in the rematch. Munroe has good movement in the ring, but is more of a defensive boxer when compared to the champion. He also has a good jab and generally keeps his distance.
Munroe is more likely to try and outbox Selby, while the champion will be the stalker. Selby has youth on his side and his offensive style is more likely to earn him more rounds on points. Selby won his British and Commonwealth titles by beating Ryan Walsh by a unanimous decision in his last contest in October. He’ll be stepping up in class against Munroe and he’ll quickly realize the veteran challenger is going to give him a tough time.
Selby will have the advantage of fighting at home and that extra motivation could balance out the advantage in experience that Munroe has. Selby needs to look impressive here if he hopes to get a shot at a world title belt. But considering that Munroe has beaten the hard-hitting Kiko Martinez of Spain, the current IBF super bantamweight champion, twice it’s not going to be an easy thing to accomplish.
Prediction
This should be an entertaining fight between two hungry boxers. It’s a good test at this stage in their careers, but the age difference could be a factor here. This should be a competitive battle with Selby pressing the action while Munroe attempts to pick him off as he moves forward. Munroe has been stopped before, but Selby isn’t regarded as a hard hitter. Look for this fight to go the distance and although Munroe has the skills to win a decision he’ll lose this fight by a close one.
