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Nick Parkinson
Former world featherweight champion Lee Selby will meet George Kambosos Jr. in a final eliminator for the IBF world lightweight title on Oct. 31, at a venue in the United Kingdom yet to be confirmed.
Selby and Kambosos were due to meet in Cardiff, Wales, on Oct. 3, but due to government restrictions barring crowds from attending sports events to stop the spread of coronavirus, promoter Matchroom rearranged.
The lightweight contest, originally scheduled for May, will be part of the undercard of an event which will be headlined by the heavyweight bout between Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk and England’s Derek Chisora.
Selby (28-2, 9 KOs), 33, from Barry, Wales, last fought in October when he outpointed British rival Ricky Burns while Australian Kambosos Jr (18-0, 10 KOs), 27, from Sydney, is coming off a good win over former world champion Mickey Bey in December.
The winner of Selby-Kambosos will earn a shot at the IBF lightweight belt, held by New York’s Teofimo Lopez, who is due to face WBA-WBO champion Vasiliy Lomachenko in a title unification fight to be broadcast on ESPN on Oct. 17.
𝙁𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙉𝙚𝙬𝙨! 🚨@leeselby126 and @georgekambosos collide on the #UsykChisora undercard, Oct 31 😤
Final Eliminator for the IBF World Lightweight Title 👊#SelbyKambososJr pic.twitter.com/rttg3Issfh
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) September 28, 2020
It presents the possibility that the winner of Selby-Kambosos could get a shot at three world titles next year.
“I’m one step away from a shot at the IBF lightweight world title and my dream of becoming Wales’ first ever two-weight world champion,” Selby said.
“Kambosos Jr is a hungry young fighter that I know will bring it all, but I’ve had some of my best performances against Australian boxers stopping both Corey McConnell and Joel Brunker in title fights and Oct. 31 will be no different.”