Lee Selby vs Fernando Montiel

A fourth world championship in a different weight division was the prize Fernando Montiel sought when he challenged Lee Selby at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, on October 14, 2015. The experienced Mexican had previously held titles at flyweight, super-flyweight and bantamweight, but at 36 he was meeting a featherweight champion who possessed marked advantages in height, reach and youth. Selby, making his first appearance in the United States, was defending the IBF title he had won from Evgeny Gradovich five months earlier. The Welshman weighed 125¾ pounds, with Montiel fractionally lighter at 125½.

Selby began behind his long left jab, moving around Montiel and requiring the challenger to cross open ground before he could punch. Two right hands in the first round gained Montiel’s respect, although the Mexican remained patient and looked for opportunities to counter to the body. Selby’s superior reach allowed him to score without remaining close for long, but his timing was not as sharp as it had been against Gradovich. Montiel followed steadily, conserving his movements and attempting to draw the champion into exchanges.

The pattern continued in the second, with Selby controlling much of the action through the jab and straight right. Montiel was rarely caught flush, however, and his knowledge of distance enabled him to avoid much of the champion’s heavier work. Selby increased his output in the third and drove a solid right hand into the challenger’s head. A left hand later in the round disturbed Montiel’s balance, but he recovered quickly and answered by forcing Selby backwards. There were no knockdowns, and Montiel never appeared seriously hurt.

Montiel enjoyed greater success in the fourth. He closed the distance more effectively, trapped Selby near the ropes and worked with short combinations. The challenger’s pressure prevented Selby from settling into the smooth rhythm for which he had become known in Britain. Selby continued to score while moving, but he was being made to work harder than the difference in age and physical dimensions had suggested. Montiel maintained his advance in the fifth, taking jabs to get within range and replying with left hooks whenever Selby remained stationary.

The sixth was Montiel’s best round. He put his punches together with greater purpose and repeatedly landed left hands as Selby retreated. A clash of heads opened a cut above the champion’s right eye, which quickly became swollen and required careful attention from his corner. Selby’s vision was affected sufficiently to make him cautious, while Montiel drew encouragement from the sight of blood and continued pressing. The Mexican’s work brought the largely partisan crowd into the contest, and the champion was compelled to clinch or move sharply after delivering his combinations.

Selby adjusted in the seventh by varying his attack and directing more punches towards Montiel’s body. Earlier he had been reluctant to go downstairs because the challenger was waiting with a countering left hook. As Montiel’s reactions slowed, the right hook to the ribs became safer and more productive. Selby combined it with the jab and straight right, stepping away before Montiel could answer. The exchanges remained competitive, but the champion was now landing more frequently and with greater accuracy.

By the eighth, Selby had regained a measure of control. His jab checked Montiel’s advance, and the challenger was met by quick punches whenever he attempted to enter at close quarters. Montiel remained strong and determined, but the effort of pursuing the taller man had begun to tell. Selby punished him more heavily in the ninth, alternating between head and body and using lateral movement to leave Montiel turning before beginning another advance. Even so, the Mexican’s durability kept him in the fight, and neither man came close to going down.

Montiel rallied again in the tenth. A sharp right hand caught Selby cleanly, followed by several uppercuts as the champion allowed himself to be drawn into close-range exchanges. Selby absorbed the punches without losing command of himself, then returned to the jab and movement that had served him best. The challenger continued forward through the eleventh and twelfth, searching for the single heavy blow needed to alter the result. Selby remained busy enough to prevent him from mounting a sustained attack and finished the contest on his feet, his damaged right eye providing the principal evidence of Montiel’s resistance.

All three judges awarded the decision to Selby. Marcus McDonnell scored the fight 119-109, Alex Levin 118-110 and Benoit Roussel 116-112. The first two margins gave insufficient recognition to Montiel’s success in the middle rounds, but the champion’s cleaner punching and greater activity entitled him to the verdict. The pro-Montiel crowd booed the announcement, though there was no reasonable argument that the challenger had done enough to win. Selby retained the IBF featherweight championship and advanced to 22-1, while Montiel fell to 54-5-2. Selby later acknowledged that he had struggled to find his proper range and had not produced his best work, but his jab, reach, and speed had been sufficient to carry him through a difficult first defence.

I always thought Selby won clearly, but those wide scorecards flattered him. His jab, reach and younger legs controlled the early rounds, yet Montiel’s experience made him uncomfortable once the Mexican began slipping inside and countering with the left hook. The cut over Selby’s right eye in the sixth unsettled him, and Montiel kept asking questions until the final bell.

Montiel was chasing a world title in a fourth division, but featherweight was a long way from his best fighting weight. Selby deserved the decision through cleaner work and greater activity, although 116-112 was far nearer the truth than 119-109.