Lee Selby confirms bareknuckle move after three-bid negotiation

Lee Selby has accepted a bareknuckle boxing offer after turning down two lower bids. The former IBF featherweight champion told BBC Sport that money drove his decision to switch codes.

“They offered a great amount of money, which I declined. Then they offered more money, which I declined again, and finally they offered me enough to make me say yes. I'm a prize-fighter. I've fought my whole life. The prize is money. If the money's right, I'll fight.”

— Lee Selby, via BBC Sport

What Lee Selby said

Selby held the IBF featherweight title from 2015 to 2018 and fought in world-title eliminators as recently as 2021. Bareknuckle promotions have targeted retired or semi-retired world-level boxers with lucrative deals over the past three years. Selby becomes the latest British former champion to cross over.

What it moves

Selby's move follows a pattern of gloved champions testing bareknuckle late in their careers. The announcement leaves open which promotion secured him and who his debut opponent will be. His willingness to negotiate up suggests the final figure cleared his boxing purses by a distance.

Source: bbc.com. Full Lee Selby fight history and recent news at boxingnews.com.