Lee Selby: Former world featherweight champion retires from boxing

Selby captured the IBF title at 126lbs with a technical decision win over Evgeny Gradovich in May 2015

Lee Selby has announced his retirement from boxing (Nick Potts/PA) (PA Archive)

Former world featherweight champion Lee Selby says he has “no regrets” after announcing his immediate retirement from boxing.

Selby captured the IBF title at 126lbs with a technical decision win over Evgeny Gradovich in May 2015 and made five successful defences before being outpointed by Josh Warrington three years later.

The Welshman leapt up two divisions to lightweight but dropped a split decision to George Kambosos Jnr and two weeks ago he was stopped for the first time in his professional career by Gustavo Daniel Lemos.

Now 35, Selby (28-4, 9KOs), who also won British, Commonwealth and European featherweight titles in a professional career that spanned 14 years, has elected to hang up his gloves.

“I exit the ring with no regrets, happy, healthy and with my family financially secure,” he said in a statement on Twitter.

“I am proud to be the 12th Welshman to win a world title and my name will now forever sit in the record books alongside those great fighters.

Boxing has been my life and I am sure my involvement in the sport will continue in the years to come as I look to set new goals

Lee Selby

“When I look back on my career, I have realised everything I set out to achieve. Boxing has been my life and I am sure my involvement in the sport will continue in the years to come as I look to set new goals.

“Thank you boxing.”