Lee Selby's run as a featherweight boxer appears to be over.
The day after Selby lost the IBF bantamweight title to Josh Warrington in Warrington's hometown of Leeds, Selby took to social media to talk about his loss and announce his intentions to take a break from boxing during the summer to spend time with his family and that he would move up in weight. Selby cited struggles making the 126-pound featherweight limit and fighting "one too many fights" as a featherweight as the primary reason for moving up. He also said the plan moving forward is to fight for a 130-pound world title and become a two-division champion.
Selby has been the IBF champion since 2015 when he defeated Evgeny Gradovich by eighth-round technical decision and has fought as a featherweight throughout his pro career. A former British, European and WBC International featherweight champion, Selby successfully defended the IBF world title four times before losing to Warrington.
Warrington defeated Selby by split decision in a blood-filled bout that was streamed by Showtime in the United States. The win was Warrington’s first in a world title fight.
The IBF super featherweight title is currently vacant, but the governing body already ordered Tevin Farmer and Billy Dib, the governing body's two-highest ranked super featherweights, to fight for the title.
