Heartbreak for Lee Selby who has fight on Frampton undercard cancelled

IBF featherweight champion Lee Selby [23(8)-1(0)] has been hit with a hugely frustrating blow as his fight on the Carl Frampton v Leo Santa Cruz undercard in Las Vegas tonight has been cancelled.

The Welshman was due to defend his title against former champion Jonathan Victor Barros [41(22)-4(1)-1], but would see the bout scrapped as the Argentinian was declined a licence by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

The reason for the refusal comes due to the South American not submitting blood samples as part of his pre-fight medical documentation. ESPN Boxing writer Dan Rafael reports that Barros has tested positive hepatitis, which disallows him from fighting in Nevada, and therefore did not submit his blood test results to the commission.

The likeable Selby was devastated with the bad news and, despite being on weight himself, will not received the $100,000 he was due to be paid for the fight.

Both Frampton and Selby had repeatedly stated their desires to face off in a unification in Belfast this Summer had both been victorious tonight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Indeed, the placement of the Barry boxer on the undercard was seen as a logical way to build the unification bout which has been mooted for Windsor Park in Belfast.

This however has been thrown into doubt with the news of Barros’ withdrawal as Selby will have been out of action for over a year by the time Summer comes round and may, understandably, want a warm-up fight.

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Eric Donovan joins Gavan Casey and Joe O’Neill on Episode 2 of the Irish Boxing Show: