LEE SELBY beat Ricky Burns in their brilliant battle of Britain.
The Welsh former featherweight champion outpointed Scotland’s three-weight icon at the O2.
The Barry joy jumped up two divisions at the start of the year, winning his 9st 9lb debut in February, and added Burns’ respected scalp to his record on Saturday.
After jabbing and moving on the backfoot and handling Burns’ power, Selby won it with scores of 115-115, 116-112 and 116-113.
And Selby now wants to become a record breaker now he has settled into his new division, he said: “We’re both warriors. I thought I had done enough.
“I feel more comfortable in the lightweight division. The dream is to be Wales’ first two-weight world champion.”
The Rickster, 36, took centre stage in the opener, making Selby dance around the ropes and dart on occasionally for an attack.
Burns preferred to be more flat-footed, stalking the 32-year-old around the ring, taking shots on his high gloves and looking for openings.
Burns’ thousands of travelling fans were encouraged by the second, the Coatbridge man opened up a bit more.
The dream is to be Wales’ first two-weight world champion
Lee Selby sets his sights on the future
A combination Selby landed drew a smile from the Scot who must have realised the younger man lacked the power to hurt him.
Selby landed a flush left hook in the third but Burns had not been stopped in 51 previous fights and showed no signs of serving up a shock.
Burns bit down on his gumshield in the fourth and when into bludgeon-mode, pinning the Barry man against the ropes and shattering inaccurate shots all over his body, to no effect.
After weeks of polite interactions and shared praise, the pair went hell-for-leather in the fifth and carried on well after the bell.
In the final seconds Burns grimaced as a clinch broke up, as if Selby had tried to damage his elbow, a late shot from Selby landed and an even later one from Burns earned him a verbal warning.
But the pair touched gloves and made up in time for the sixth.
Burns got cracked with an accidental headbutt as soon as the seventh and it sparked him into action.
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In the championship rounds, Selby started to pull away with the fresher work and more accurate punches.
Burns should have been punished for rabbit punches to the back of his rival’s head but ref Bob Williams wanted the action to flow.
Before the final session, the pair hugged and banged gloves in a brilliant sign of respect and after three rounds of clubbing, thudding and holding, they embraced again at the bell.
