Lee Selby looking to make his mark in United States

IBF featherweight titleholder Lee Selby is taking a word of advice from Joe Calzaghe and looking to make a name for himself on American soil earlier than Calzaghe did, starting with an October 14 PBC on ESPN fight against Fernando Montiel. Selby is working with Al Haymon, the head honcho of PBC and the biggest power broker in the sport right now.

"I've spoken to Joe Calzaghe and he has said that he wished he went to America a lot sooner than he did," Selby said. "He only boxed his last couple of fights out there, but now I am doing it and hopefully I will be the one who benefits by going over there early in my career. ... I want to be a worldwide star and to achieve that you have to fight over in America. There's other world champions at my weight: Leo Santa Cruz, Jesus Cuellar... they are the type of fights I want, the big fights."

Selby (21-1, 8 KO) has really come into his own the last few years, winning the Commonwealth, British, and European featherweight titles, and picking up the IBF belt in his last fight, a May 30 win over Evgeny Gradovich. The Welshman has done all of that in the United Kingdom, and at 28 is looking to hit American shores while he's in his true prime.

Do you see Selby as a true top featherweight? Will he fare well if he gets the fights with the likes of Santa Cruz, Cuellar, or Gary Russell Jr, for instance?