ST Joseph’s star Lee Selby is confident his mental strength will ensure the wait is worth it as he bids to make Welsh boxing history.

The 33-year-old’s IBF lightweight title eliminator in Cardiff has been pushed back from May 9 to July 11 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Selby is to take on unbeaten Australian George Kambosos at the Motorpoint Arena for the right to take on champion Teofimo Lopez.

The former IBF featherweight title holder is no longer able to work with trainer Tony Borg at St Joseph’s, instead having to train in a makeshift gym in his Barry home.

It’s a change of venue but not a dramatic alteration in approach to disrupt his bid for glory, insists Selby.

South Wales Argus:

“My career - my life - has been full of setbacks, but I'm always in the gym and training whether I'm fighting or not,” he said to BBC Wales.

“I'm pretty mentally strong, so it will take more than a postponement to upset me or affect my training.

“I'm obviously disappointed and upset it's not going to be taking place on the date it was scheduled, but the main thing is I'm healthy and my family is healthy.

“I try to take the positives out of every situation and the positives for me are that I get to spend these extra few weeks or months with my family at home.”

"The majority of fighters, they train just leading up to a fight, they have a training camp, take a lot of time in the gym," he continued.

"With me, I'm always in the gym, always ticking over, regardless of whether I'm fighting or not I'd be in the gym doing the same work.”

Selby became the IBF featherweight champion by beating Evgeny Gradovich in May 2015 and held the title until being beaten by Josh Warrington at Elland Road two years ago.

He has responded to the disappointment by moving up to lightweight and beating Omar Douglas and Ricky Burns in London.

South Wales Argus:

Now he has Kambosos, who has won all 18 of his fights, in his sights and becoming a two-weight world champion.

“I'd be the first Welshman to do so, so to me that means more than any fight is worth, to write my name in the history books,” he said.

Kambosos cut short a training camp in Miami and returned to Sydney to prepare for the biggest bout of his career.

The 26-year-old wrote on Instagram: "At the end of the day, it's just prolonging the inevitable, I will march into Wales and retire this former world champion and secure my world title shot.

"Your days are numbered Selby, July 11, it's your retirement party in front of your own people."