Lee Selby: Eric Hunter is Welshman's mandatory challenger

Lee Selby retained his IBF featherweight title with victory over Mexican Fernando Montiel in Arizona in October

American Eric Hunter has been named as the mandatory challenger for Welshman Lee Selby's world featherweight title.

Hunter, 29, was due to fight Jonathan Victor Barros in an eliminator on Saturday, 16 January, but the Argentine has opted for another bout.

The IBF's announcement means Hunter will be the next opponent for 28-year-old Selby, whose management team have 30 days to organise the fight.

Hunter has won 21 of his 24 contests and has not lost since 2013.

Selby - victorious in 22 of 23 fights - won the world title by beating Russia's Evgeny Gradovic in London in May.

Tony Borg, Selby's trainer, told BBC Wales Sport: "It's a tougher fight than Barros would have been but Lee will be fit and ready.

"He wants to beat them all to unify the division.

"We haven't known what was happening really, so we are glad to be able to prepare."