Wales' Lee Selby wants to live his own American Dream

Lee Selby has won 23 of his 24 fights

The grand old ideals of the American Dream loom large in Las Vegas.

People come here to chase dreams. Some come to sing in the hope of emulating those whose faces adorn the enormous billboards.

Some come to build business, to add to the brash and brightly lit skyline which already boasts a replica pyramid and Eiffel Tower.

Some simply come to gamble, to sit in the city's myriad casinos, hoping to stumble upon the win which might just set them up for life.

Others come to fight. One of those is Lee Selby.

The Welshman is here to defend his IBF featherweight world title against Jonathan Victor Barros, on the undercard of WBA champion Carl Frampton's much-vaunted rematch with Leo Santa Cruz.

Selby is also here to triumph in style - hoping to secure a fight with the winner of Frampton-Santa Cruz - and to impress in a city boxing calls one of its spiritual homes.

"The dream for every fighter is to one day box for a world title in Las Vegas, and for most it's not a realistic dream," Selby says.

"For myself it wasn't, but I go to show with hard work, with that dream, focus and dedication, you can make it possible.

"That's not just in boxing or sport, that's in anything you do in life."

Selby finds himself in a quintessentially Las Vegan setting, sat by the sparsely populated, palm tree-laden swimming pools at the MGM Grand hotel, where he fights Barros on Saturday.

It is a crisp January afternoon, sunshine reflecting on Selby's personalised baseball cap as the softly spoken 29-year-old from Barry coolly considers the task ahead.

This is a city of decadence, where every room seems to be a casino and the absence of windows and clocks often renders the concept of time redundant.

'Strictly business' amid Las Vegas distractions

One can feel lost in this alternate reality, but Selby, teetotal and a devoted trainer regardless of his fight schedule, is oblivious to Las Vegas' many distractions.

"I'm here on a strictly business trip. I haven't been sightseeing. I've been to Las Vegas many times training so I've seen everything it's got to offer," he adds.

"I've been out here, been in all the gyms, been in the arena, so it's not too new.

"I'm here just to get on with the job. We had nine nights in Los Angeles [for a training camp] before we came here, so we're acclimatised and ready to put on a show."

American boxing crowds can be difficult to please and, having fought on this side of the Atlantic before, Selby knows he will have to be at his fluent best to entertain those inside the MGM Grand.

He is particularly eager to do so because of his desire to fight the winner of the headline bout between Frampton and Santa Cruz, the next step in his ultimate goal of unifying a fiercely competitive featherweight division.

Jonathan Victor Barros (left) has knocked out 22 of his 46 opponents and lost four bouts

Yet it might be difficult to cut loose against Barros, a seasoned Argentine who has won 41 of his 46 fights in a professional career spanning almost 13 years.

"He's knocked out more opponents than I've had fights," Selby says.

"To be honest, I'm not sure what his approach is going to be.

"In some fights of his I've watched, he's boxed on the back foot behind the jab and in other fights he's tucked up and taken the fight to his opponents.

"It will be more entertaining if he forces the fight but usually pressure fighters, you'll see what I've done to them in the past - they suit me down to a tee and I can box on the back foot and out-box them.

"So I'm not sure what to expect but, whatever he comes out with, I've got the ability to adapt in the ring and get the win by any means possible.

"The main thing is to win. The American fans like to see a tear-up.

"I've seen two quality, classy boxers here and the whole crowd has booed them, so I might have to do some fighting."

If Selby needs to scrap with Barros, he will do so. He will have to be versatile if his dream fight with Frampton is to materialise.

If Selby needs to fight Barros tactically and pragmatically, he will do so too. The Welshman will take whatever action he deems necessary to win.

He would like to do so with a flourish, to defend his title for a third time in a manner convincing enough to enhance his burgeoning reputation in America.

What he cannot consider is defeat.

"I treat every fight the same. Even my first fight was like a world title fight," he says.

"I've got to win. The fear of losing is too much. I don't want to have regrets."