Eric Hunter vows to ruin Lee Selby's hopes of facing Carl Frampton or Leo Santa Cruz
Wednesday 6 April 2016 09:13, UK
Eric Hunter insists Lee Selby must "pass the test" against him before he can think about possible fights against Carl Frampton and Leo Santa Cruz.
The Welshman will make the second defence of his IBF featherweight title against Hunter on the bumper Charles Martin-Anthony Joshua bill this Saturday at The O2, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
Selby believes victory would pave the way for big fights against either domestic rival Frampton or America-based star Santa Cruz.
But Hunter has told him to forget about his ambitious plans and focus on their upcoming fight.
I'm not worried about no other opponents, no Carl Frampton, no Leo Santa Cruz. My job is to focus on Lee Selby and he has to focus on me.
"I don't really care who he mentions," Hunter told Sky Sports. "My job is not to care who he is talking about fighting next. He's fighting me next, so he's got to pass the test with me first, and then he can start talking about them other people.
"I'm not worried about no other opponents, no Carl Frampton, no Leo Santa Cruz. My job is to focus on Lee Selby and he has to focus on me. That's good that he don't want to focus on me, but I will be there Saturday night and we'll be fighting."
Hunter used social media to vent his displeasure after he did not feature in Monday's media work-out and believes he was purposefully denied the chance to gain new supporters.
He said: "I don't think it was fair, because I was looking forward to seeing the UK fans, interacting with them and seeing how they feel about me coming to their country to fight their champion.
"I wished they had got to see me. It wasn't my fault, but they didn't invite me. I guess they didn't want to see my talent being shown. They were trying to keep me out of the loop, so the UK fans could boo me on fight night.
"But I still love the fans and I'm here to fight. I wish I had got a little bit more love. I don't know if they're nervous, I don't know what it is."
Lee Selby vs Eric Hunter is part of Charles Martin vs Anthony Joshua, live on Sky Sports Box Office on April 9. Order the event online
