NEWPORT featherweight Lee Selby has set his sights on the British and Commonwealth titles after winning the Celtic belt in spectacular style on Saturday night.

The 24-year-old, who trains with Tony Borg at the city’s St Joseph’s gym, was already the Welsh champion and he added the Celtic belt to his collection by overwhelming former Scottish champion James Ancliff inside six rounds at the Pill Millennium Centre.

Selby won every round against the Scot in a brilliant display of controlled aggression with referee Terry O’Connor stopping the contest after two minutes and 12 seconds of the sixth.

In front of a packed arena, Selby pleased his fans by taking the fight to the Scot from the first round and hurting his opponent with some vicious body blows.

The man from the Granite City of Aberdeen proved he has a granite chin when Selby caught him flush with a big right hook in the second, but it was a left to the ribs that dropped him in the sixth and Ancliff didn’t argue when O’Connor stepped in. “It was probably the best I’ve boxed, the best performance of my career,” said Barry-born Selby.

“I’m improving with every fight. I was focused, I stuck to my tactics rather than showboating and it worked.

“He took some good shots but I knew he wasn’t going with the head shots so I started going for the body and that dropped him.”

And Selby wasted no time in calling out British and Commonwealth champion Stephen Smith.

“I want to challenge Stephen Smith for the British title now,” he told the Argus in his dressing- room.

“This wasn’t an eliminator but there’s nothing else to win now apart from the British. I don’t mind where we fight. I’ll go to Liverpool. Newport or Cardiff would be best but I don’t care. I’ll fight him in his back garden if he wants!”

Also heading for bigger and better things is Newport light-heavyweight Justyn Hugh, who extended his pro record to nine wins from nine with a second-round stoppage of Phil Goodwin.

“I’m happy. I’ve boxed twice in three weeks and had two stoppages,” said the 27-year-old.

“I’m going well – nine wins out of nine – and I’ve just got to keep it that way now.

“I’ll have a rest now and hopefully be back in action in September or October, either on Gary Buckland’s bill in Sheffield or Gavin Rees’ in Newport.”

Mountain Ash heavyweight Dorian Darch beat durable Bulgarian Tayer Mehmed 40-36 on points on his pro debut, but there was disappointment for Newport middleweight Lee Churcher.

The 30-year-old, who trains with Hugh and Selby at St Joe’s, suffered a shock TKO loss after one minute and 14 seconds of the second round against the unheralded Costas Osben.

The defeat comes only three weeks after Churcher won in just 43 seconds against Louis Byrne in Plymouth.

“It was devastating. I just got caught. I felt fine to carry on but the ref decided I wasn’t,” said Churcher, who was put on the canvas by a lightning-fast right uppercut.

“It’s annoying, coming off a good win, but I need a break now. I found it hard fighting twice in three weeks. The only other time I got knocked out was when I fought twice in three weeks and I didn’t really get into it.”