St Joseph’s youngster Fred Evans and fellow Welshman Andrew Selby were unable to come up with victories to impress a galaxy of former champions at Cardiff International Arena on Friday night, writes Gareth Jones.

Both lost points decisions as a Great Britain team drew 6-6 with a selection representing the Rest of the World as part of the three-day WBC Night of Champions event in the capital.

Watched by ring legends such as Roberto Duran, Carlos Zarate and Vitaly Klitschko, 19-year-old welter Evans was unlucky to face the best of the opposition squad, fellow southpaw Errol Spence, who recently retained his US national title.

St Mellons-based Evans, pictured, began confidently, picking off his muscular Texan rival as he stormed in and boxing well on the retreat. But late in the opener he winced as a body shot went home and referee Jack Goodwin administered a standing count.

It seemed to dent Evans’ self-belief and the second round saw him spending a lot of time covering up and allowing Spence to dominate.

As the visitor seemed to tire, the Welshman was able to show his skills in the closing half-minute, bringing a roar from the decent-sized, but largely passive CIA crowd.

The third, however, saw the boy from Dallas back in control and there was no surprise at the 15-9 margin in his favour at the bell.

“I just boxed the wrong fight,” said a downcast Evans afterwards. But he will not face anyone as good as Spence when he heads for India as part of Wales’ Commonwealth Games team in October.

Barry bantamweight Selby, a brother of Newport-trained pro Lee, also had a tough foe in southpaw Zhang Jiawei, one of a Chinese party who were based in Cardiff all week.

After a lacklustre first round, the 21-year-old Welshman found some sort of rhythm in the second, scoring well and driving his man across the ring.

That supremacy was not carried on into the final session and Zhang caught Selby with a solid right as he closed out a 16-11 victory.

“I was rubbish,” Selby confessed as he left the arena. “I just boxed badly and I wasn’t fit enough.”

The GB team, drawn largely from the squad preparing for the 2012 Olympics, stormed into a 6-3 lead, with lightweight Tom Stalker and light-welter Scott Cardle impressive, but then lost the last three contests.

In the final clash, at super-heavy, podgy Irish youngster Sean Turner, giving away several inches in everything but girth, was somehow able to outpoint lanky Londoner Amin Isa 18-14 to clinch an unlikely draw.