Liverpool’s Peter McGrail Clinches Victory in Matchroom’s NXTGEN Bill
Former Olympian Bounces Back from Surprise Defeat, Captures WBA International Super Bantamweight Title
Liverpool’s Peter McGrail (9-1, 5 KOs) bounced back from a surprise defeat, clinching a decisive victory against Marc Leach (18-4-1, 4 KOs) in the main event of Matchroom’s NXTGEN bill in Liverpool, England. The judges unanimously scored the bout 100-90, 99-91, and 99-91 in favor of McGrail, who captured the WBA international super bantamweight title.
The former amateur standout and Tokyo Olympian was coming off a knockout loss to Ja’Rico O’Quinn last December in Glendale, Arizona. The rematch with O’Quinn was scheduled for tonight’s event in McGrail’s hometown, but the American opponent withdrew due to personal matters. “Obviously coming off a loss, it was important to win,” McGrail said after the fight. “Headlining in my own city, there was a bit of pressure, but we’ve passed the test with flying colors against a tough opponent.”
From the opening bell, McGrail took control, working behind his right hand to the body and landing a straight left to Leach’s head in the first round. The Liverpudlian continued to apply relentless pressure, cutting off the ring and unleashing a barrage of right-left combinations that proved too much for Leach to handle.
“The word is that he [Quinn] pulled out due to family-personal matters,” McGrail said, dismissing any suggestions that the American was dodging a rematch. “But I reckon he s*** himself, he doesn’t want to be in the ring with me. To be honest, I don’t really dive into all the social-media bulls*** that much, but all his family, all his brothers have been messaging me since that fight. Get him over here, or I’ll come over to America to fight him.”
Despite Leach’s resilience, McGrail’s skill, variation, and non-stop aggression eventually wore down his opponent. By the later rounds, the fight had become one-way traffic, with McGrail firmly in command. The only blemish on an otherwise dominant performance was a nasty cut above McGrail’s right eye in the final round.
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