Peter McGrail Triumphs in NXTGEN Showdown: Liverpool Fighter Returns With Dominating Performance

On Saturday, April 27, Peter McGrail (9-1, 5 KOs) returned to winning ways as he defeated Marc Leach (18-4-1, 4 KOs) by unanimous decision in a super bantamweight NXTGEN main event at the Exhibition Centre in Liverpool, England, live on DAZN, and promoted by Matchroom Boxing. The judges scorecards read 100-90 and 99-91 x2. 

Peter McGrail Defeats Marc Leach in Matchroom NXTGEN Main Event

Peter McGrail vs. Marc Leach Recap

The first couple of rounds saw McGrail become the aggressor as he worked well off his front foot, throwing his jab effectively and working off that. He quickly got into his stride, varying his shots, with Leach having limited success countering.

The next couple of rounds saw McGrail keep the same high intensity, which kept him in range, showing his impressive punch variation. Leach continued to counter well. Round five saw Mcgrail land a beautiful right hook, which hurt Leach, who seemed to tire as the round went on due to the constant pressure from the Liverpudlian fighter, who was working well off his jab.

Read More: Five Underrated Bantamweights to Watch Out for in 2024

Round seven saw Leach have rare success with a one-two combination, but McGrail was well in control. The accuracy of the Liverpudlian fighter was impressive, as he seemed to be finding his opponent almost at will. The Salford native has a great chin, but it was one-way traffic here in Liverpool as McGrail grew in confidence as the fight progressed.

Despite a cut sustained at the end of the fight, it was a dominating performance from the Liverpool fighter. It was vital for McGrail to get back in the ring after the devastating defeat against Ja’Rico O’Quinn in December last year. It was a dominating return, and surely a rematch for McGrail against O’Quinn will be next.

Post Fight Quotes

In the post-fight interview, the Liverpudlian fighter spoke about the importance of winning this fight.

“It was proper important.”

“We passed the test with flying colours and beat a tough, awkward opponent.”

“He was a tricky opponent Marc, and I’m over the moon with the win.”

Eddie Hearn said “I thought it was a really good performance.”

Undercard

Junaid Bostan (9-0, 7 KOs) impressed throughout as he defeated Jack Martin (9-2, 4 KOs) by eighth-round TKO to win the Commonwealth silver super welterweight title.

The promising middleweight Ste Clarke (3-0, 1 KO) defeated the durable Artjom Spatar (4-8-1, 1 KO) 40-36 in a 4-round middleweight bout.

The referee called a halt in round six to the title fight for the vacant IBF lightweight strap between Beatriz Ferreira (5-0, 2 KOs) and Yanina del Carmen Lescano (14-4, 4 KOs), with Ferreira getting the judges verdict, with the scorecards reading 59-55 x 2 and 58-55.

Joe McGrail (10-0, 5 KOs) defeated Ryan Walker (12-7, 3 KOs) 77-75 in their 8-round featherweight contest to extend his 100% professional record.

Before the Bell

Former team GB standout Hamza Uddin (1-0, 1 KO) was sensational on his professional debut, showing a great variety of punches, which ultimately saw him win by third-round TKO against Santiago San Eusebio (3-8-2, 2 KOs)

Maisey Rose Courtney (6-0, 0 KOs) impressed as she came through her toughest test, defeating Giuseppina Di Stefano (7-3-1, 1 KO) 78-75.

Frankie Stringer (7-0, 0 KOs) dominated the tough Brazilian Jonatas Oliveira (6-8, 5 KOs), winning 60-54.