Boxing News
Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 Card Boosted by Late Replacement
Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 Card Boosted by Late Replacement
A replacement opponent for Peter McGrail (10-1, 6 KOs) on the Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury 2 undercard has been found.
Welsh boxer Rhys Edwards (16-0, 4 KOs) will step in to replace Dennis McCann, who was made to withdraw following an adverse finding in an anti-doping test. News of the replacement was made official by Turki Alalshikh, a Saudi Arabian minister who has been actively involved in organizing boxing events in the Middle Eastern country. It has since been confirmed by Edwards himself and BOXXER, his promoter.
McGrail-Edwards will be on the undercard of Usyk vs. Fury 2, which is part of Riyadh Season, a state-funded entertainment and sports festival. The Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority is responsible for its organization.
Peter McGrail Finds Replacement Opponent for Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury 2 Undercard
Rhys Edwards Steps Up to the Plate
In a post to his social media accounts, Alalshikh confirmed that a McGrail would remain on the card following McCann’s withdrawal.
“It is now confirmed that Peter McGrail will stay on this Saturday’s card to face unbeaten British Contender Rhys Edwards as part of the #Usyk2Fury rematch undercard,” he wrote.
“@rhysedwardss2000 let’s go!” wrote BOXXER founder and CEO Benjamin Shalom, who promotes Edwards, on an Instagram story that reposted Alalshikh’s post.
“Let’s fucking go,” wrote Edwards on an Instagram story that reposted Shalom’s story, confirming his participation in Riyadh.
Prior to this announcement, the Welshman had been preparing for a fight on January 11 against Leon Woodstock on the undercard of Callum Simpson vs. Steed Woodall. It is very likely that that bout will be either cancelled or postponed so that Edwards can take on McGrail. As this article is published, it is unknown what exact weight McGrail-Edwards will be at. McGrail fights in the super bantamweight division and Edwards is a featherweight.
The Dennis McCann Saga
Originally, McGrail was to take on McCann in a super bantamweight clash with the latter’s European and British titles at stake. Queensberry Promotions, who promote McCann, confirmed that the fight was off in a December 13 statement on their social media:
“The Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) has today informed all relevant parties that Dennis McCann has returned an adverse finding following an anti-doping test conducted in advance of his upcoming bout. Mr. McCann’s scheduled fight next Saturday will no longer take place, as the relevant parties investigate the matter further. No further comment on this will be made at this time.”
It is currently unknown what the adverse finding was. McCann has also not officially commented on the matter.
Currently writing out of Toronto, Canada, Saadeq first became a boxing fan while living in Doha, Qatar. Looking to become more involved in the sport, he began writing about boxing and has had work published in outlets such as Seconds Out and Boxing Social. He looks forward to continue covering boxing on Big Fight Weekend.
