Ringside Report: Peter McGrail Back To Winning Ways in Liverpool

Ringside Report: Peter McGrail Back To Winning Ways in Liverpool

By Matt Elliott

Peter McGrail returned to winning ways in his hometown last night as he eased to a comfortable unanimous points decision victory over Marc Leach to become the new WBA International super bantamweight champion and put himself in pole position for a shot at the British title and a potential future showdown with Dennis McCann.

The judges scores were 100-90 and 99-91 x 2, but Leach can have had no complaints if it had been a total shutout, as he struggled to find any kind of foothold in the fight.

After the defeat to Ja’Rico O’Quinn last time out, you could have forgiven McGrail for starting cautiously, but there was no sign of that as he forced Leach onto the backfoot early on. McGrail was the one asking all of the questions, trying to work his way into a position to exploit the tight defence of Leach who appeared content to sit against the ropes and rely on the odd counter shot.

As the fight wore on, Leach began to tire, and with that, his movement slowed, presenting McGrail with more opportunities, although he was often too hesitant to launch attacks when in range. McGrail was always in control, though, and with a bit more urgency, could potentially have forced the stoppage, but as the final rounds closed out, it was clear we were heading to the cards.

Post-fight, McGrail called for the rematch with O’Quinn who he claimed was running scared, having pulled out of tonight’s show due to a family issue, allowing Leach the chance to step in. Promoter Eddie Hearn also mentioned a clash with Dennis McCann, although that’s potentially one for the future. Whoever he faces next, McGrail will be happy to have walked out with the victory, banishing any doubts he may have had following that first professional defeat.

Junaid Bostan got the seventh TKO victory of his nine-fight professional career as he stopped Jack Martin in round eight of their ten-round contest, and in doing so became the new Commonwealth Silver super welterweight champion and mandatory challenger for the English title. It was a brave effort from Martin, who had stopped CJ Challenger in his last fight, but Bostan was good value for the win. Martin came to fight, and that made it easy for Bostan, who picked his shots expertly, wearing his opponent down, but all credit to Martin he kept coming forward despite absorbing a lot of punishment. Then, in round eight, Bostan landed a solid left uppercut, which saw Martin fall to the canvas in stages. He beat the count, but referee Marcus McDonnell immediately waved it off.

Beatriz Ferreira became the new IBF World lightweight champion after a cut to opponent Yanina del Carmen Lescano forced referee Howard Foster to end the fight in round six and we went to the cards. The judges scored it 59-55 x 2 and 58-55 in favour of Ferreira to give the former Olympic silver medallist her first world title by technical decision. Despite the one-sided scorecards, Lescano had her moments in the fight, but the physicality of Ferreira was clear to see, and her shots were landing with increased regularity as the rounds passed by. It was during round five that an accidental head clash opened up a huge cut above Lescano’s left eye. The ringside doctor allowed the fight to continue, but with blood still pouring from the cut, Howard Foster waved the contest off a couple of minutes later. Ferreira took the decision and will prove to be a tough test for anyone at 135 lbs.

Elsewhere, Joe McGrail was victorious on his Matchroom debut, edging a close contest against Ryan Walker 77-75. This was a good opponent for McGrail, who needed the rounds, having eased to victory in his last three fights. Walker, a former Southern Area champion, is trickier than his record suggests, and he was active in every round. The judges’ decision was probably the right one, and McGrail will hope to be out again soon.

Hamza Uddin’s professional debut saw the former Team GB amateur make a huge impression as he stopped Santiago San Eusebio inside three rounds. With the ring intelligence of Sunny Edwards and the confidence of Ben Whittaker, Uddin is destined to become a star, and this was a tantalising taste of the things to come. He dominated from the first bell, and you could sense his shots carried real power. He was simply too quick and too powerful and in round three, he threw three left hooks in succession, the final one sending Eusebio to the floor, and whilst he beat the count, Howard Foster had seen enough. Uddin will be out again in Matchroom’s Birmingham show scheduled for June 22nd, although Eddie Hearn indicated he will try and get him out sooner if he can.

Stephen Clarke won for the second time in two weeks as he beat Artjom Spatar 40-36 on points to move to 3-0. Clarke was well supported by his home crowd, and this was an entertaining fight, with both men standing and trading, Clarke getting the better of the trades and looking good in the process. Another Liverpool fighter, Frankie Stringer, had an easy night as he coasted past Jonatas Rodrigo Gomes de Oliveira, winning every round and taking a 60-54 decision.

In the other female fight of the evening, Maisey Rose Courtney moved to 5-0 as she stepped up to eight rounds for the first time, defeating Giuseppina Di Stefano on points, 78-75. It was a bright start for Courtney, who built up an early lead, but as she tried, Stefano landed some clean shots and deservedly took some rounds. There has been talk of Courtney facing current European flyweight champion Chloe Watson in the near future, but on this showing, you wonder whether another fight or two might be more advantageous before stepping up to that level.

Photo Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing