Peter McGrail Shows Boxing Fans His Potential

On Sept. 28, Peter McGrail landed a clean left hand on Brad Foster that brought the curtains down on their junior featherweight contest. This well-timed shot not only made sure of McGrail’s victory. It also opened the eyes of anyone who seemed to forget that the 28-year-old Liverpool native is a relentless fighter and capable of a lot more in the ring.

Peter McGrail Returns From Adversity

Peter McGrail, an erstwhile talented amateur, was not immune to hiccups in the ring. They produced a heartbreaking, unexpected loss to JA’Rico O’Quinn last December. This meant a rise in questions regarding his future in boxing despite the loss. In April, he put up a good fight against Marc Leach and won by a unanimous decision. Standing at 10-1 with 6 knockouts, he was all geared up to deliver a special performance against Brad Foster, a former British and Commonwealth title holder.

Foster has been inactive of late, having fought at bantamweight and super bantamweight levels recently. He has been an outstanding fighter. No one had been able to reach Foster before Peter McGrail did it, which makes his win all the more impressive.

McGrail Trainer Speaks Out

Peter McGrail’s trainer, Paul Stevenson, expressed confidence leading into the fight. “I felt it was on the cards; you know what I mean?” Stevenson said. “He’s been body punching well lately in the spars, so it was good. It was always going to be quite a hard fight because he [Foster] is good, he’s big at the weight, and he’s strong. He has good tactics. He’s clever and experienced, and no one’s done it to him before. And he was up for it.”

In the last few weeks, British and European super bantamweight champion Dennis McCann has been ordered to make a championship defense against Peter McGrail. Due to his high-profile amateur career, it was deemed best to fast-track him through the world rankings with the WBA ratings instead of the growing British scene.

As Liam Davies cements himself in the top 10 at 122, he appears to present more opportunity for high-stakes domestic fights with Davies and McCann. These opposites would bring national pride and, more importantly, would have far-reaching consequences at the world level.

Future Strategies and Economic Motives

Stevenson discussed the benefits in terms of financial outcomes that Riyadh Season also offers. The path of gunning for British titles is occasionally accompanied by tough fights that do not help progress up the world rankings, something Stevenson is not very keen on if he can help it.

It is only a matter of time before Peter McGrail and McCann are placed on a common card under the banner of a big show. As for the fight, McCann has not easily agreed to take the fight after what he has done to Foster and Stevenson is unfazed.