After a multitude of postponements and re-arrangements, the bill topper for Friday’s MTK Global bill is the highly-anticipated meeting between European Bantamweight champion Karim Guerfi and Lee McGregor at the Bolton Whites Hotel.
The fight, which will air on IFLTV AND ESPN+ in the USA has bitten the dust on several occasions, initially due to McGregor testing positive for COVID-19 in November 2020.
The contest was re-scheduled for January, but then all UK boxing was halted due to rising case levels of the infection. Yet another new date was set as the pair were due to clash in Dubai in February, but UK travel restrictions again put paid to those plans.
So it’s hopefully fourth time lucky this weekend, with a cracker expected.
Guerfi (29-4, 9 KOs) is in his third spell as European champion, having first reigned in September 2013, winning a majority decision against Stephane Jamoye.
He was knocked out by Zhanat Zhakiyanov in his first defence, but regained the belt three fights later with a third round stoppage of Ryan Farrag in Liverpool. The Frenchman made one defence before vacating, but a tilt at the IBO title ended in a fourth round knockout defeat in Singapore at the hands of Michael Dasmarinas in April 2018.
View this post on Instagram
After two low key wins, Guerfi made it a hat rick of European title runs, forcing his countryman, Georges Ory to retire after nine rounds with an eye injury.
That was his last outing back in November 2019 and the 34-year-old now faces a man ten years his junior, and hungry for success.
Edinburgh-based McGregor (9-0, 7 KOs) has already won British and Commonwealth crowns in a nine-fight career, and the 24-year-old now looks to add the European belt to his burgeoning collection.
View this post on Instagram
A professional since November 2017, ‘Lightning’ Lee won the Commonwealth crown in just his fifth contest, knocking out Thomas Essomba in the final round of an October 2018 thriller.
After one defence, McGregor met Kash Farooq in an all-Scottish battle of the unbeatens. It was an absorbing watch, and McGregor took a razor-thin split decision that could have gone either way to annex Farooq’s Lonsdale Belt. McGregor was last out in August 2020, stopping Ryan Walker in five.
View this post on Instagram
Prediction: McGregor is young and on a fast track to success, with domestic titles already secured. Guerfi is another step-up, but the Frenchman has shown fragilities in his stoppage defeats. I expect the Scot to set a white-hot pace, and eventually break the champion down, as the fight goes towards the championship rounds.
Hyland Jr and Hughes clash for British title
In a contest that could have easily been a headliner in its own right, the chief support sees the vacant British Lightweight title at stake. Paul Hyland Jr was due to face Liam Walsh for the Lonsdale Belt, but a positive COVID-19 test for the Cromer man sees the resurgent Maxi Hughes step in as a replacement opponent.
Hughes (22-5-2, 4 KOs) had a fantastic 2020, breathing new life into his career with upset points wins against Jono Carroll and Viktor Kotochigov.
The 31-year-old failed twice at British title tilts at Super Featherweight, but looks reborn at 135 pounds. Hyland (20-2, 7 KOs) has lost two of his last four contests, and his pair of losses have come inside a round against Lewis Ritson in June 2018, and last time out in June 2019, when came up short in a bid for the European title, stopped in six by Francesco Patera in Milan.
Prediction: Hughes is on the crest of a wave, and he can continue this here in a winnable fight against the Irishman. I feel it will be an entertaining affair, but Hughes can seal a clear points win to complete a remarkable seven months with a Lonsdale Belt triumph.
There are plenty of prospects on duty in the North West, with someone’s ‘0’ having to go at Super Middleweight. Belfast’s Padraig McCrory (11-0, 5 KOs) and London’s Southern Area champion, Germaine Brown clash.
McCrory’s best win is arguably his August 2019 stoppage win against Steve Collins Jr, while Brown (9-0, 3 KOs) is coming off an eight round points win in Belarus against Dimitrii Chudinov in October 2020.
Prediction: I favour the Irishman to come through on the cards here.
Shabaz Masoud (7-0, 1 KO) is another man to keep an eye on, and the Ben Davison-trained stylist takes on Louis Norman (14-8-1, 2 KOs) at Super Bantamweight.
Prediction: Both aren’t noted punchers, and Masoud should take a dominant points win.
View this post on Instagram
At Super Welterweight, Spanish-based Pole, Eryk Apresyan (7-0, 5 KOs), should have enough to take a points win against Nathan Bendon (3-3-1, 1 KO), while at Welterweight, Jamie Robinson (10-4-1, 3 KOs) meets Billy Allington (8-1-2) in a crossroads clash. I lean towards Robinson over the distance.
At Lightweight, Sean Duffy (3-0, 1 KO) can halt Paul Holt (7-9, 2 KOs) inside schedule.
