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One of the hottest prospects in the bantamweight division returns to the ring this weekend when Scotland’s Lee McGregor takes part in his 11th professional contest. He takes on fellow unbeaten fighter Vincent Legrand who travels from his base in France looking to upset the UK fans at Falls Park in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
This bout is part of a cracking card promoted by Bob Arum for Top Rank, and it will be shown to an American audience courtesy of the ESPN coverage. As well as McGregor’s return, followers also get the chance to catch up on the progress of fans’ favorite Michael Conlan who fights Australian-based Irishman TJ Doheny, over 12 rounds after Tyrone McKenna and Jose Felix dispute the vacant IBO Inter-Continental super lightweight title.
There’s plenty to look forward to on fight night with ten bouts making up the bill, but I will focus on the McGregor bout. The Edinburgh prospect has eased through the ranks and has impressed with every passing fight. As the famous saying in the fight game goes – somebody’s O has to go.
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Legrand is the more experienced fighter and has a pristine record, but a quick look through his CV shows McGregor has already boxed at the higher level and already has more success. The support of a UK crowd will also make a difference on the night.
McGregor is the hot favorite to win this bout, and I’m not about to argue against that. The value looks to be in the method of victory market and McGregor to win on the scorecards. It’s a better price than is available when betting on the fight winner, and the experience of Legrand should be enough to see him avoid the early stoppage suffered by each of the Scottish fighter’s last two opponents.
Lee McGregor vs Vincent Legrand Information | |
Fight | Lee McGregor vs Vincent Legrand |
Promoter | Bob Arum (Top Rank) |
Location | Falls Park, Belfast |
Date and Time | Saturday, August 6 17:00 EST |
How to watch | Live on ESPN |
Following a decorated amateur career representing Scotland and GB, McGregor turned professional and seamlessly transitioned to the paid ranks. His high energy style and heavy hands at the weight made him an instant hit, and he quickly began to shoot through the rankings. There are only 14 bantamweights in the United Kingdom, so making it towards the front of the pack wasn’t difficult for a fighter of Lee’s skill.
He is currently ranked second in the UK behind Kal Yafai, who has world title experience, but all that will change if McGregor keeps winning. Heading into this fight, Lee is ranked 13th in the world, a list dominated by Naoya Inoue, who sits ahead of Nonito Donaire and Guillermo Rigondeaux. Those names are still some way off McGregor at this stage, but he is certainly heading in the right direction, and a win on Saturday would do him no harm whatsoever. The 24-year-old will want to put on a show, impress TV audiences on both sides of the Atlantic and prove he is a force in a competitive and star-studded division.
In March, McGregor was last seen in action when stopping Karim Guerfi in the first round of a bout scheduled for 12 in Bolton, England, on a Matchroom Sports card. We only caught a brief glimpse of him that night, but he oozed class as he dispatched a more experienced opponent with a 29-4-0 record. He has stopped each of his last two opponents inside the fifth round and has got rid of three of his last four inside the distance. Not many bantamweights carry knockout power, but McGregor certainly can punch.
The pre-fight betting may have Legrand as a mere opponent with little hope of winning in Belfast, but his record suggests that isn’t the case. The Frenchman has won each of his previous 32 fights, with 17 of them coming by way of knockout. He is an unbeaten fighter with ambitions of his own, and he’ll see this as a chance to take a respected scalp and move closer to a world title fight.
Despite having more fights on his record, the southpaw is ranked 100 in the world and fourth in France which, at first glance, doesn’t make sense. When taking a closer look through his opponents, we see he has mostly beaten men he was expected to. He hasn’t stepped up in class too often and has limited experience over the 12 rounds championship distance. His most recent win came over Alexandru Ionita, who had a record of seven wins against two defeats and one draw. His last three opponents have suffered a combined 37 defeats, and that gives us a bit of a clearer picture.
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