Is there cause for concern for Lee McGregor following his stoppage win over Vincent Legrand?
An under-the-radar keep intriguing match happens at Falls Park in Belfast, Northern Ireland as Lee McGregor (11-0, 9 KOs) takes on Vincent Legrand (32-1, 17 KOs) in a 12-round bantamweight contest. McGregor is on the fast track. The 24-year-old from Edinburgh, Scotland is considered one of the UK’s best young talents. Only ten fights deep in his pro career, the flashy fighter nicknamed “Lightning” is the European bantamweight champion and ranked third in the world by the IBF.
Despite the early hype from the local press, McGregor will be in tough against the veteran Legrand. A former two-time European flyweight champ, he is currently ranked ninth by the IBF at 115 pounds. Having decided to move up to 118 for this fight, the 30-year-old southpaw from Bruay-la-Buissière, Pas-de-Calais, France is sure to give the talented Scot a pretty tough test.
SURPRISING DEVELOPMENT EARLY
After a solid opening round, the naturally smaller Frenchman shocked the Irish crowd when he put McGregor down on the seat of his pants with a perfectly placed right-hand/left-hand combination late in round two.
In this sport, it is often that a good big man usually beats a good little man. It was the size and power of McGregor that started to show. Momentum quickly changed in his favor.
SIZE MATTERS
Instead of settling down and boxing, the bigger man used his power and physical strength to walk his opponent down and take control in the fourth. A McGregor right-hand body-punch put Legrand on one knee. It was a peach of a shot that forced the southpaw to spit out his mouthpiece. Badly hurt, Legrand was unable to get up, and he was counted out.
While ultimately walking away with a win, McGregor shook his head afterward, not satisfied with how he fought. After the fight, he said he was disappointed with his performance and will learn from this experience.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
