Liverpool amateur sensation turned 7-0 (5 KOs) super bantamweight prospect Peter McGrail will fight for his first professional title on Saturday October 21 when he faces unbeaten Colombian Fran Mendoza for the vacant WBA Continental Title on the undercard of Jack Catterall’s Super-Lightweight clash with multi-weight World Champion Jorge Linares at the M&S Bank Arena, shown live worldwide on DAZN.
One of Merseyside’s most decorated amateur boxers, McGrail, who trains out of the renowned Everton Red Triangle Gym on Albion Street under Paul Stevenson, made his highly anticipated professional debut on Matchroom’s sold-out Liam Smith vs. Anthony Fowler show at the M&S Bank Arena back in October 2021, comfortably outpointing Ed Harrison over six rounds to kick off life in the paid ranks with a win.
He returned to the arena two months later for his second fight on the undercard of the sold-out Conor Benn vs. Chris Algieri and Katie Taylor vs. Firuza Sharipova double-header, earning his first stoppage win without a vest by halting Nicaragua’s Engel Gomez in just two rounds.
The 27-year-old made his promotional debut as a Matchroom fighter back in March on the undercard of Diego Pacheco’s four-round demolition of Jack Cullen, decisioning Argentina’s Nicolas Nahuel Botelli over ten rounds.
Mendoza, who resides in Spain, has won all seventeen of his professional contests since turning over in July 2018, with seven of those winning coming via stoppage, and the 26-year-old will be the first undefeated opponent McGrail has faced so far in his promising professional career.
Stoke’s undefeated Super-Bantamweight slickster Shabaz Masoud (11-0, 4 KOs) fights for the first time as a Matchroom fighter after singing a multi-fight deal with Eddie Hearn in June, putting his WBA Intercontinental title on the line against Colombia’s Jose Sanmartin (34-7-1, 21 KOs).
Oldham’s unbeaten Super-Featherweight contender Aqib Fiaz (12-0, 1 KO) kicks off live the live broadcast with what promises to be an electric match-up against Watford’s Reece Bellotti (16-5, 13 KOs) for the vacant Commonwealth Title, with the fight doubling up as a British Title Final Eliminator.
Chester’s Paddy Lacey (8-0, 1 KO) returns to action as he takes on Heysham’s Owen Kirk (3-1-2), Hyde Super-Lightweight Campbell Hatton (13-0, 5 KOs) sees action for the fifth time this year after outpointing Tom Ansell on the undercard of Joshua vs. Helenius earlier this month and Bolton’s Khaleel Majid (11-0, 3 KOs) looks to build on his points win in Birmingham over the weekend.