Lee McGregor adds the British title to his Commonwealth crown
Lee McGregor became the unified British and Commonwealth bantamweight champion after an incredible battle with Kash Farooq at #MTKFightNight.
The sensational action was live on ESPN+ in the US in association with Top Rank and on iFL TV worldwide, and saw the two men go toe to toe for 12 rounds of solid action.
After an extremely hard-fought battle had the sold out crowd at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow on their feet, with McGregor (8-0, 6 KOs) securing the split decision win to hand Farooq (13-1, 6 KOs) the first defeat of his career.
A huge card also saw Kieran Smith (16-0, 7 KOs) retain his WBC International Silver super-welterweight title with a win over previously unbeaten Italian Vincenzo Bevilacqua (16-1) while Tommy Philbin (13-0, 4 KOs) continued his winning streak by defeating Darryl Sharp.
Irish prospects Paddy Donovan (2-0, 1 KO) and Pierce O’Leary (2-0) each made it two wins in a month after impressive showings, and Mark McKeown (1-0) made a successful start to his professional career with a convincing victory.
Here’s all you need to know from an incredible night in Glasgow:
LEE MCGREGOR bt Kash Farooq SD12
British & Commonwealth bantamweight titles
McGregor said: “I was willing to do anything in there. I’ve had the hardest week of my life and I still got in there and fought my heart out. I love having fights like that and I am over the moon.
“I knew it was a close fight so hats off to Kash Farooq. There was no bad blood in the build up and it was total respect.”
KIERAN SMITH bt Vincenzo Bevilacqua UD10
Smith said: “It was the most frustrating fight ever, but I’m still undefeated and just beat a 16-0 undefeated opponent.
“Everyone has off nights. Winning on an off night isn’t too bad, so I’ll rest now and come back a lot better in 2020.”
TOMMY PHILBIN bt Darryl Sharp PTS6
Philbin said: “I’m glad to be back in the ring because it seems like a long time. It was tough and I was struggling a bit to get my range, but I’m pleased with the win.
“I need to get my foot on the gas and get active now and I would love a fight for the British super-middleweight title in the future.”
PIERCE O’LEARY bt Chris Adaway PTS4
O’Leary said:“I think I have some Scottish fans on my side after this fight. I was really happy to get the rounds in and I knew what to expect in there.
“I kept my composure and I’m happy. Hopefully I can get back out in December and then it will be three fights in three months which is great.”
MARK MCKEOWN bt Jose Aguilar PTS4
McKeown said: “I was really pleased to get the win in my debut. It’s just great to be back boxing again and I need to thank all of my fans that came to watch.
“It was fantastic to be part of such a huge night and hopefully the plan now is to try and stay as active as possible and get out again as quick as we can.”
PADDY DONOVAN bt Danny Mendoza PTS6
Donovan said: “I enjoyed every round. It was a tough opponent and he had never been down or stopped, so I proved I have the power by putting him down.
“I got it confirmed that I’m fighting at Madison Square Garden on St Patrick’s Day and that is every fighter’s dream, so I can’t wait.”
Craig Morgan bt Edwin Tellez PTS6
Next week sees the return of the highly-acclaimed #GoldenContract tournament, as eight elite super-lightweight stars compete at York Hall live on Sky Sports and ESPN+, with Ohara Davies, Tyrone McKenna, Mohamed Mimoune, Lewis Benson, Mikey Sakyi, Kieran Gething, Darren Surtees and Logan Yoon all in action.
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