McGrail decisions Mendoza in Mersey
Toky 2020 Olympian Peter McGrail (8-0, 5KO) won the first professional title of his career after defeating unbeaten Colombian Fran Mendoza (17-1, 7KO) by unanimous decision to become WBA Continental super bantamweight champion on cards of 99-91, 99-91 and 97-93.
The 27-year-old southpaw won the black and gold belt in Liverpool, the city where he was born, against a strong Colombian fighter who was also undefeated on the undercard of Jack Catterall vs Jrge Linares.
Trained by Paul Stevenson, McGrail started fast and sharp, as is his custom.The southpaw had a lot early success, overwhelming the South American with his active style and neat footwork. His right hand jab was landing plenty and he let his backhand left go very often too, striking straight down the centre. Mendoza turned southpaw in round four to confuse McGrail and landed a nice chopping left hook on the right side of McGrail's face.
The Liverpudlian was always in control of the contest, which was fought at mid-range and was highly skilled throughout. McGrail's superior workrate and head movementwas the difference between the two competitors. Round nine was a masterclass from McGrail, landing shots and fluidly rolling out of range.
Then in the 10th and final round, McGrail landed a hard left hook to Mendoza's chin, then followed up with another combination to land a strong right hook that rocked his opponent. Mendoza loaded up to get revenge but couldn't land his shots on the mobile McGrail, who managed another couple of right hooks, but Mendoza made it to the final bell despite looking shaken in the final minute.
Referee Stve Gray was holding McGrail's arm aloft even before the decision was announced by the Master of Ceremonies. It wasn't a comfortable win but it was a dominant performance from the young super bantamweight who trains at the Everton Red Triangle with WBC No.1 featherweight Nick Ball, unbeaten Bradley Strand and Andrew Cain, who are all signed to Frank Warren.
McGrail’s undefeated record extended to 8 wins and 5 knockouts, while Mendoza drops down to 17 wins and 1 loss.
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