Lee McGregor retains European title - but is unhappy at being floored for the first time

Edinburgh boxer Lee McGregor retained his European bantamweight title at the first attempt with a fourth-round stoppage over the previously undefeated Frenchman Vincent Legrand.

By Neil McGlade

Published 7th Aug 2021, 00:09 BST- 1 min read

Edinburgh boxer Lee McGregor has retained his European bantamweight title. Pic: Alex Livesey/Getty Images

However, the Scot didn’t look overly satisfied with his performance at Falls Park in Belfast having been knocked to the canvas in the second round for the first time in his professional career.

Legrand is no slouch, though, having amassed 32 wins. He’s only moved up to bantamweight recently but he didn’t look out of place in the opening rounds.

And he caught McGregor with a right hook with less than 20 seconds remaining of round two. This was new territory for the former Meadowbank amateur as McGregor now found himself behind in a contest for the first time.

However, his response was emphatic and after finding a bit more rhythm in round three, he produced a huge shot to the body that left Legard gasping for air on one knee. The Frenchman’s mouthguard dropped out and that signalled the end of the contest.

McGregor said: “I’m happy with the win but not overly happy with my performance. I should have done what I did in rounds three and four. But I got there in the end.”