Lee McGregor Claims WBC International Title with Points Victory

Edinburgh’s Lee McGregor has been crowned the new WBC International featherweight champion, securing the vacant title through a unanimous points decision against England’s Isaac Lowe in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The fighter from Edinburgh, who competed on the undercard of the world title rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Uysk, controlled a contentious match, marking his second victory since experiencing his sole career defeat last year. Lowe’s prospects in the bout were hindered by a cut sustained in the fifth round, and the 30-year-old competitor also incurred two point deductions for repeatedly losing his gumshield during the concluding two rounds. Despite appearing fatigued and potentially affected by a hand injury in the latter stages, McGregor withstood a final surge from his opponent to win the decision with scores of 96-92, 97-91, and 97-91. The 27-year-old McGregor, once considered a promising talent, has faced challenges in building momentum in recent years of his career, despite having secured British, European, and Commonwealth titles earlier. His advancement has been impeded by injuries, and his attempt to claim the IBO super-bantamweight title resulted in a defeat against Mexican Erik Robles Ayala before a home audience at Meadowbank in July 2023.