Getty European bantamweight champion Karim Guerfi.
Karim Guerfi will put his European bantamweight title on the line on March 19, when he’ll box Lee McGregor at University of Bolton Stadium in Bolton, England.
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In the United States, the fight card (2 p.m. ET start time) won’t be on regular TV anywhere, but anyone in the US can watch Guerfi vs McGregor live on ESPN+ right here:
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You can also watch on your computer via ESPN.com.
Guerfi vs McGregor Preview
The bout was originally scheduled for Nov. 11, but it’s been postponed three times since. A positive COVID-19 test for the 24-year-old McGregor (9-0, 7 KOs) prompted the first cancellation.
“You couldn’t write what’s happened — it’s been such a frustrating time,” he said, according to The Herald.
“But I kept grinding away in the gym and finally, here we are — this is the biggest fight of my career and I can’t wait to get in there.”
McGregor — who’s held the Commonwealth bantamweight title since 2018 and the British bantamweight title since 2019 — noted that he’s used the extra time to hone his abilities.
“The positive I can take from this is the progress I’m making in the gym is unbelievable,” he said, per The Herald.
“If I think back to the November date, I was in good shape and I was very confident but if I compare how I was then to now, I’m like a completely different fighter.”
The Scot added: “This has made me mentally stronger, not many fighters have had it as tough as me the past few months.
“It’s not just the cancellations; my weight was pretty much there, all the hard training was done, the sparring was over — all the really gruelling stuff was done. And then the fight fell through.
“But each time, I picked myself up, I got home for a few days to see my family and then go again, that’s what I’ve done each time.
“If I hadn’t seen these improvements, I think the past five months would have been very different, it would have been very hard to deal with.”
McGregor last fought in August 2020, when he stopped Ryan Walker in the fifth round. Nine months earlier, he defended his Commonwealth belt and took Ukashir Farooq’s British bantamweight title in a controversial split decision.
Guerfi (29-4, 9 KOs) hasn’t fought since November 2019, when he bested Georges Ory, his fellow Frenchman, via corner retirement to acquire the European title for a third time.
The 34-year-old’s last defeat came in April 2018, when he succumbed to Michael Dasmarinas in the fourth round in a scrap for the vacant IBO title.
“I’m 100% determined to win this fight. I have trained hard to beat Lee McGregor,” Guerfi said in late January, according to British Boxing News, when the two expected to meet on Feb. 6 in Dubai. “I have stayed focused on my objective and I will be keeping hold of my European title.
“I will represent my country with great pride. They believe in me and I believe in my skills. I am going to put on a good show for the fans that will be watching on TV.”