Liverpool talent Peter McGrail believes he is only a fight or two away from a world title opportunity, but knows he cannot afford a misstep against Ionut Baluta this weekend.
They meet in Birmingham and the experienced Romanian, a frequent traveler to British shores in recent years, will be hoping to enhance his own world title aspirations with victory over the 11-1 (6 KOs) Englishman.
On previous trips to the UK, Baluta has boxed Michael Conlan, twice fought Dennis McCann, Brad Foster, Liam Davies, Brad Strand and Andrew Cain.
Southpaw McGrail was a gifted former amateur star who represented Team GB at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
McGrail, making weight, had his Father’s Day breakfast at home on Sunday and then went out to watch his family eat theirs, and he is coming into the Baluta bout following the finest win of his career.
On December 21, he faced Welsh contender Rhys Edwards in Saudi Arabia, but he had been set to face Dennis McCann. However, McCann failed a test for performance-enhancing drugs, and Edwards accepted a very late call to go to Riyadh.
“Going back, it was one of the maddest fight weeks that I’ve had,” reflected McGrail. “I had no opponent on the Tuesday, was getting told all different things about the weight left, right and center, so I stayed on course for super bantamweight, which is obviously 122lbs, until the Tuesday, and then I got told I had 8lbs to play with. So, obviously most fighters on fight week, they’re low on food to make the weight and I had 8lbs to play with, so I was going for like Turkish food at like 1, 2 in the morning to eat up to the weight, and if I was to go back and do that fight week again, I probably wouldn’t do that. I wouldn’t put as much weight on as I did. I feel like I got in the ring about 7lbs heavier than what I usually would, so I feel like that was a bit of a disadvantage to me. But, at the same time, it was all good experience. I don’t reckon I’ll ever have that again. But another thing I was thinking as well is that people normally get in opponents [as replacements] who aren’t as good. I personally think Rhys is a better fighter than Dennis, and he was the weight above, and obviously I fought at two weights above, so when you put all that into perspective, we still got the job done, and it was a tricky fight against a tricky customer. Even at 100 per cent with no messing about on the fight week it would have been good. So it was good experience, and we got through it.”
McGrail overcame a third-round cut to win by margins of 96-94 (twice) and 96-95 in a good fight. Edwards lost for the first time in 17 outings.
“Obviously, when people get replacements, they normally get someone two weights below, someone who’s walking around heavy, but it was the other way for me. I got someone at two weights above. And also, what a few people didn’t know, I know he [Edwards] stepped in on three days’ notice, but he was actually fighting in January, which was less than two weeks later. So it wasn’t as though he was just out the gym and he got dragged in on three days’ notice. Plus, he’s a class operator, so all things considered, I’m just proud of myself.”
Often the focus is on the bravery of the substitute, rather than the fighter who was boxing a different fighter with a different style. But McGrail was the one who had to ride the uncertain fight week rollercoaster and stay ready, despite not knowing what was going to happen.
“It wasn’t that tough,” he insisted. “But look, that [McCann] was obviously a bigger fight than Rhys Edwards because it was for the British title, it was for the European title, it was just a bigger fight in general. But it was a bit of relief when Rhys stepped in, because at one point it was like, I wasn’t even going to get a fight, and you think you’re fighting four days before Christmas, and then to go, ‘Oh, you might not be fighting, your opponent’s failed a drug test,’ back to, ‘Alright, you’re fighting someone two weights above.’ It was just all mad mixed emotions, but it was a good experience when you look back.’
Harsh words were said about McCann at the time, and it is a fight that McGrail is not especially keen to have down the line.
“If he doesn’t get banned, and if business-wise it makes sense [he would fight McCann], but I’m not in no rush to do business with him, to be honest.”
Having been on the wrong end of someone caught up with PEDs, what is McGrail’s stance on the subject?
“I just think it’s a bit of a weakness myself. It’s like getting in the ring with a weapon, isn’t it? “I’ve fought since I was 10, I’ve never once took a performance enhancing drug or failed a drug test throughout my amateur career and my pro career, and will continue to not take performance enhancing drugs. But that’s just the way I see it. I see it as a weakness, and like, you’re scared and you don’t believe you can beat the man fair and square who you’re fighting. As soon as I got that phone call about that, I just thought he’s just fucked himself up really for boxing, fighting on the biggest stage of all, and probably tarnished his name as well for the rest of his career.”
McGrail is unsure how commonplace PED usage in boxing is, but refers to those caught out as “crazy shitbags.”
The only other person he addresses that way is the only man to have beaten him in the pros, Ja’Rico O’Quinn, who stunned him in Arizona in December 2023. On different occasions since they’ve been slated to fight again, but it’s not happened.
“It’s been on twice, to be honest. I don’t know what’s going on, but he’s another crazy shitbag. Fucking hell. He’s obviously had his little two seconds of fame when he caught me with that shot and he hasn’t boxed since, and it’s like, what kind of man is he? It’s just not what you do if you’re a fighter. He should just have built on that, and I do believe the way he’s gone on about it after the fight, like he’s just this mad puncher… the fight was there twice, and he’s pulled out. I’d love to fight him again. He’s literally won a second of a round, but my career doesn’t revolve around Ja’Rico O’Quinn, and my career doesn’t revolve around Dennis McCann. Even Shabaz Masoud pulled out with an injury [which left him fighting Baluta]. I’ve just got to keep focusing on myself.”
McGrail also, on Saturday, needs to focus on the 17-5-1 (3 KOs) Baluta.
Although he believes Edwards might be a better fighter, given that Baluta has boxed two of McGrail’s stablemates, defeating Brad Strand but losing to Andrew Cain, the Liverpool man will not be losing sight of what is important.
“I wouldn’t say he’s the best I've boxed,” McGrail continued. “Rhys Edwards was 16-0, the weight above, very sharp, brilliant fighter, very technical. Baluta looks very different to Rhys Edwards. He’s messy, unconventional.”
McGrail leaves most of the homework to his coach, Paul Stevenson, head of the burgeoning Everton Red Triangle gym. McGrail watches some last-minute tape on fight day, but a vastly experienced amateur like him has seen a lot, travelling the world and facing all styles.
Twelve fights in, life as a pro is similar to how he’d imagined it.
“It’s not much different to being an amateur,” McGrail said. “The only difference is probably in the fights. The rounds are a bit longer and the gloves are a bit smaller. But it’s just training and dieting and learning every day and trying to get better and listening to my coaches. But the main thing that was the biggest change was I started in Everton Red Triangle when I was 10. And then from the age of 18 to 25, I was basically in Sheffield for most of it, boxing for Great Britain. And I missed loads of time in Everton Red Triangle with my coaches, Paul Stevenson and Anthony Humphries. So it’s good to be back in there every day. And we’ve got a great team around us. We’ve got a great team in the gym, Nick Ball, [brother] Joe [McGrail], Andrew Cain, Brad Strand, Boma Brown, Chloe Watson... Everyone’s just learning off each other. Everyone’s buzzing in the gym and it’s great.”
It is the success of unbeaten world champion Ball that has caught the eye of so many in boxing. The 28-year-old featherweight star (“he’s fit, he’s strong, he’s a beast,” says McGrail), is the jewel in the crown.
“Since Nick’s become champion, it’s put Paul on the map and put the gym on the map,” McGrail added. “And people are probably watching Paul more in the corner, listening to the way he speaks and that, and they’re realising who he is and what he’s about. His knowledge of the game is unbelievable. I’ve said this since the start, he really is one of the best coaches in the world, if not the best. I’ve been there since I was a kid and just what he’s done with other fighters coming through as well. It’s unbelievable and it’s great for the gym.”
McGrail is learning his craft. Baluta might teach him a couple of nuances about the sport in Birmingham, and having lost to O’Quinn due to a lapse of concentration, McGrail admitted: “I just need to stay switched on and just listen to Paul. That’s all I need to do is stay switched on and listen to Paul.”
If he does that, he should head up the ratings and be on the cusp of a title fight. That is what he covets most: to get in the mix with the likes of Ramon Cardenas and Luis Nery.
“One hundred per cent. I’m number six in the WBA at the minute, I was sitting at number four, but once I do a job on this Baluta, they’re the kind of fights that I want next. I know Matchroom might want the Shabaz fight, but get me Cardenas, get me Luis Nery, get me whoever’s high up in the rankings, and let’s push towards the world titles now.”
Of course, atop of his division is a Japanese superstar who McGrail, like the rest of the boxing world, holds in high regard – although he does not think Naoya Inoue is superhuman.
“I don’t know about him being a class apart [from the rest of the division]. Obviously, coming through, he’s done absolutely everything. You look at his resume, he’s unbelievable, he obviously carries power behind him, but I feel like obviously he’s been dropped a few times. I feel like sometimes he does leave openings. But I’m not taking that away from him.
“He’s a phenomenal fighter. At the moment, obviously, he’s smashing it isn’t he?”
McGrail has his own aspirations, of course, but having turned over in 2021, he is now ready to make his move and has his year-end goals in mind.
“I want to be unbeaten, so I want to be closer to a world title, if not world champion,” he said. “I know I’m only one or two wins away from challenging for the world title, and I’ll be taking that with both hands. For now, it’s focus on Baluta, get past him, and then see what it is, see what the team can do, see if they can work a bit of magic and get me some good opportunities.”