Lee McGregor will have his first fight of 2022 on February 11 at York Hall, London.
The European bantamweight champion (11-0, 9 KOs) will feature in an international contest against Diego Alberto Ruiz. The Argentinian may be familiar to British and Irish fight fans having fought Michael Conlan in 2019 and last year took on McGregor’s gym-mate Shabaz Masoud. Ruiz lost on both occasions but gave a respectable account of himself on both occasions.
McGregor’s team had been looking at a possible IBF world title eliminator for the governing body’s number three contender. An all-Scottish rematch against Kash Farooq was on the cards too but sadly McGregor’s rival and friend had to recently retire from the sport.
“It’s been a frustrating few months after my December fight fell through and then receiving the news about Kash Farooq, so I’m delighted that we now have this date,” said the unbeaten Edinburgh fighter.
“Ruiz is tough and comes and have a go, and that’s exactly what I want. I don’t want a journeyman coming to lie down because I’ve not fought for a bit, I want someone who comes to win as that’s when you see me at my best.
“I’m hoping to make a statement and be dominant, and show people what I’ve improved on, as I’m continuing to improve every single month.”
McGregor had a successful 2021 becoming European champion with a stunning first-round win against Frenchman Karim Guerfi in March. Five months later he faced Guerfi’s compatriot Vincent Legrand and recovered from an early knockdown to win by fourth round knockout in his first title defence.