European bantamweight champion Lee McGregor will return to the ring on next month’s MTK Fight Night when he faces dangerous Argentine Diego Alberto Ruiz (23-4, 12 KOs) in a non-title fight. The card will be held on Friday February 11th and be broadcast live in the US on ESPN+ and worldwide on IFL TV. Middleweight Danny Dignum faces Grant Dennis in the main event. McGregor (11-0, 9 KOs) was last in action in August, when he stopped Vincent Legrand in the fourth round to retain his title. Two fights ago, McGregor had a blistering first-round knockout win over Karim Guerfi in March 2021. The Edinburgh star now turns his attention to his showdown with Ruiz, who has shared the ring with Michael Conlan and Shabaz Masoud in recent years.

 

McGregor said: “I’m buzzing to get back in the ring. It’s been a frustrating few months after my December fell fell through and then receiving the news about Kash Farooq [retired from boxing due to injury], so I’m delighted that we now have this date. I stayed on it over Christmas and it has paid off as now I’ve been able to step in and fight with not much notice needed, so hopefully it’s the start of a very bright 2022. 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 just because I’ve not fought for a bit, I want someone who comes to win as that’s when you see my 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.”

 

Elsewhere on next month’s show, Nina Hughes faces Bec Connolly, Shiloh Defreitas takes on Alexey Tukhtarov, Joe Giles meets Lewis van Poetsch, Bilal Fawaz makes his professional debut against Vladimir Fleischhauer, Jordan Flynn clashes with Lee Hallet, Will Hamilton goes up against Jone Volau, and George Mitchell fights Vasif Mamedov.