Peter McGrail will get to enjoy one more fight in 2024, after all.
One unbeaten prospect will replace another for the 28-year-old southpaw, who is now set to face Wales' Rhys Edwards. Their junior featherweight clash is part of the Dec. 21 supporting cast to the Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury RING/unified heavyweight championship rematch at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
BOXXER, Edwards' promoter, confirmed the updated bout on Tuesday.
Liverpool's McGrail (10-1, 6 KOs) was due to face unbeaten Dennis McCann (16-0-1, 8 KOs). A new opponent was needed when McCann tested positive for an undisclosed banned substance revealed in test results contracted through Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA).
It was unclear at the time whether McGrail would remain on the show.
His spot was saved when Edwards (16-0, 4 KOs) answered the call. The 24-year-old Welshman was already in training for a Jan. 11 clash versus Leon Woodstock (16-3, 7 KOs) on the Callum Simpson-Steve Woodall undercard in Sheffield, England.
Edwards now advances his schedule by three weeks, and his bank account by a considerable amount for a slot on the final Riyadh Season show of 2024.
It also represents his second fight of the year. Edwards' lone calendar entrant came on the May 11 undercard of fellow Wales fighter Lauren Price's Ring/WBA welterweight championship win over Jessica McCaskill. Edwards outpointed Thomas Patrick Ward (34-2-1, 5 KOs) in his best win to date.
Meanwhile, McGrail gets in a third fight on what has been a bounce back year.
The once highly-touted prospect was dealt a knockout loss to Ja'Rico O'Quinn (17-1-1, 9 KOs) last Dec. 16 in Glendale, Arizona.
Two wins have followed for the 2020 Olympian. A confidence restoring points win over Marc Leach came on April 27 in his Liverpool hometown. McGrail further proved he was all the way back after a second-round knockout of Brad Foster (15-4-2, 5 KOs), who'd never been stopped at the time of their Sept. 28 meeting in Sheffield.
McGrail and Edwards both make their first appearance on the Riyadh Season circuit.
Jake Donovan is part of the U.S. team for The Ring. Follow Jake on X and Instagram.