IF there’s one virtue above all others Lee McGregor has been forced to develop over the past few months, it’s patience. 

The 24-year-old has three times been forced to deal with the cancellation of his European title fight with Karim Guerfi. Finally, however, the pair are just days away from stepping into the ring together and McGregor admits he cannot wait to take on the Frenchman, with the delay only serving to heighten his desire to get his hands on the European belt. 

“You couldn’t write what’s happened – it’s been such a frustrating time,” said the Edinburgh fighter of the trio of delays, the first of which was after he tested positive for Covid in November, the January rescheduling was called-off after a new wave of restrictions were introduced before the February date was cancelled after travel restriction made the Dubai venue untenable. 

“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.” 

It is hardly surprising the McGregor is desperate to face Guerfi. Already, the Scot has collected the British and Commonwealth titles and so to also get his hands on the European belt in what will be only his tenth pro fight will be quite astonishing progress. 

McGregor admits that dealing with the cancellations, particularly the first and third, were especially tough as, with only 10 days until the fight each time, almost all of the hard work was done. 

However, he also acknowledges that while being in camp since late August is highly unusual, as well as hugely challenging, he has made significant improvements, which is what has helped him retain his motivation. 

“The positive I can take from this is the progress I’m making in the gym is unbelievable,” he says.  

“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.” 

It is not only physically that McGregor has improved, he believes the challenges of the past few months have made him psychologically far more resilient. 

“This has made me mentally stronger, not many fighters have had it as tough as me the past few months,” he says.  

“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.” 

The delay in this bout has also afforded McGregor more time to work with his new trainer, Ben Davison, with whom he joined forces last autumn. Tyson Fury’s former trainer, who is also working with world champion, Josh Taylor, has been impressed with McGregor’s progress and that, says the bantamweight, gives him an extra layer of self-belief. 

“Ben has tweaked a lot of things - he’s helped me become so much more composed and I look like a different fighter now,” he says.  

“I’m looking much more experienced and I’m far more efficient now. Ben’s words were that I’m performing like a boxer who’s had 40 pro fights and he wouldn’t say that if he didn’t believe it so that gives me a lot of confidence.” 

While McGregor would rather be solely focused on matters in the ring, he has been forced to deal with the unwelcome distraction of questions about his promoter, Daniel Kinahan of MTK, who has been alleged to be a senior figure in organised crime. 

McGregor has not though, he says, spent much time worrying about any criticism of his links to the Irishman, or any matters that are beyond his control. 

“I’ve got a job to do in the ring and that’s what I’ve been concentrating on,” he says. 

“Daniel’s done good things for me and MTK are top management. I don’t know the ins-and-outs of everything that’s going on to be honest – my sole focus is winning titles and that’s all I concern myself with.” 

McGregor may have his focus on his bout in Bolton with Guerfi but he admits he has allowed his thoughts to drift towards his plans for the rest of the year. If he records yet another win, and maintains his unbeaten record, there will, he says, be an exciting few months ahead.  

“The plan this year is to really break onto the world stage,” he says. 

“There’s big plans for me if I come through this fight, and I’m confident I will. 

“I’m trying to block all of that out and focus on this fight but at the same time, I know that life-changing opportunities are headed my way if I win.  

“It’s going to be an emotional night if I get through it with the amount of setbacks I’ve had, the number of challenges I’ve had to overcome. So I cannot wait for that first bell to go.”