Peter McGrail admits there is a chance Naoya Inoue could be a 'potential opponent in the future' as he aims to end 2022 on a high in Japan.
McGrail (5-0, 4 KOs) takes on Hironori Miyake at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo on Tuesday on the undercard of Inoue's megafight with Paul Butler. The winner of the historic bout is set to become boxing’s first undisputed bantamweight champion in half a century.
Nicknamed the 'Monster', Inoue holds the IBF, WBA and WBC belts and wants to clean up the division before moving up in weight – but two-time world champion Butler holds the missing piece of the puzzle. And should the 29-year-old move up to super-bantamweight then there is a strong possibility that he could end up facing McGaril in a mouthwatering clash.
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Even though the fight is probably a good 12 to 18 months away from happening, McGrail, speaking exclusively to the ECHO, admits he will be paying close to attention to Tuesday's main event.
He said: “He is like the Canelo of Asia. Usually if I am on earlier, I would normally just get off after my fight, but I will probably stay and watch that fight.
"He [Inoue] is a star of the game and he is probably going to move up to super-bantamweight. He could be a potential opponent in the future so it will be decent to see what it is like and the atmosphere and that in the arena.
"You never know, I could end up coming back over and fighting him. So yeah, I will be there watching it.”
McGrail extended his unbeaten professional run to five fights with a TKO victory over Alexander Espinoza at Probellum Liverpool II back in October.
The huge Everton supporter delivered a performance worthy of his billing, as he broke the spirit of Espinoza and forced him to retire at the start of round six.
And even though it has been a tight turnaround for the 26-year-old, McGrail admits it was a 'no-brainer' for him to fight on such a huge bill.
He said: “That fight was back in October, so after getting out of the fight injury free, it was only right that I boxed again. I can’t really say no to getting on a card like this, it was a no-brainer.”
Before he added: “This year, 2022, I have had four fights. I had two earlier in the year, and then I had six months off, and then two at the end of the year.
“I have had two in Liverpool, one in Dubai and one in Japan. If someone would have said to me that is what I am going to do at the start of the year I would have been happy.
“I wouldn’t have minded one or two more in that six months off, but it is just one of those things. All my fights have gone well and I am happy. I am more than ready to start pushing on for some titles next year.”
And when asked what might be on the agenda in 2023, McGrail revealed: “We will probably have a sit down over Christmas and put some things in place and make a plan.
"As of now I am just focusing on Tuesday. I am just focusing on this opponent and when it comes to titles, that will just get sorted for me.
"The way I see it, it is up to Paul and Probellum, my team. They will make the right decisions for me and I will just get in the ring and fight and get the win.”
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