LEE McGregor wants to enjoy boxing again after a difficult couple of years.
The former bantamweight star will end nearly 10 months of inactivity when he steps back in the ring on Saturday.
The boxer’s undefeated record was ended last July at Meadowbank Stadium when he lost by decision to Erik Robles Ayala for the vacant IBO super bantamweight title.
Now, he is aiming to get back on the winning trail and achieve his childhood dream of being crowned world champion.
He said: “It has been a frustrating time.
“After my last fight, a lot of stuff happened behind the scenes.
“Even in the lead-up to the fight, it was not smooth. It was a hard road and I thought the fight was going to sort it out and get me back on track but it was not to be.
“After losing it, a lot more issues and problems occurred.
“I have trained, grinded away in the background and kept cracking on.”
McGregor, a former British and Commonwealth bantamweight champion, was unable to go into further detail about issues behind the scenes but described it as “a nightmare” and revealed his boxing career had been “in jeopardy”.
The return to the ring also marks the end of a lengthy wait for a fight.
He was due to face off against Isaac Lowe – cousin of heavyweight king Tyson Fury – in Bolton late last year for the WBO European title.
However, McGregor suffered a torn muscle in his forearm and the fight was pushed back into 2024.
It was thought that the duo would lock horns on the undercard of Fury’s bout with Oleksander Usyk but that fell through due to Fury suffering a cut.
Colombian Jorge Moya will be the opponent at Glasgow’s Doubletree by Hilton and McGregor, who lives in Blindwells, was eagerly anticipating getting back to business.
He said: “If you think back to 2019, I had the big historic fight with Kash Farooq.
“It was almost, not guaranteed, but very consistently said I would be potentially a world champion by now.
“I am 27 and have not done that.
“I have achieved everything but that.
“That is what I set out to do and to still not achieve that is frustrating.
“Lockdown did not help things a few years ago and I have had three cancelled dates.”
McGregor’s opponent comes into the bout with 15 wins and five defeats from his 21 professional bouts.
His last fight, in Kyiv at the end of March, saw him stopped by Nazri Rahimov.
Much of McGregor’s rise has been in front of television audiences and bumper crowds at large arenas.
He felt that the chance to get back into the ring in Glasgow was the perfect opportunity to build back up to achieving his dream.
McGregor said: “I want to give the next couple of years a really good push and my absolute all.
“Then, I want to sit back and say I did everything I wanted to achieve in the sport but go away and enjoy life and quality time with my family.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here