Isaac Lowe vs Lee McGregor Predictions: Big stage beckons for featherweights

Isaac Lowe takes on Lee McGregor at featherweight on Saturday, December 21. The bout takes place on the Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury II undercard. The Kingdom Arena in Riyadh will host the mega-event. DAZN, Sky Sports Box Office and TNT Sports Box Office screen the fight.

Here are my Lowe vs McGregor predictions ahead of this undercard showdown.

There has been some criticism of the undercard for this Usyk-Fury rematch. Viewers have been spoiled by the plethora of main event-worthy match-ups on Riyadh Season cards. That isn’t to say Lowe-McGregor is a bad fight. But it is just the sort of fight that would have been on the undercard of this show before Saudi boxing shifted expectations.

There is no use in mourning what we could have had. This fight is a worthy one between two fighters who can use this platform as a jumping-off point. Don’t weep for what might have been, cherish what you’ve got.

So what have we got? Lowe is a tough fighter who has been in with world class names. His sole defeats have come against Luis Alberto Lopez and Nick Ball, both of whom went on to win world titles after beating him. Lowe makes his second appearance in Riyadh, having beaten Hasibullah Ahmadi back in May.

That victory was Lowe’s fourth in a row since losing to Ball. The others came in six-rounders before he returned to the 10-round distance against Ahmadi. Now the ‘Westgate Warrior’ gets to solidify his hot streak against the best opponent he’s faced since Ball.

McGregor is a former British, Commonwealth and European champion at bantamweight. His career is littered with knockout wins gained in high-pressure circumstances. 

McGregor TKO’ed Scott Allan to win the Commonwealth strap. The 27-year-old took out Karim Guerfi in a single round to win the European belt and defended it with an off-the-canvas fourth-round win over Vincent LeGrand. The knockdown did perhaps plant a little doubt about McGregor.

Those doubts would come to the fore when he was outpointed over 12 by Erik Robles for the IBO gold. It was a hard-fought battle but a setback nonetheless. Like Lowe, McGregor’s record has been flawless since that disappointing defeat. But something has to give in Saudi.

The power advantage belongs to McGregor. He has 11 knockouts from 14 victories and has scored stoppages in big fights. Lowe has just eight finishes in his 25 victories. McGregor will be conscious of this and perhaps be more willing to take risks in the pocket. If Lowe cannot establish authority early on, McGregor could pounce.

Lowe has the edge in experience though. He has had 12 fights more than McGregor but is still at his physical peak. Will the lessons learned through combat help when the pressure is on? The Lancashire man also has experience of fighting in Saudi and everything a Riyadh Season fight week entails. Vital experience in a bout like this. But will it be enough? 

Lowe vs McGregor Fight Odds

Lowe is 6/4 to get the win at the Kingdom Arena. McGregor is the favourite at 4/7. A draw is priced at 16/1.

Lowe vs McGregor Full Card

Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury

Serhii Bohachuk vs. Ishmael Davis

Moses Itauma vs. Demsey McKean

Johnny Fisher vs. Dave Allen

Isaac Lowe vs. Lee McGregor

Peter McGrail vs. Rhys Edwards

Lowe vs McGregor Prediction

I am convinced by my pick, McGregor, but not by a method. Will the power advantage tell, like it has so many times before for ‘Lightning’?

I am leaning towards this one finishing inside. It’ll be close in the early going I feel, but I can see McGregor landing something that stops Lowe. I’ll take McGregor by knockout at 11/4. 

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