Shabaz Masoud vs. Peter McGrail Keys to Victory: Breaking down tactics of each fighter

Shabaz Masoud vs. Peter McGrail for the European super bantamweight title headlines the Matchroom Boxing Monaco card Saturday night, live on DAZN. Each British fighter has the chance to move his name closer to the world championship mix at 122 pounds.

His last time out in November 2024, Masoud (14-0, 4 KOs) earned a hard-fought split decision over Liam Davies, while McGrail (12-1, 6 KOs) claimed a gritty majority decision against Ionut Baluta this past June.

Considering Masoud and McGrail were originally slated to fight earlier this year before an injury to Masoud scrapped those plans, these two are piqued for this weekend's bout. 

Will Masoud use the platform to plump up his fighting profile, staying undefeated with another key win? Or will McGrail seize the spotlight with a convincing victory of his own?

The anticipation is building and DAZN News analyzes the Keys to Victory for both Masoud and McGrail.

Shabaz Masoud’s Keys to Victory

Assert the jab early

Masoud’s jab worked wonders against Liam Davies and the British fighter could use the stick to dictate the pace of this weekend’s bout against Peter McGrail as well.

With Masoud owning a six-inch reach over his opponent, the jab could be instrumental at keeping a pressuring McGrail at bay.

Establishing the jab early is a major key from which the rest of Masoud's offense will flow from.

Pot-shot with the right hand

Once Masoud finds a consistent home with the jab, he can begin to pot-shot McGrail with a laser-beam of a right hand.

This could be done as a pieced-together combination off the jab, throwing the jab as a distraction for the right to land or feinting with the jab only to hone in with the cross.

How ever Masoud concocts it, that right hand landing flush with some sting will allow him to score points and bank rounds.

Manage the distance

Working behind the jab and adding that right hand could put Masoud in the driver’s seat of brokering his ring real estate which is imperative against a McGrail who will be looking to force his fellow Brit into cramped quarters.

The more Masoud can live on the outside, managing the space between he and McGrail, the more likely he can optimize his sweet science skills to have his hand raised.

Peter McGrail’s Keys to Victory

Close the distance with steady pressure

Facing a six-inch deficit in reach, Peter McGrail will need to get inside of Shabaz Masoud’s reach.

The way for him to do it is with deft footwork — something that is already part of McGrail’s fight game.

He must use this movement to steadily pressure Masoud and make him uncomfortable. Achieving this will turn this into McGrail's style of fight.

Counter with the left hook

McGrail possesses a heavy-handed left hook.

Masoud is going to be firing away and if McGrail can catch him in traffic with a timed left hook, the counterpunch can be a fight-altering shot.

McGrail should especially look to unload such a punch during a catch and shoot sequence.

Crank up the volume

When McGrail has moments of success in pressuring and cutting off the ring with Masoud, he must crank up the volume.

He is the more powerful puncher and should take his chances when manufacturing phone booth action.

Just the aggression of the output could lead to swaying judges’ scorecards and tilting them in his favor.

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