The bout took place at the Thistle Hotel on Friday, March 6 with the Drum scrapper winning three rounds and drawing one to take a 40-37 victory.

The 26-year-old was happy with the outcome — even though he admits he wasn’t at the top of his game.

He told SportScene: “To be honest it was a hard fight, he came to box and he could punch.

“It came down to who wanted the centre of the ring.

“I started fast, then when I slowed down I outboxed him. I wasn’t sure how it would be scored but it went well.

“I didn’t think I had boxed by best but when I watched the video back it was good.” McGuire had his first professional fight in September last year and with three bouts under his belt — he insists he feels right at home at professional level.

He said: “I think fighting professional suits my style better than in the amateurs. I like to come forward and in the amateurs the referee stops the fight a lot, that doesn’t suit the way I want to fight.” McGuire’s next fight is likely to be at the star of May. The location has yet to be confirmed but Commonwealth star Joe Ham is set to top the bill.

Ham has fought on the same card as McGuire in his last two fights and McGuire has been sparring with the Gorbals man — which he thinks will help him improve.

He said: “Joe is very experienced in the amateurs so it is good to spar with someone like that.”