LEE McGREGOR is in his sparring gear, sweaty and intense – but he is fighting tears and not other men.

The 21-year-old bantamweight from Edinburgh has suffered four devastating family losses in under 12 months.

Ian Whittaker – The Sun

First there was mum Elizabeth who passed away last May.

A tattoo on the inside of his right bicep that reads 'missing you always, remembering you forever' marks her memory.

In June a cousin died along with his grandmother Martha.

This year granddad and “best friend” Jim succumbed to terminal cancer with Lee at his bedside to witness his last breath.

Through all this McGregor has gone through the physical hell that is training and fighting and seen his career soar.

Ian Whittaker – The Sun

Ian Whittaker – The Sun

He signed with the legendary Barry McGuigan, made his professional debut and won his first three bouts by knockout without going past the second round.

Now he and girlfriend Amber are expecting their first child and tomorrow night in Glasgow he meets Goodluck Mrema for the IBF world youth bantamweight title in the biggest fight of his life.

To say this year gone has been a rollercoaster is an understatement.

The emotional toll it took – those feelings of loss still so raw – was apparent when SunSport talked to him at McGuigan’s Wandsworth gym.

Kenny Ramsay – The Sun Glasgow

McGregor said: “May 2017 was the first heartbreak. I had won all my fights, I became British champion on the same night my mum passed away from throat cancer.

“Can you imagine? My gran knew my mum had gone but she didn’t think she could tell us because we were out celebrating my win.

“On the Sunday my gran texted me saying please come home but don’t ask why. My granddad had just been diagnosed with cancer too.

“When I saw that text I thought something was wrong with him. I didn’t want to text back.

“She told me mum died and I hit the floor. It was absolutely horrible.

“I don’t know why we had so much bad luck. In June my dad’s cousin died. We were very close."

Two weeks after the loss of his cousin, McGregor's grandmother lost her husband, Jimmy.

It was when they were preparing for his funeral that McGregor got another dreaded call.

He said: "I was in Turkey and got a call saying my grandmother was in a really bad way and really cut up.

"We were organising the funeral and trying to make her feel better, she was really struggling badly, saying she just wanted to be with Jimmy.

"I’m nearly crying thinking about it, she turned up at the funeral looking amazing and I don’t know how she did it.

Ian Whittaker – The Sun

Ian Whittaker – The Sun

"After the funeral we went back to her house, me and my girlfriend Amber stayed with her, we were the last people to see her, got her to bed.

"We left and then the next morning we got a phone call. She was found dead in her bed. It was horrible. Again the family was broken. This was all in the space of a few weeks.

"After my mum I wanted to take some time out to breathe but I couldn’t. I had to train. I was putting my body through hell training. Boxing helped get me through it.

"In July my head was all over the place. My family was broken, I was in bits.

"After this my granddad James fell ill. He was my best mate. He was ill through all this tragedy, still running about helping everyone.

"It was the start of this year. We knew he had terminal cancer but he hid it from us. He knew he was going to die.

"Then I got another text. Every time someone rang me I didn’t want to answer my phone. I was petrified. My heart was beating, thinking, ‘what’s going to happen now?’

"It was Amber. She told me my granddad had two months to live. I couldn’t believe it.

"I was using this fight as the target. I wanted him to see this fight – but he never did.

"I was down here training and got a phone call again. Lee can you come home.

"I saw him and they told me to be prepared to see him. I sat with him all night. We knew what was happening. But it gives me comfort now knowing I saw his last breath.

"Now things are looking so up for me. I’ve got my first title fight. I’m having a baby girl. It’s crazy.

Ian Whittaker – The Sun

"Two weeks after mum died my brother Connor had a little girl. We lost my gran and my other brother Stuart had a little boy. It's like they're giving us something to keep us up.

"After all the heartache, the best thing that could happen is to have a baby.

"Now things are falling into place and I use them all as motivation. I'm fighting for them. I'm fighting for my family."

McGuigan is certain McGregor – who fights on the undercard of stablemate Josh Taylor's bout against Viktor Postol – is going to the very top.

McGregor has the same confidence despite admitting he feels fear before stepping in the ring.

He said: "The public don’t know what I can do. I hope with this opportunity I can show everyone what I can do.

"They have not seen what I can do, just glimpses. Two rounds is the furthest I have gone. I want to get some more rounds in to showcase my skills.

"There are no questions about me going the distance but people haven’t had the chance to see it.

"It’s great knocking people out but at the same time you want to showcase your skills, switching stances, I can go southpaw, orthodox… I’ve not shown any of this yet.

"You could say I have some fear because the guy is capable of knocking me out. I’ve got that bit of fear and nerves but that’s when I’m dangerous and at my best.

"Nerves are good and a bit fear is good as well because then you’re switched on.

"I don’t think there as many fighters at my weight who have as big a heart as me. I’ll have to be knocked unconscious to stop."

Lee McGregor will be fighting Goodluck Mrema for the IBF World Youth Title, tomorrow night, at the SSE Hydro Arena in Glasgow, which will be shown live on 5 Spike (Sky Channel 150).
You can follow his progress at @LeeMcGregor3  and check out the latest news from @CyclonePromo and @McGuigans_Gym here.

ENGLAND take on Australia in the fourth one day international of a five-game series on Thursday June 21 at Durham.

And the home side will be full of confidence as they hold an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the series to this point.

Getty Images – Getty

Last time out, England's batsmen racked up a record-breaking haul of 481 runs for just six wickets in 50 overs.

And star man Alex Hales, who hit 147 in the last ODI, reckons England have a shot at breaking the 500 run barrier in the near future.

"The standard [of one-day cricket] has gone through the roof. There were murmurs about it between myself and Eoin Morgan when he came out to bat on Tuesday. We were saying, ‘This is our chance’.

“When we got past our previous record of 444, we had a little smirk to each other and said, ‘Let’s push to that 500!’"

Reuters

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What TV channel is it on?

Coverage begins on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket at 1.30pm with the game set to start at 2pm.

Head to channel 401 or 404 on your Sky Box.

Can I live stream the game?

Sky subscribers can watch the game on the move with Sky Go on their mobile devices.

If you're not a Sky subscriber, you can watch all the action live with a Now TV Sports Pass from £7.99. Buy one here.

When is the final ODI of the series?

The fifth and final game of the one day international series is on Sunday June 24 at Old Trafford with coverage beginning at 11am on Sky Sports.

TONY FERGUSON is out of UFC 223 after a trip and fall while performing media duties saw him tear knee ligaments.

UFC president Dana White has confirmed he will not be able to make the lightweight title fight against the talented Russian Khabib Nurmagomedov this Saturday in Brooklyn.

Getty – Contributor

Featherweight champion Max Holloway will face Khabib instead with less than a week’s notice.

The fight will be for Conor McGregor’s lightweight belt with the Irishman being stripped of his title as soon as the fight starts.

White said Ferguson’s injury is a serious one where the interim champion will need surgery.

White told ESPN: “He actually tore it off the bone, he’s gonna need surgery on his knee.

Getty – Contributor

Getty – Contributor

AP:Associated Press

“Tony is out. He’s hurt his knee.

“Tony Ferguson is injured, but the beautiful thing about this sport — the stud, 145-pound champion Max Holloway is going to step up and face Khabib this Saturday in Brooklyn, New York, and it is for the official 155-pound title.”

Ferguson has revealed that he needs surgery after consulting doctors and will

He said: “Words can’t express how hurt, frustrated, angry and in disbelief I am right now.

“As I was completing my UFC pre-fight media obligations on Friday I had an accident on a studio set that tore my ligament in my knee.

“My doctor and the UFC doctor both said I can’t fight and one is saying I need surgery, so I will see a specialist to make the final determination on how I can heal up and get back in there to defend my belt ASAP.

“I want to apologise to all the fans, the UFC, Khabib, my teammates, my coaches, my friends and most importantly my family.”

MARCUS ERICSSON'S Sauber went up in flames after a crash at the first French Grand Prix practice session.

The Swedish star escaped without any serious injuries as Lewis Hamilton made a perfect start to the weekend.

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With just three minutes left, Ericsson lost control of the Sauber at the Beausset corner.

The car then collided into a barrier of tyres and the rear-end caught fire.

Marshalls raced over with fire extinguishers and the 27-year-old managed to get himself out of the car.

Ericsson is now expected to miss the second practice session, which will take place at 3pm.

Rex Features

Sky Sports F1

Hamilton still managed to steal the show as the drivers geared up for the first French Grand Prix since 2008.

The 33-year-old was a tenth of a second faster than Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas with 1:32.231.

Daniel Ricciardo registered third for Red Bull, followed by Ferrari drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel.

Brendon Hartley, Kimi Raikkonen and Stoffel Vandoorne all had early spins at Turn six at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet.

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Hamilton has admitted that his Formula One title defence could be derailed by England's World Cup match against Panama.

The Brit said that he will struggle to focus on the race because he and his mechanics will be watching the match.

AFP

TONY FINAU stormed onto the leaderboard at the Masters – on one foot.

The big-hitting Finau dislocated his ankle when his celebration after a hole in one during Wednesday’s par three competition went horribly wrong.

Getty Images

Getty Images

He started running down the fairway backwards to let his children catch up to him, and suddenly his foot went out from under him, sticking out at right angles as his ankle gave way.

Finau looked down and snapped the joint back into place himself — and then played the final hole!

He went for physiotherapy and a MRI scan before deciding he was fit enough to make his Augusta debut.

A bogey at the opening hole sounded a few alarm bells – but it certainly did not seem to be bothering him as he rattled off five birdies to take over at the top of the leaderboard as he walked off the 13^th green.

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Finau bogeyed the 14^th but got that shot back on the next hole and finished with a mind-boggling four under par 68.

Finau was able to smile at his mishap. He said: “It was a freaky incident — I maybe went a little over the top with my celebration!

“It was pretty scary for me. To say it was a scary night is a frightening understatement. Didn’t sleep very much and just thought about how I would react today.

“To be where I am now is nothing short of a miracle. I tried not to think about it too much, tried to let my mind take over.

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"Before I played and when I teed off I told myself ‘this is my first masters, let’s have some fun today. The way it went is pretty remarkable for me.”

His performance revived memories of Tiger Woods’ incredible feat in winning the 2008 US Open with a ruptured knee tendon and two stress fractures in his leg.

There is a long way to go for Finau to match that feat – but he is clearly made of stern stuff too.

The packed leaderboard also features Chinese star Haotong Li, who is bidding to complete an incredible hat-trick.

The last two Masters champions – Sergio Garcia and Danny Willett – both captured the Dubai Desert Classic title before winning at Augusta.

Li, 21, won the same title after an epic final round battle with Rory McIlor. Like Finau, he is playing in his first Masters – but his three under par 69 suggests it would be crazy to rule out his chances of maintaining the Dubai connection.