Dennis McCann eyes his ‘slice of the cake’ ahead of Peter McGrail bout

Once upon a time, fighters dreamed of becoming the British or European champion. Plenty spent long, successful and difficult careers campaigning for the prestigious titles whilst they waited for an elusive world title opportunity to present itself.

These days, the proliferation of world title belts means that lots of younger fighters view the belts as a staging post on the way to bigger and better things.

Dennis McCann (16-0-1, 8 KOs) is the reigning British, Commonwealth and European junior featherweight champion but wants to continue progressing. 

“Yeah, I’m 23 years of age,” he told BoxingScene. ”People forget that, but to be honest with you, them belts mean nothing to me.

“They don’t feed my kid and my wife, so them belts are nothing to me. If I could get that world title and get a proper few quid out of the game, it would be handy.”

In some ways, McCann’s sentiments hold true. Once a fighter reaches title level, it is the quality of their opponents that has a direct effect on their bank balance rather than the number of belts they collect. However, those titles have resulted in a high-profile and – as it turns out – lucrative mandatory title defense.

On Dec. 21, McCann will defend his belts against Peter McGrail. The fight will take place on the undercard of the heavyweight title rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and is the latest fight in the ongoing Queensberry-versus-Matchroom promotional battle.

It is exactly the type of showcase that the charismatic McCann has been waiting for.

“Yeah, I think they’d love me,” he said. “One hundred percent. Getting that money and just fighting in front of them new fans. Something different. Traveling would be some experience, you know.

“That’s what I need next. I’m looking at all these fighters – Hamzah Sheeraz, he has no more belts than me. Mark Chamberlain ain’t got one of my belts. 

“You need to give me a slice of the cake, because everyone’s eating and I’m not.”

In July, McCann scored the best victory of his career by outclassing the tough Ionut Baluta to win the vacant European title. Professionally, the win elevated him to his current position, but personally it meant even more. Last August, the Romanian dragged McCann into a brutal, bloody battle. After nine rounds, a terrible cut to McCann’s forehead brought an early end to matters and the fight was declared a technical draw.

The manner in which McCann dealt with Baluta in the rematch illustrated just how much a young fighter can benefit from some early-career adversity. McCann was disciplined but still boxed with his fair share of flair and imagination. The explosive teenager who once specialized in corkscrew uppercuts has become a well-rounded, mature fighter.

“After all the hate comments going on for 12 months, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on him, to be honest with you,” McCann said. ”I’m buzzing, I’ve got the win now.

“It was just a big relief. I just wanted to put my middle fingers up to all the haters because, believe me, I got a lot of hate after the first fight.”

The happy-go-lucky McCann is a real character and doesn’t appear the type to let other people’s opinion’s trouble him too much. The fact that he hid his feelings so well and focused them on self-improvement is another sign of his growth. 

“Usually I don’t [let it bother me], but it’s just the fashion it was in,” he said. “It got to be too much for 12 months straight, but I’ve done a better number than everyone thought I would, as well. It was easy work.

“He spit his gumshield out a couple of times when he was on the verge of getting stopped. If he spit his gums out intentionally, [the referee] was supposed to let the fight carry on. But he kept stopping the fight. I really wanted to stop him, as well.

“I knew the level I was on. I believe I’m a world-class fighter. I think I’m going to go through the weights, I really do. That’s how much I back myself.

“It’s about me staying disciplined. I’m always in the gym and I’m always fit. I still like my Haribos, but I’m always fit. It’s all about staying disciplined and keeping my feet grounded. I feel like I’m ready for the big names now, to be honest.”

John Evans has contributed to a number of well-known publications and websites for over a decade. You can follow John on X @John_Evans79