Frank Warren: Dennis McCann has to look good in Ionut Baluta rematch

Frank Warren wants Dennis McCann to prove he is ready for the next level when the super bantamweight talent boxes Ionut Baluta in an intriguing rematch on Saturday night (July 20).

Warren has been a big believer in McCann since the southpaw exploded onto the scene as a raw, exciting 18-year-old.

McCann is now 23 and although he is still a few years away from qualifying as a grizzled veteran, the schoolboy looks are fading and he’s started to pick up the usual physical and mental scars that every championship level fighter collects during their career. 

McCann, 15-0-1 (8 KOs), remains unbeaten but he also has a slight blemish on his record. Last August he was dragged into a dogfight by the tough Romanian, Iount Baluta, at a sweltering York Hall. McCann showed flashes of his ability but spent much of the night fighting for survival as the aggressive, resolute Baluta pressed relentlessly forward. McCann proved he has the stomach for a fight but picked up a deep cut on his forehead which caused the contest to be stopped after nine rounds. With the scorecards level, the fight was declared a technical draw. 

After spending years training under Alan Smith at the iBox gym in Bromley, McCann took the result as a sign that he would benefit from a new approach to life as well as boxing. 

After a brief stay in California, he found himself in Liverpool where he is now a part of Joe McNally’s talented stable. In March, the new partnership reaped instant dividends as McCann put in a sensible, mature performance to outclass the previously unbeaten Bradley Strand and win the British super bantamweight title.

In a few days time, McCann gets the opportunity to show the true extent of that improvement when he faces Baluta for the vacant European title on the undercard of the heavyweight fight between Joe Joyce and Derek Chisora. 

“Dennis is now training up in Liverpool. He sends me video of how his training is going every other day and he’s looking in tremendous shape and he’s very confident,” Warren told BoxingScene.

“Baluta started off really well in that fight but then Dennis managed to get on top of him. Once Dennis got that cut it gave Baluta a bit of momentum. Look, Baluta is gonna try and old man him again and he’s a tough sod so Dennis is going to have to be at his best. If he is, I believe he could stop him. 

“Dennis has got to look good, he’s got to do the business and then we can get onto the next level with him.”