KO king Cain is not happy with anyone expecting him to go to war with Baluta
Heavy-handed Andrew Cain (10-0, 9KO) will defend his WBC International Silver super-bantamweight title to dangerous challenger Ionut Baluta (15-4, 3KO) on Saturday, March 25, at the Telford International Centre, live on BT Sport.
The Liverpool star will headline the Queensberry Promotions show, hosted by promoter Frank Warren, alongside the Nathan Heaney vs Jack Flatley co-main event fight.
Cain has knocked out all but one opponent so far and is coming into this fight following back-to-back first round KOs. In fact, ahead of his second title defence, it has taken the 26-year-old standout just 141 seconds to win and defend his maiden pro title.
These explosive performances produce a certain expectation among fans when he takes to the ring, and his next opponent is known for being overly aggressive and durable, so the anticipation is sky-high that this championship clash will be an all-out war.
But Cain admits to feeling vexed when he hears the mention of the word ‘war’ to describe his next contest. He explained, through gritted teeth, why he doesn’t like that description, “I’ve heard a few people saying, ‘this fight’s gonna be a war’, and it’s half done my head in because I don’t have wars.
“I’ve had like 70 fights now, all in all, and I’ve got no scars on me eyes, my nose has never been broken… I don’t have wars. I go in and I hit and I don’t get hit back. That’s what I do. Just because I’ve knocked a few people out doesn’t mean I’m a brawler. Far from it, I’m a boxer.”
Cain has completed just 25 of a scheduled 56 rounds, stopping nine from 10 opponents, seven of those unable to make it past the midway mark. Having blasted out his last two opponents so swiftly and savagely, it’s easy to see why fans associate this ferocious fighter with the word ‘war’, but any keen boxing observers will know that Cain is clever and calculated.
The five-time national amateur champion begins his fights lightly on his toes, moving in and out of range, his head slipping evasively, letting the opposing shots fly in, while he moves his opponent around and collects data from his enemies until he’s ready to strike precisely, and he just so happens to be blessed with almighty power.
“I’m always trying to take them out, but I’m trying to box them,” he explained. “I’m always trying to hit and not get hit back, that’s what I try and do every time I step in any ring. Even on the pads with Paul, he’s trying to hit me back! It’s the way I’ve been taught from a young age and that’s what boxing is.”
Cain trains with Paul Stevenson at the Everton Red Triangle in Liverpool and counts WBC Silver featherweight champion Nick Ball, Olympian Peter McGrail, and unbeaten Brad Strand as teammates and sparring partners.
Having boxed at the century-old gym since he was 10-years-old, he praised Paul for the way he has prepared them all, “I’m always learning in this gym, I always have been since I was 10, every day I learn something new.
“Because of the respect we’ve got for Paul, we do pay attention, not just that but also because we want to learn as well.”
Cain claims that his education has prepared him for any eventuality that could occur in that squared circle, “Any fight we have as fighters can turn into a war and I’m ready for that if it goes there, but my job is to not let it go there.
“I wanna control the fight and I’m gonna hurt my opponent and use my defences and use my skills, as I always will in every single fight I step into but anything can happen; you can get injured in fights, break your hand, it’s a fight isn’t it? anything can happen, so it can turn into wars and I’m ready for that too.”
He then sportingly paid respect to his upcoming opponent, Ionut Bluta, “Yeah I do respect him, he’s a fighter, you know, I respect all fighters that get in there but I wont be showing him too much respect on the night. I’ll be going in there looking to take him out, as always, but I’ll be doing it methodically.”
In Baluta’s last fight with Liam Davies, in November 2022, the two warriors went to toe-to-toe for 12 exciting rounds, which saw Telford’s Davies win the majority of the rounds to claim a unanimous decision win, but it was a brutal battle throughout, with the pair leaving everything in the ring that night.
Cain and Davies have been on a collision course for some time, their amateur rivalry spilling over to the pro ranks, and with both 122-pounders signed to Frank Warren, it will be an easy fight to make. As Cain is handed Davies’ last opponent to work with next, it seems that this grudge match could be imminent.
However, fans may be waiting a while, “I didn’t watch that fight [Davies vs Baluta]; it’s half done my head in because I wanted to fight him [Davies] and whatever happened, the fight fell off or whatever, and everyone around me all they are saying is Liam this and Liam that, and I’m just saying don’t even talk to me about Liam, I’ve heard enough about him, my career doesn’t revolve around him.
“I’m gonna smash this next fella [Baluta], then I’m gonna go down and clear up at bantamweight and take as many belts in the division as I can and move back up to super-bantamweight and fill Liam in then if he’s still around, but he’ll be long gone by then, someone’s gonna have him soon. I’m not disrespecting him, he’s a good fighter, but he’s not like me, I don’t believe.”
With Davies out of sight and out of mind, Cain’s attention is laser-focused on WBC #23 Baluta on March 25, who is rightly touted as his toughest test yet, but that doesn’t faze the ‘Merseyside Menace’ one bit, who ended with, “Well, ya know what you’re gonna get don’t ya!”
Andrew Cain vs Ionut Baluta fight preview, predictions, betting odds
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