In April, Dennis McCann added the European junior featherweight title to his British and Commonwealth straps by outclassing the dangerous Ionut Baluta over 12 rounds.
Last August, McCann and Baluta battled to a bloody, technical draw after engaging in a nine round war.
The way McCann, 16-0-1 (8 KOs), approached and then dominated the rematch showed his growth both personally and professionally but the 23-year-old wants to continue gathering experience and knowledge.
McCann has targeted a couple of veteran former champions who he believes could help him reach the next level.
“I’d like to fight TJ Doheny. I think that’s the fight to make. It would be well paid, me and him. Out with the old and in with the new,” McCann told BoxingScene.
“He’s a former world champion and everything. The likes of him and then, maybe, in the middle of next year, I’ve plans for fighting the likes of Nonito Donaire. He’s very dangerous still. He’s a legend in boxing. It would be great to share the ring with him.”
All of which seems to make a mockery of the rumors that McCann is set to defend his British and European titles against Peter McGrail on another Queensberry Vs. Matchroom 5 Vs. 5 show.
Last weekend, McGrail, 10-1 (6 KOs), recorded arguably the most impressive win of his career by taking out former British champion, Brad Foster, in two rounds with a picture-perfect left hook to the body. The former Olympian has righted the ship after a shocking knockout loss to Ja’Rico O’Quinn last November and has been mandated for a crack at McCann’s titles by both the British Boxing Board of Control and the EBU.
“Yeah, well obviously if they pay right, no problem at all. I’ll happily knock him out, no problem at all. I’ll happily take him out of the game. I really believe I’ll knock him straight out, I do,” McCann said.
“He just got knocked out [by] a journeyman. He has nowhere to go.
“He needs me, I don’t need him. What’s he got to offer me? No one even knows who he is, you know. But listen, as I said, money talks.
“If the money’s right, no problem at all. As I said, I’ll knock him straight out and I’d be happy to do so.”
While McCann is waiting to have his next move finalized and McGrail takes a couple of weeks to enjoy his win over Foster, two more of Britain’s leading junior featherweights are getting closer and closer to meeting in the ring.
On November 2, Liam Davies and Shabaz Masoud will headline a TNT show from Birmingham’s Resorts World Arena.
Davies, 16-0 (8 KOs), has put together a tremendous run of form over the past couple of years and elevated himself to the top of the domestic pile at 122lbs. A series of clinical stoppage victories over live opponents have earned Davies the fringe IBO title and highlighted him as a fighter with genuine world level aspirations.
The unbeaten Masoud, 13-0 (4 KOs), is a talented, smart fighter who holds a pair of amateur wins over Davies but will need to take his game to another level to trouble the man from Donington. There is a sense of intrigue around the fight because, despite some inconsistent performances, Masoud has shown enough raw ability to suggest that he is maybe capable of doing just that.
McCann isn’t one of those people.
“I fancy Liam Davies,” he said.
“I’d like to see how Liam goes as the rounds go on because I know he’s tight at the weight. I’d like to see if he holds the power and the engine later on in the fight but he could get the stoppage there, I think.
“Shabaz, I think he’s a bit flashy. He’s a good solid fighter but nothing that I ain’t seen before in my whole career, to be honest.
“I’m not writing him off but I have to fancy Davies, 100 percent.”
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