'We'll Have a Rematch and I'll Win' - Says Baluta after the Majority Draw of Mccan vs Baluta following 'Clash of Heads'
In a captivating fight at York Hall in London, Dennis 'The Menace' McCann and Ionut Baluta ended up in a majority draw. This bout was for the vacant WBO Intercontinental Super Bantamweight title and drew significant attention as McCann, a skillful southpaw, found himself at odds with Baluta's relentless attack, characterized by powerful hooks with both hands. While McCann was leading at the halfway point of the match, an accidental head clash in the seventh round resulted in a cut on McCann's forehead. This injury hampered his performance, with blood obscuring his vision, allowing Baluta to capitalize and win the subsequent rounds. This turn of events led to the fight concluding in a draw. The final scores were revealing – McCann was ahead on one card with a score of 86-85, while the other two judges scored the fight 86-86. Since the cut McCann sustained resulted from an accidental clash of heads, the match went to the scorecards. After the fight, both McCann and Baluta expressed their willingness to face each other again. Promoter Frank Warren echoed this sentiment, indicating that a rematch is highly probable. Warren commended both fighters for their performance, noting that McCann matured significantly through this bout.
"It's an obvious rematch."Warren told TNT Sports and was at pains to add how impressed he was by his fighter. Baluta furious at outcome of McCann fight:"I had Dennis just a bit in front, but you have to take your hat off to both of them ... Dennis came of age tonight."Baluta was trying to old man him, but I thought he dealt with him. If it had been stopped the round earlier, he would have won."
"We'll have a rematch and I'll win"In earlier action, Nathaniel Collins swiftly defended his British and Commonwealth Featherweight titles, stopping Raza Hamza in just 24 seconds. Collins, a southpaw, initially targeted Hamza's body but then switched his focus to Hamza's head, landing a decisive shot that Hamza couldn't recover from, sending him to the canvas. Collins now has an improved record of 19 wins, 6 losses, and 8 KOs. Frank Warren, Collins’ promoter, is optimistic about Collins' future, foreseeing significant bouts in Scotland for him. In another remarkable fight, Ryan 'The Piranha' Garner, from Southampton, demonstrated that he is a force to be reckoned with by defeating Spanish boxer Juan Jesus Antunez in three rounds. Garner, now with a record of 14 wins and 8 KOs, displayed strategic aggression from the beginning of the fight. His effective combination of a right hand and left uppercut brought Antunez to the floor, and the referee had to intervene following a subsequent flurry of punches from Garner. This win earned Garner the WBC International Super Featherweight title. The night also featured a notable title fight in which Raven Chapman secured a unanimous decision victory over Brazilian Lila Furtado, thereby retaining her WBC International Featherweight crown. Chapman, whose record now stands at 7 wins and 0 losses, managed to knock Furtado down in the second round, likely assisted by a clash of heads. The majority of the rounds in this fight were competitive, but Chapman consistently performed slightly better, earning her the win.
