Rio Blackburn
14 Mar 2024
Two undefeated British boxers go head-to-head on Saturday 16th March at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham for the Vacant WBO Inter-Continental title and the Commonwealth title.
Brad Strand representing his hometown Liverpool, steps into the ring with a clean record of 11 wins, zero losses and zero draws, with three of those by knockout.
Dennis ‘the menace’ McCann will also make his way to the ring with an unblemished record of 14 wins, zero losses and one draw, eight of those coming by way of knockout.
Both fighters are on the fringe of the top 10 WBO rankings, Strand holding the 12th spot and McCann edged above him in 11th.
Strand is aiming to build upon his last triumph, winning his first professional title in December 2023, when he beat Joshua John by unanimous decision for the WBO super-bantamweight European title.
Emerging from the shadows in 2024, the 27-year-old has been inactive this year and has had to be patient for a big fight. Despite months on the sidelines, Strand continues to improve under the guidance of Paul Stevenson at the famous Everton Red Triangle Gym.
His opponent McCann comes into the fight as the favorite despite his underwhelming display against Ionut Baluta for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental title in September last year.
The fight ended in a draw due to an unintentional headbutt by Baluta causing McCann to suffer a nasty cut.
‘The Menace’ has had four more fights than Strand and racked up 23 more rounds in professional boxing giving him an experience advantage.
The build up to the fight has been one of mutual respect, however, the odd humorous comment from trash-talking McCann at the press conference reminded everyone that business is first, and Strand’s blank expression solidified that thought.