ASKING ANDREW CAIN how he is planning to approach his forthcoming collision with Ionut Baluta drew a typically robust – and utterly predictable – response from the WBC International Silver super bantamweight champion.

Tickets are on sale for Cain’s second defence of his treasured green strap, which will take place at the Telford International Centre on Saturday, 25 March on a card that also features the middleweight rematch between Stoke favourite Nathan Heaney and Jack Flatley, the return of Jason Cunningham, Raven Chapman making a first defence of her WBC International featherweight title against the Czech Lucie Sedlackova, and the second pro fight for amateur heavyweight sensation Moses Itauma.

“I reckon he’s getting his head smashed in!” was Cain’s light-hearted opening gambit. “That’s what I reckon, but he is not bad and is my best opponent to date.

“Nobody has stopped him yet so when I get in there and stop I will be making a statement, won’t I?”

The 10-0 Liverpool man acknowledges that Baluta, the former WBO European champion, carries the name recognition that will carry significant credit for inflicting defeat. His recent opposition, while holding strong records, were not widely familiar to the UK boxing market.

However, Cain also brackets Baluta in not being able to withstand his formidable force, although he hopes he lasts longer than the less than three minutes of action across his last two fights.

“To be honest, they have been good boxers, but they were not known and were not clean punchers like me. I don’t believe they punch as hard and as clean as I do. I don’t reckon he is going to stand up to what I’ve got, but if he does I’ll shake his hand after punching him all night.

“I wouldn’t mind a few rounds and this is what I’ve been waiting for. I thought them last fellas was gonna give me some rounds, to be honest, but it worked out different. Maybe this is gonna be the same because I will be punching with the same intentions that I always do.

“I don’t believe anyone can take it as long as I land clean. Sometimes you don’t land clean, but we’ll see. If he takes my best shots right on his chin and takes them, like I say, I will shake his hand and say ‘fair play’.”

Tickets for the Telford show headlined by Heaney vs Flatley 2 and Cain vs Baluta at Telford International Centre on Saturday, 25 March are on sale now available from ticketmaster.co.uk.

NATHAN HEANEY WILL rematch Jack Flatley with the vacant WBA Continental middleweight title at stake and Andrew Cain will defend his WBC International Silver super bantamweight title against Ionut Baluta at the Telford International Centre on Saturday, 25 March. The night that will also see the return of former European super bantamweight champion Jason Cunningham to the ring.

Also on the card, Raven Chapman will make a first defence of the WBC International featherweight title with The Omen will take on the Czech Lucie Sedlackova.

Heavyweight star of the future Moses Itauma will have his second professional fight over four rounds, while Liverpool super bantam Brad Strand will hit double figures as a pro with an eight-round assignment.

Midlands Area welterweight champion Owen Cooper will be in eight-round action, Telford super lightweight Macaulay Owen will fight over six, with local bantamweight Raheem Muhammad having his third four-rounder.

Ilkeston super welterweight Jimmy Smith will make his professional debut over four rounds.

NATHAN HEANEY WILL rematch Jack Flatley with the vacant WBA Continental middleweight title at stake and Andrew Cain will defend his WBC International Silver super bantamweight title against Ionut Baluta when Queensberry make a return to the Telford International Centre on Saturday March 25, live on BT Sport.

Stoke hero Heaney (16-0, 6 KOs) and Bolton man Flatley (20-3-1, 4) shared five rounds of action at the AO Arena in Manchester back in September of last year on the undercard of the Joe Joyce-Joseph Parker heavyweight collision.

What appeared to be a close run affair was aborted in the fifth round on the advice of the doctor following a head clash that left Heaney with a severe cut above his right eye. The fight went to the scorecards and Heaney was judged to have been ahead by all three judges.

Liverpool KO-artist Cain (10-0, 9) won his belt via a first-round stoppage of Pablo Ariel Gomez in Telford last April before defending at York Hall against Luis Moreno with the same outcome. A shoulder injury ruled the 26-year-old out of November action but he is set to go again against his toughest opponent to date in Baluta (15-4, 4), the Romanian based in Bushey.

A winner over Irish world champion and Olympian, TJ Doheny and David Oliver Joyce respectively, Baluta went on to fight a close run thing with Michael Conlan before winning the WBC International title by defeating Brad Foster in May of last year.

He then challenged for the vacant European title against Liam Davies in November, with the Telford man prevailing over 12 rounds.

The night that will also see the return of former European super bantamweight champion Jason Cunningham (31-7, 7) to the ring.

“I am really looking forward to it and I suppose it will be dubbed ‘unfinished business’,” said the 33-year-old Hitman Heaney. “There are questions that need answers, with them thinking they were going to beat me in the last fight and me believing the complete opposite.

“I am training hard and looking forward to being back in Telford with a great crowd,” added Heaney, who explained that his apparent unwillingness over the prospect of a rematch on social media in the days after the original fight was due to a feeling of being railroaded by Flatley’s team.

“No, that is not the case. Once people try to force my hand into doing something I immediately think I want nothing to do with them. It was his second and others popping up saying things and, for me, once that happens, I have zero interest in people.

“But, after speaking to George (Warren) it is an interesting fight and when it is on our terms rather than theirs, that is when I become interested. When people try to force it, it doesn’t interest me at all, but now I am right up for it.”

Former English super welterweight champion and European title challenger Flatley, added: “I’m made up and this fight is what I wanted after how it ended last time. I felt like I was getting into the fight, and it ended like it did, so I am buzzing it has been made again.

“Being honest, it was close, and I thought it was 50-50 when it got stopped. I’m not saying I was in front, but they had him winning every round.

“I didn’t think this fight was going to happen again and I don’t think, deep down, Nathan really wants it. He pretty much said on social media that he wasn’t going to fight me, so I am quite surprised, but made up it is happening.

“I don’t know why he has changed his mind and I feel like he might have been pushed into it, or he might have felt pressured by what’s gone on social media and stuff. I don’t know the reason, but I don’t really believe he fully wants to have the fight.

“I think there could probably be an easier option than me, although I’m not saying I’m a world-beater. I want to beat Nathan and then possibly be looking for a shot at the British title after that.”

The 33-year-old Cunningham’s winning run at the weight was ended by Zolani Tete at Wembley in July of last year and Cunningham now gets back on the title trail with a fight for the vacant WBO Intercontinental super bantamweight championship.

Cunningham was originally set to attempt to reclaim his European title from Liam Davies, but injury to the Telford man means the fight is now subject to delay.

Also on the card, Raven Chapman (5-0, 2) will make a first defence of the WBC International featherweight title she won by defeating Jorgelina Guanini in Manchester back in September. The Omen will take on the Czech Lucie Sedlackova (15-1-1, 6) in Telford.

Heavyweight star of the future Moses Itauma will have his second professional fight over four rounds, while Liverpool super bantam Brad Strand (9-0, 3) will hit double figures as a pro with an eight-round assignment.

“Settling the score with Jack Flatley is the right fight for Nathan Heaney and I think we can expect fireworks on the night,” said promoter Frank Warren. “When you have an unsatisfactory ending for both parties in an entertaining fight it is always best to do a rematch in the hope of a conclusive finish.

“Jack’s and his team will fancy the job, while Nathan needs to maintain his winning streak in order to realise his dream of fighting for a major title at Stoke City FC. This fight will deliver the goods and I am looking forward to the atmosphere created by the best crowd in boxing.

“I think we have got a humdinger of a fight in prospect when Andrew Cain takes on Ionut Baluta. Andrew comes in off two spectacular first round stoppages and if he can stop Baluta it will send shockwaves across the division. I am also excited to see Andrew’s teammate Brad Strand move towards title contention in what will be his 10th fight as a pro.

“Unfortunately, Jason Cunningham’s attempt to regain the European title is delayed due to injury to Liam Davies, but Jason gets the opportunity to put himself firmly back in the mix with a fight for the WBA Continental super bantamweight title.

“Barring any mishaps or injuries on January 28, the fans in Telford will also be treated to seeing the second professional fight of future heavyweight champion Moses Itauma.”

Midlands Area welterweight champion Owen Cooper (7-0, 2) from Worcester will be in eight-round action, Telford super lightweight Macaulay Owen (5-0, 1) will fight over six.

While Natty Ngwenya (1-0) makes his Queensberry bow in a four-rounder, Ilkeston super welterweight Jimmy Smith will make his professional debut over four rounds.

Tickets for Heaney vs Flatley and Cain vs Baluta at the Telford International Centre on Saturday March 25 go on sale at 11am on Tuesday January 31 available from Ticketmaster.co.uk.

DAVIES STILL ABLELIAM DAVIES BELIEVES a big domestic duel with Andrew Cain remains on the cards despite injury scuppering  a scheduled collision in April. A shoulder injury put Davies out of contention for the Telford date and Cain went on to seize the WBC International Silver title with a 20-second destruction of Pablo Ariel Gomez. Being in his home town and with his brother (Bradley Thompson) also on the bill, Davies was in and around the fight week scene, leading to a frosty exchange with Cain following the weigh-in. On June 11, again in Telford at the International Arena, it is Davies’ turn to be in big fight action when he challenges Marc Leach for the British super bantamweight title. “It was a sickener,” said Davies on being forced to withdraw from a fight with a former amateur rival. “But it is one of those things, you have knockbacks and hopefully that was the end of mine because I kept training and sometimes it is hard to stay motivated. “I have done, but it has been tough and we are there now, finally. My shoulder is good and I’ve got the okay from the hospital. “My shoulder was hurting me for a good while. I stopped punching and then I would try again and it was still hurting. I went to the physio, who referred me to the hospital, so I went to the Princess Royal and had an MRI. “It was my AC joint that was jarred and there was a lot of inflammation, so they gave me an injection. Once you have been to the hospital it goes on your medical records that go to the board, who then speak to the doctor who said I was not okay to fight until a certain time. “I’ve had physio and it has been better since the injection, but I just had to have a few weeks with no punching and doing all the boring stuff. It has been a bit of a nightmare.” Davies insists he had no reservations over fronting up to his rival Cain, who had a few choice words for his original opponent. “I didn’t mind it. I knew what they were gonna do when they asked me to go and I wasn’t going to shy away from it. It is just a fight and a good fight when it happens. “I see I got a bit of a slating for saying I had hurt myself but these people don’t understand boxing. You can’t just make up an injury because letters and stuff have to be sent to the board, so you can’t have no proof. I’d show everyone, but not everyone needs to know. “I knew he would be like that because that is what he is like. It was good and it sells the fight, doesn’t it? Even if he goes to bantamweight it is not far off in weight difference. “It will happen. I know it will happen. I want to fight everyone or when you leave the sport you will regret it. I have dropped off the radar a bit but I am going to blast back, don’t worry about that.” There are some tickets remaining for the show at Telford International Centre on Saturday, 11 June available from Ticketmaster.co.uk. WATCH the British title double from Telford followed by Trevor Bryan vs Daniel Dubois on Saturday from 7pm live on BT Sport 1. LIAM DAVIES WILL challenge new champion Marc Leach for the British super bantamweight title on a big night of title action at the Telford International Arena on Saturday June 11, live on BT Sport. In the other half of a British title double header, Birmingham’s Ijaz Ahmed and London’s Kaisy Khademi will go at it for a third time with the vacant super flyweight belt at stake and a final eliminator for a shot at the Commonwealth championship. And in a fight where prospects put it all on the line, the unbeaten super lightweight Eithan James (8-0) from Northampton goes up against Connor Parker (13-1, 1 KO), Zach Parker’s cousin from Woodville in Derbyshire, in an eliminator for the English title. The Telford card also marks the return of former World Amateur champion Willy Hutchinson (13-1, 9 KOs) at light heavyweight following his unsuccessful tilt at the British super middleweight title against Lennox Clarke in March of last year. Dubliner Willo Hayden (3-0, 1 KO) will continue his development at lightweight, along with Liverpool lightweight Callum Thompson (3-0, 1 KO) and Atherstone welterweight banger George Bance (3-0, 1 KO). Bury’s 2016 Olympian Muhammad Ali (3-0) will have his fourth fight at super featherweight over four rounds, while Nottingham light heavyweight Ezra Taylor (2-0, 1 KO), Telford bantamweight Raheem Muhammed (1-0) and Dewsbury super welterweight Amaar Akbar (2-0) will also be in action. There are some tickets remaining for the show at Telford International Centre on Saturday, 11 June available from Ticketmaster.co.uk. WATCH the British title double from Telford followed by Trevor Bryan vs Daniel Dubois on Saturday from 7pm live on BT Sport 1. TO FIGHT CAIN

ANDREW CAIN WILL be looking to continue his trail of destruction at York Hall on Friday night and post-fight interviewers should be wary of mentioning the name of Liam Davies to the Liverpool firebrand.

Cain goes in with the tough Mexican Luis Moreno at the famous Bethnal Green venue in a defence of his WBC International Silver title, a matter of weeks after winning the belt with a speedy demolition of Pablo Ariel Gomez in Telford.

Gomez was a replacement for his originally scheduled opponent, Telford native Davies, who withdrew after injuring a shoulder and was on hand for media duties at the weigh-in.

Cain, who has said he is sick of having the name of Davies mentioned to him, did not particularly appreciate being confronted with his stricken foe in his post-weigh-in interview.

“Yeah, to be honest,” said the 9-0 KO-artist who suspects Davies is not entirely comfortable in his company. “What do you want me to do? Have a nice friendly chat with the fella? I think they were trying to provoke me to do something, but I just stayed nice and calm.

“Instead of just going over and knocking him out, I just tried to beat him up verbally.

“I think he is rattled in my presence anyway, that is what I feel anyway.

“Obviously he is a fighter and, if the fight gets made, he is gonna come out fighting no matter what. But I do feel like he is a bit rattled around me.

“It would have been an even better night if he hadn’t pulled out. It turned out to be a good night as it was but it would have been even better to have smashed him.

“Listen though, as I said after the weigh-in, my career doesn’t revolve around Liam Davies. I think he will lose his next fight and I believe that (Ionut) Baluta will beat Brad Foster, to be honest.

“I think I have got the beating of them all. (Marc) Leach is a bit runny and awkward, but I have been dealing with awkward southpaws since I was a kid so I feel like I wouldn’t have a problem with him at all.”

Cain admits he is prepared to bide his time to an extent when it comes to fulfilling his obvious potential and he suspects prospective opponents are already aware that a new force is on the horizon.

However, some super bantamweight match-ups might have to be put on the backburner for a little while because Cain is seriously contemplating a drop down to bantamweight.

“I ain’t getting any younger but I am also not in no rush. I am coming, I am coming regardless and they are gonna see me sooner or later and they are starting to now. There is no pressure on me and no urgency about it, it is just inevitable and it is happening.

“I am 25, soon to be 26 in August, so I am no spring chicken. I am getting on a bit but I am coming, no matter what. My time is coming.

“It is super bantam for this one, but I am probably going to speak to them to see if I can get my next one at bantam. I’ll probably need about five or six weeks to make the weight comfortably.”

So would Cain put a drop in division ahead of the big fights and belts in his current category.

“These are the decisions we have to make when it comes, but I feel like I would be better at bantam and would be the bigger man. Not that we’re bothered because we would fight anyone but we don’t want to give these fellas any sort of advantage over us, do we?

“I need a fight to see what’s what and if it doesn’t feel right I will stay at super bantam. Before my last fight – when I was training for Liam Davies – I was walking around at 59kg and at super bantam I should be walking around at 61 or even more.

“I was walking around like a bantamweight and this is where the decision has come from. I am having to eat up to super bantam and that is why we know I can make it quite comfortably, although it is never easy.

“Any fight though, just give me the phone call and I’ll be there. We want to do what’s best for us and, at the moment, I think it is bantamweight.”

Tickets for the show at York Hall on Friday, 20 May are on sale now, available directly from the fighters or via eventbrite.co.uk or alternatively call: 01992 505 550 (office hours only).

Brad Foster v Ionut Baluta for the vacant WBC International super bantamweight title takes place at York Hall on Friday May 20.

Also in championship action on the night will be Liverpool super bantamweight Andrew Cain, making a first defence of his WBC International Silver title against durable Mexican Luis Moreno.

Two first cousins feature on the card on another special night for the Frankham fighting family. Super featherweight Charles (5-0, 2 KOs) and welterweight Josh (5-0, 2 KOs) will continue their progression in the professional ranks in six round fights.

Future super bantamweight star Adan Mohamed (4-0, 1 KO) from Buckhurst Hill will have his fifth professional assignment on the card over four rounds, alongside Bexley welterweight Micky Burke jr (5-0, 2 KOs) over six and Beckton lightweight Mohammad Bilal Ali (4-1, 1 KO) in a four rounder.

Recent Frank Warren signing Raven Chapman (2-0, 1 KO) will have her first fight under the Queensberry promotional banner when she takes on the unbeaten Italian Nadia Flalhi (3-0, 1 KO) over six rounds at featherweight.

Sean Noakes will make his professional debut at the famous East London venue with the Maidstone man – older brother of lightweight Sam – fighting at welterweight over four rounds.

Tickets for the show at York Hall on Friday, 20 May are on sale now, available directly from the fighters or via eventbrite.co.uk or alternatively call: 01992 505 550 (office hours only).

BLASTING OUT AN opponent in the first 10 seconds of a fight would normally be considered a great source of satisfaction for a fighter on the up. For Andrew Cain it resulted in a 12-round fight with the heavy bag.

The new WBC International Silver super bantamweight champion poleaxed the usually durable Pablo Ariel Gomez with pretty much his first shot of the fight in Telford last time out and subsequently carried the appearance of an agitated prizefighter who had too much left in the tank.

Gomez, it should be noted, was last stopped back in 2014 in two six-rounders early on in his career in his native Argentina, so being clubbed to the canvas was not a familiar experience for him.

This time it was all over in an official time of 19 seconds when you take into account the count and referee John Latham’s assessment of his ability to continue.

The Scouse firebrand Cain was in no mood to celebrate his early night.

“You know what, I went into the gym on the Monday and just had a fight on the bag, basically! I did 12 rounds, imagined it never happened, and just took it out on the bag.

“I took myself back to the occasion because it is easy to let it all pass you by when it happens like that and you don’t really learn nothing from it. So before the occasion passed me by I got in the gym and took myself back to the fight so I could learn a few things from it, rather than being a blow-out.

“To be honest, I knew it was a nice shot, but I thought the ref was going to let me go. I was just going to put him down again anyway so the ref probably did a good job.

“It would have been nice to get a few more in so no-one had anything to say, but the refs know what they are doing,” added the 26-year-old, who does acknowledge that the outcome was typical of him, given that he has bludgeoned eight of his nine opponents to date into an early submission.

“It is my life, as I say, and it is serious, isn’t it?”

Cain knows that his profile is increasing as people catch on to his explosive performances and powderkeg attitude to the fight game. There will never be a dull moment while he is going about his business and the public are starting to take notice.

“I don’t pay too much attention to all that but I suppose they must be,” he conceded. “You can’t really be denied if you do what I am doing, so it is gonna happen sooner or later.

“It definitely feels like it has picked up a bit, so I need to keep getting these fights and keep winning them. You can’t deny me then.”

Next up is Luis Moreno, 10-2 (6 KOs), in a defence of his title at York Hall on Friday May 20. Cain admits that carrying out due diligence on the threat in front of him is not really his thing.

“I have a look a couple of days out or when I get to the hotel because, you know what it is like sometimes, they fall off and they fall on all the time. I just leave it and when I get to the hotel I only end up watching 30 seconds anyway.

“It is just so you’ve got a picture of their face in your mind because you never know what they are going to do. They could fly at you, they could run, so you have got to be prepared for everything.”

Tickets for the show at York Hall on Friday, 20 May are on sale now, available directly from the fighters or via eventbrite.co.uk or alternatively call: 01992 505 550 (office hours only).

Brad Foster v Ionut Baluta for the vacant WBC International super bantamweight title takes place at York Hall on Friday May 20.

Also in championship action on the night will be Liverpool super bantamweight Andrew Cain, making a first defence of his WBC International Silver title against durable Mexican Luis Moreno.

Two first cousins feature on the card on another special night for the Frankham fighting family. Super featherweight Charles (5-0, 2 KOs) and welterweight Josh (5-0, 2 KOs) will continue their progression in the professional ranks in six round fights.

Future super bantamweight star Adan Mohamed (4-0, 1 KO) from Buckhurst Hill will have his fifth professional assignment on the card over four rounds, alongside Bexley welterweight Micky Burke jr (5-0, 2 KOs) over six and Beckton lightweight Mohammad Bilal Ali (4-1, 1 KO) in a four rounder.

Recent Frank Warren signing Raven Chapman (2-0, 1 KO) will have her first fight under the Queensberry promotional banner when she takes on the unbeaten Italian Nadia Flalhi (3-0, 1 KO) over six rounds at featherweight.

Sean Noakes will make his professional debut at the famous East London venue with the Maidstone man – older brother of lightweight Sam – fighting at welterweight over four rounds.

Tickets for the show at York Hall on Friday, 20 May are on sale now, available directly from the fighters or via eventbrite.co.uk or alternatively call: 01992 505 550 (office hours only).

ANDREW CAIN WILL be seeking to wreak more of his own brand of boxing havoc when he returns to the ring at York Hall on Friday night.

The super bantamweight firebrand has clocked up six KOs in his six professional wins to date and has yet to be taken beyond the third round.

The snapping, scowling Scouse Assassin enters into fight No.7 against Stephen Jackson on the undercard of former amateur opponent Sunny Edwards’ shot at world title glory against  the IBF flyweight champion Moruti Mthalane.

Although his typically angry-looking features probably didn’t show it, Cain insists he was delighted to get the call to jump on a world title card, live on BT Sport.

“I can’t help it, I’m smiling inside!” said the 24-year-old on his aggressive outlook. “I am most definitely happy to be getting a fight and it is always a nice surprise to get the call. I would go and have it now, you know me…

“I might actually decide to box a little bit and show my skills, possibly. But I’m gonna stop him, I’ve got to stop him, to keep my KOs going. It is a four-rounder and it is not going to the scorecard, not if I can help it anyway.

“I say I might box a bit, but come the night I will most likely just want to get him out of there. I can’t help it, it is just the way I am.”

Opponent Jackson enjoyed an impressive win on debut over Sammy Cantwell – that Cain says he has watched one round of – at bantamweight, a division Cain maintains he will campaign at.

“I am going to be doing bantamweight, without a doubt, but for this next one it is super bantam with short notice. I have been on it, eating right and training right, so my weight has come down a couple of kilos and I am walking round at 58kg.”

Slightly longer-term – or shorter if Cain has anything to do with it – the main bantamweight belt holder at the moment is Lee McGregor, who holds the British, Commonwealth and European, while Cain will also be jostling for position at the weight with promotional stablemate Dennis McCann.

“Get me in there with any of them. I would take that McGregor fight tomorrow, me. McCann can fight, although I don’t think it would be wise to put him in there with me just yet.

“I am more than ready for this fight on Friday and, even if I wasn’t, I would make myself ready. I had a nice bit of sparring last week and it worked out perfectly, having two eight-rounders and a four-rounder, plus a couple of rounds with Peter McGrail. So I am definitely ready.

“It is always nice to have four or five weeks, but I would be ready on a day’s notice and ready to go. If they told me it was today I would get a taxi there right now.”

Cain knows that, particularly during this period when slots on TV cards are at a premium, making an impression is paramount and opportunities to shine must be taken. His last BT Sport exposure came when he terrorised Ed Harrison into a third round submission last July.

“It is always important because I don’t think I did on the last one. To be honest, I got a bit angry and lost my head a bit because the fella got a bit cheeky in the build-up. I want to take my time a little bit this time, at least for the first round and have a little look.

“I want to box properly instead of just walking at him with my hands down like a bit of a lunatic!”

In the main event at York Hall, brilliant South African Moruti Mthalane (39-2, 26 KOs) defends his IBF World Flyweight championship against Croydon’s Sunny Edwards (15-0, 4 KOs), who Cain fought in the 2014 ABA Youth final.

In a ten rounder Belfast’s WBO number one ranked Super-Bantamweight Michael Conlan (14-0, 8 KOs) faces dangerous Romanian Ionut Balata (14-2, 3 KOs).

Big punching Southampton Super-Featherweight Ryan Garner (9-0, 6 KOs) and Reading Super-Welterweight Joshua Frankham (2-0) are also in action.

Joshua’s cousin, Levi Frankham is one of two debutants alongside Finchley Super-Welterweight Jonathan Kumuteo.

FRANK WARREN IS delighted to confirm that the Everton Red Triangle trio of Andrew Cain, Nick Ball and Brad Strand have signed promotional agreements with Queensberry Promotions.
 
All trained by respected coach Paul Stevenson from a gym established 100 years ago, the Liverpool Three share a decorated amateur background and an unbeaten professional grounding.
 
Featherweight Cain, 23, is a five-time national champion, who is now 4-0 in the pro ranks having made his debut in 2015. After taking time out from boxing due to family circumstances, he returned to the ring in 2019 and continued his trend of securing victory via stoppage.
 
His four bouts have all finished early and have spanned less than nine rounds of action.
 
Super bantamweight Strand, 22, is a four-time national champion, senior ABA champion and Tri-Nations winner. The England international opted to turn pro rather than pursue Olympic ambitions and is now 2-0 in the paid ranks.
 
Ball, 22, the most established of the three at 11-0 is a crowd-pleasing featherweight with destructive intent. He came from a background of Thai boxing before switching to Kirkby ABC from where he had 25 amateur fights.
 
His goal was to become a professional boxer, which led him to the Everton Red Triangle.
 
Ball performed on a Frank Warren promotion in December at the Nordoff Robbins dinner show, where he stopped Johnson Tellez in the second round at the Hilton Hotel in Mayfair.
 
“I am happy to sign with such a major promoter who has been around for years,” reacted Cain to signing up to the Queensberry platform headed by a Hall of Fame promoter. “He is probably the biggest at the moment and he has a record of taking young fighters to the top, so hopefully he can do that for me.
 
“We have got a great set-up at the moment with fights already booked in so it has worked out perfectly.
 
“I feel like the break I had helped me, as crazy as it sounds, but I needed the time and it has all come back together again. I am suited to the pros because, I don’t want to sound horrible, but when I am hitting people I like to know that I am hurting them. You don’t get that in the amateurs, whereas in the pro game they know when they are hit.
 
“I’d love to sell a show out in my home city, but I will fight anywhere Frank wants me to and I appreciate what he is doing for myself and the rest of the lads.”
 
Strand, who made his pro debut in 2019, added: “I am thrilled that myself, Andrew and Nick have been signed by such a big promoter and the platform can only help us push on in our careers.
 
“It is always the aim to become a TV fighter and I am certainly working towards that and I cannot wait to appear on a Frank Warren show. With the exposure I will get, along with the rest of the lads, my boxing career can go from strength to strength.
 
“I would love to get the big shows back to Liverpool and show everyone what we can do.”
 
Ball, 22, reflected on his pre-Christmas night in the capital where he seized his chance to shine in front of his new promoter.
 
“It was good and a boss experience to see him up close and fight in front of him. I went to see him after the fight and he was made up with my performance, saying it was outstanding, while Tyson Fury also had something to say to me.
 
“I was standing there after and he asked if it was me in the ring before pulling me over for a picture with him, also saying I should be proud of myself.
 
“Big shows don’t come to Liverpool as often as they used to and it is up to the boxers to make it happen and make people get up and want to come. Your style has got to be exciting to get people off the sofa and to the fights.
 
“The three of us who have signed with Frank have all got exciting styles and there are a lot of other lads from Liverpool who can help bring the shows back and we can all be on together.”
 
Promoter Warren added: “Liverpool is a place we have proudly promoted for many years and we intend to rekindle the fight scene in the city through our association with Paul Stevenson and his richly talented crop of fighters.
 
“I am delighted to have signed Andrew, Brad and Nick, who are all quality young fighters with a big future in front of them. They will be the spearhead of a new expansion for us where we will step up the development of the best young fighters and turn them into household names.
 
“I am hugely excited by the potential of these young men and I like the fact that they all see it as part of the job to entertain. I am looking forward to getting started with them.”
 
Andrew Cain, Brad Strand and Nick Ball, along with Queensberry super welterweight and Commonwealth champion JJ Metcalf, all feature on the Queensberry/Black Flash Promotions show at Liverpool Grand Central on February 28.