Molly McCann takes her third professional bout on February 21 in Nottingham when Leigh Wood and Josh Warrington settle their rematch at the Motorpoint Arena. The former MMA fighter, now working at super bantamweight, outpointed Ebonie Cotton in Birmingham last November and wants to sharpen her ring craft before a sold-out crowd streaming live on DAZN.
McCann switched from the cage to the squared circle last year after building her reputation in mixed martial arts. Her adjustment to orthodox boxing continues as she looks to find her footing in a sport that demands different timing and distance control. The Merseyside fighter expects the crowd to be hostile with both Wood and Warrington bringing their own backing. She’s mentioned showing improvement since November, which suggests her corner believes there’s work to do on her footwork and combination punching even if the scorecards have fallen her way.
Davis Defends British Title Against Fawaz
Ishmael Davis makes his first defence of the British super welterweight strap against Bilal Fawaz. Davis lifted the Lonsdale belt from Sam Gilley in November on the Benn-Eubank card at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Fawaz, recently signed by Matchroom, carries a 10-1-1 ledger with three knockouts. The Londoner outworked Junaid Bostan in Sheffield last October over ten hard rounds. Bostan also appears on the February 21 bill, adding depth to the super welterweight action.
Davis won’t want to surrender the belt this early, but Fawaz has shown he can trade with live opponents and dig in when the pace gets uncomfortable. First defences often expose more about a champion’s durability and ring IQ than the win that earned them the title.
Dave Allen returns after getting stopped by Arslanbek Makhmudov in October. The Doncaster heavyweight, 24-8-2 with 19 knockouts, has built his following through willingness to stand and exchange with dangerous punchers. Whether he’s still got the chin and conditioning to compete at a respectable level remains the question each time the bell rings.
Ryan Chases Second World Title
Sandy Ryan fights for the vacant WBC super lightweight title against Mexico’s Karla Ramos Zamora. Ryan, the former WBO welterweight champion from Derby, owns an 8-3-1 slate with three knockouts. Ramos Zamora brings a 12-10-2 record, which suggests she’s been in with quality opposition even if the judges haven’t always seen things her way. Ryan winning would make her a two-weight world champion, but the jump in weight raises questions about how her power carries and whether her jab can control range against naturally bigger fighters.
Tiah-Mai Ayton, the teenage bantamweight sitting at 4-0 with four early finishes, faces Catherine Tacone Ramos from Brazil. Ayton has drawn praise from Katie Taylor, though that kind of early attention can create pressure as much as opportunity. The unblemished record means nothing until someone tests her gas tank and ability to work off the back foot. Ramos, 9-3-1 with two knockouts, has shared the ring with experienced opposition.
The card offers a mix of domestic title action and developmental matchmaking. Whether it delivers depends on how seriously the B-sides show up and whether the favorites can impose their game plans without getting drawn into wars.
Everybody talking like Tiah-Mai Ayton is the next big thing but she only fought easy fights so far. Let’s see how she does when someone hits her back hard 👊.
She’s young though, give her time to learn before saying she ain’t good enough yet.
@Qlewis I agree, too much hype too fast can ruin fighters before they even prove anything.
Dave Allen should just retire already. He keeps getting beat up bad and coming back like nothing happened. That ain’t smart, it’s just stubborn and dangerous for his health 😕.
Why does Sandy Ryan get another shot at a title after losing before? If you keep losing then maybe you shouldn’t be fighting for belts all the time. Doesn’t seem fair 😤.
I think Davis might lose his belt if he ain’t careful. First time defending is when the pressure really shows, and Fawaz already proved he got heart and stamina 🥊.
I don’t see the point in Molly McCann switching from MMA to boxing. Just because you can fight in one sport don’t mean you can do good in another. It’s a whole different thing and people acting like she gonna be a champ just cause she won once is dumb.
Exactly bro, they think being tough in the cage means she’s gonna make it big in boxing. But boxing is about skill not just throwing punches wild.