McCann vs Baluta Predictions: Rematch favours underdog Baluta

Dennis McCann and Ionut Baluta meet again, this time on the big stage, on Saturday, July 27. After their first fight at York Hall, the duo graduate to the O2 Arena on the undercard of Joe Joyce vs Derek Chisora. TNT Sports 1 will televise this fascinating European super bantamweight title clash.

Here are my McCann vs Baluta predictions as these two prepare to give us another war.

The first fight between McCann and Baluta had almost everything. It was an absorbing war that featured fevered exchanges, undulating fortunes and no shortage of crimson. What it lacked was a definitive ending. 

With blood masking the face of McCann, the bout was curtailed in the ninth round. A technical decision was rendered due to the blood originating from a clash of heads. A majority draw was the result, with one judge siding with McCann and the other two opting for a stalemate.

While the unsatisfactory ending stung, it did make a rematch a necessity. Never a bad thing when the action is as absorbing as the frenetic near-nine rounds that the fighters unfurled in front of a foaming Bethnal Green crowd.

The lack of a proper ending necessitated a rematch. The absorbing action made a return engagement essential. Hopefully this time we can see a deserving winner emerge. Another fight as ferocious as their initial meeting wouldn’t hurt either.

McCann has been out since that draw. ‘The Menace’ added the vacant British title to his Commonwealth super bantamweight belt with a unanimous decision over then-unbeaten Brad Strand. It was a solid reassertion of his abilities after many felt he had been lucky to pick up a share of the spoils from Baluta.

The Strand win saw McCann pick up the vacant WBO intercontinental strap too. This bauble sees him sit at eighth in the sanctioning body’s rankings. The 23-year-old is also ranked at number 15 by the IBF. Adding further spice, Baluta is the current WBC 12th-ranked contender. Whoever wins this bout could find themselves in an excellent position with at least three of the major ranking bodies.

Baluta has yet to return to the ring since the first McCann bout. This means the Romanian will have been out of competition for 11 months by fight night. Given the physical intensity of his previous meeting with McCann, will rust creep in for Baluta?

This one is fascinatingly poised and the absolute definition of an aficionado’s fight. While the Joyce-Chisora main event has box office pull, most experts foresee a one-sided affair. But this super bantamweight affair has all the makings of a titanic tussle. The vacant European title on the line only adds to the sense of a grand pugilistic occasion.

McCann vs Baluta Odds

McCann is a 1/3 favourite here, perhaps a partial nod to his greater freshness. There is also the small matter of that unbeaten that Baluta feels he has already rightfully blemished. The Romanian star is 5/2 to pull off the upset. Another draw is pitched at 16/1. As a fan you hope that one doesn’t come in, but it’s a fair punt given how close it was at York Hall.

McCann vs Baluta Full Card

Joe Joyce vs. Derek Chisora 

Dennis McCann vs. Ionut Baluta 

Ryan Garner vs. Archie Sharp 

Moses Itauma vs. Mariusz Wach 

Brandun Lee vs. TBA 

Raven Chapman vs. Yohana Sarabia 

Aadam Hamed vs. Georgi Velichkov 

Sean Noakes vs. Inder Bassi 

Royston Barney-Smith vs. Brian Barajas 

Umar Khan vs. Kaddour Hmiani 

Jermaine Dhliwayo vs. Engel Gomez

McCann vs Baluta Prediction

Baluta took over in their first fight in a major way. After a sharp start from McCann, ‘The Menace’ started shipping punches left and right. The blood wouldn’t have helped, and couldn’t be helped. But even early on, McCann was catching strays from an unrelenting Romanian.

I saw enough in the first fight to back the upset here. I think Baluta has a style that can give McCann conniptions. It will be close and I certainly think we are in for another war. But this time I think Baluta will win definitively. I am backing Baluta for a victory at 5/2.

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