START HERE WITH BOXING
Dennis gets top tips on the box
DENNIS McCANN was never a big fan of school – and instead got his education by watching BoxNation.
The rising bantamweight star would spend more time in front of the TV with classic fights on than doing his homework.
And the 18-year-old southpaw has turned out to be a whizz-kid in the ring as one of Britain’s most exciting prospects.
“I was never a fan of school so I would just watch BoxNation as much as possible,” he said.
“I would love sitting in front of the TV for hours watching all the old fights.
“But it wasn’t just for fun. I’d be watching them to learn from them and see what they do.
“I was already boxing then but it made me want to become a fighter more. It also made me dream of being a world champion more than an Olympic gold medallist.”
That is one of the reasons McCann decided against staying amateur and opted to turn pro last year.
He wasn’t sure if he would fit in with the GB Boxing set-up if he got selected for the top squad.
But he was confident he could cut it in the pro ranks.
And he has been impressing so far under trainer Alan Smith, with five wins from his first five outings. His exciting style has led to comparisons with Prince Naseem Hamed from promoter Frank Warren and others.
Hamed was one of the fighters McCann would watch for hours on BoxNation. But he’s not interested in comparisons.
“I don’t want to be known as the next Prince Naseem,” he said.
“I want to be known as the first Dennis McCann.”
The boxer is a proud member of the Travelling community and has been inspired by the likes of world champions Andy Lee, Billy Joe Saunders and Tyson Fury.
“They have done great things in boxing and it would be brilliant to follow on from that,” he added.
“I have to keep improving. I know I’m good but I want to be great and you can’t sit around to do that.”
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