KO artist Andrew Cain faces fellow unbeaten fighter on Mthalane-Edwards card

Andrew Cain ready for seventh pro contest against Stephen Jackson

Unbeaten bantamweight powerhouse Andrew Cain (6-0, 6KOs) was delighted to get his call-up back to the ring for the first time in nine months on this Friday’s Moruti Mthalane vs Sunny Edwards IBF World flyweight title clash on April 30.

The Liverpudlian, who was a five-time national amateur champion, heads to the country’s capital to take on fellow unbeaten professional Stephen Jackson (1-0, 1KO) over four-rounds at super-bantamweight at the York Hall in Bethnal Green.

The unbeaten 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 Manchester’s 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, trained by Paul Stevenson at the Everton Red Triangle gym. “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 his debut over South Londoner 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 British bantamweight belt holder at the moment is Lee McGregor, who holds the British, Commonwealth and European titles, 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!”

So far, the 24-year-old Merseysider has only completed 13 from a scheduled 26 rounds, managing to stop, on average, all his opponents by the midway mark.

The five-time national amateur champion, who had his first amateur bout aged 11, trains at the talent-laden Everton Red Triangle gym with trainer Paul Stevenson and teammates Nick Ball (13-0, 6KOs) and Brad Strand (4-0, 1KO), also signed to Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions.

To watch Cain in his seventh contest this Friday, April 30, tune into BT Sport 1 from 7pm.

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 10-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.

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