Part of a talented gym and signed to Frank Warren, unbeaten featherweight Andrew Cain is counting on just one person only

Me, myself and I

Andrew Cain: “I’ve got no expectations in anything else other than me”

23-year-old unbeaten featherweight boxer Andrew Cain (5-0, 5KOs), trained by Paul Stevenson at the Everton Red Triangle Gym, has continued training during lockdown from his Liverpool home.

The hot prospect signed to Frank Warren confirmed, “Yeah, bit of running, a few circuits, shadow boxing, there’s only so much you can do really. I’ve just moved into a new house with my girlfriend, so I’ve been busy with all of that.”

Turning pro in 2015, aged just 18, Cain KO’d his first two victims within two rounds before taking a break from boxing to earn money away from the ring to provide for his young family.

He came back to the sport three-and-a-half years later and continued to knock ‘em down as if he’d never been away, now menacingly boasting five knockouts from five fights.

His reward for his ruthlessness was a signed contract with Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren, along with his Red Triangle teammates, Nick Ball and Bradley Strand.

The good news that he was to become a Queensberry Promotions fighter came in mid-February this year, and he took to the ring just a fortnight later to prove to the promoter he had made the right choice by demolishing his Nicaraguan opponent in less than three minutes at the Grand Central Hall in his home city of Liverpool.

His knack for knocking out opponents is causing trouble behind the scenes however, as the queue of willing challengers continually decreases.

“I don’t pay much attention to that side of things, Paul [Stevenson] deals with who I fight next. The matchmaker actually said at my last fight, ‘Stop knocking them out, you!’ So I think he had a problem getting opponents for the last fight, I got told afterwards!

“As my career goes forward, it might be the case even more, because no one wants to put their stars in there at that risk, do they? It’d be a risk to be put anyone in there with me, no matter what level they’re at.”

That fight came just before the pandemic shut everything down around two weeks later. In an uncertain time where nothing is promised, Cain is only concentrating on the things he can control, leaving everything else to run its own course.

He expanded on his philosophy, “I don’t put too much pressure on it, there’s always gonna’ be let downs, it’s the way boxing works, you never know what’s going to happen, there’s always disappointments, so just expect the worse and hope for the best, and just don’t put loads of pressure on yourself.”

Cain was a five-time national amateur champion, winning 61 from 67 bouts, boxing from the age of 11. Now unbeaten as a pro, trained by Paul Stevenson in the century-old Everton Red Triangle gym, where Olympic hope Peter McGrail trains with him; Cain is signed to a top promoter and surrounded by talented teammates, so the future is looking bright.

However, it’s not always been that way for the talented youngster, as he explained, “I fell out of love with boxing, I was looking round at the lads in our gym and I saw something happened with Kev Satchell when he lost his belts without losing a fight and just all the politics of boxing going on and I thought, ‘I can’t afford to do this’.

“Seeing fighters get their dreams shattered through no fault of their own, I couldn’t even watch a boxing fight after that, and I fell out of love with it completely.

“After one year out, I knew I was going to fight again, but I just needed to sort myself out. I had to lose it to realise that boxing was the love of my life. I’ve always been a fighter, just a part of my life growing up. I’ve always been a certain way in my mindset, I’d fight now if I could, because it’s something I’ve always done.”

Although a promising amateur, Cain decided very early on in his life that he wanted to turn professional above anything else. A decision that he has a few regrets about, he accepted, “I made the decision at 14 or 15 that I didn’t want to go to Sheffield [where Team GB trains] and I turned pro to get those belts I always dreamed of. Everyone always told me had a pro style, but when I look back, I think it was a stupid decision, but I didn’t realise back then.

“When I listen to someone like Paul [Stevenson], then listen to them fellas [at Sheffield Institute of Sport], it wasn’t the same. I think it’s because Paul’s so good, he’s not recognized, but he’s one of the best coaches in the world.

“When I fought for England, I lost to the same kid twice, David Burrell, then when I got him on my own show with my Red Triangle vest on, with Paul in my corner, I obliterated him, he didn’t even land a punch.

“I did also have people telling me to stay in the amateurs, but I didn’t understand how it all worked back then, you don’t know about the ticket sales and politics that come with being a pro when you’re 14, I was naïve and didn’t listen, I just wanted to be a pro.”

Everton Red Triangle in association with Black Flash Promotions always scheduled their dates for boxing shows for the entire year, but so far two have already been cancelled due to COVID-19 and the only remaining two dates in September and November aren’t looking promising either.

“I don’t think there will be any events going ahead until the government says so,” Cain shrugged. “At first, I was thinking that the British Boxing Board would want the shows to be going on, but I soon realised it’s coming from the higher powers.”

Instead of catching ‘itchy knuckles’ and feeling anxious and impatient to get back to the ring, Cain is content to sit back and wait it out.

“Right now, I’m sitting here watching Mike Tyson vs Buster Douglas,” he admitted. “Paul [Stevenson] told me to watch Lennox Lewis vs Vitali Klitschko, but I’ve just been flicking through on YouTube, so I just have a little watch of whatever catches my eye.

“If I could say what I want to happen then it’d just be to fight as much as often, and to get back in the gym properly – just give me three weeks notice and I’d be ready to fight!

“At the moment, I’m signed Frank Warren, but I know I’m on his bottom shelf, and that’s understandable, because there’s definitely going to be a backlog of fighters wanting to get on this show and get on that show… I’m just taking every day as it comes.

“I see Frank is one of the best promoters in the sport, but I still see it as I’ve got to get my chance, no one else is getting it for me. I’ve got high expectations in myself, but I’ve got no expectations in anything else other than me.”

Cain is part of a competitive featherweight division where the British champion Ryan Walsh has held the coveted national title for almost five years now. Despite being extremely far apart in the rankings right now, Cain is confident he is at that level already.

“This might sound stupid to some, but I’m already at that level. Me and Peter McGrail have been sparring since we were 10-years-old, and he’s just qualified for the next Olympics.

“I know I’m at their level, everyone who knows me knows it, but it’ll be a few years until everybody else gets to see it. In the boxing world, it just takes time to get there, to get those opportunities, and got to be a bit lucky as well.”

Despite the current break, Cain counts himself as a realist and has such a clear confidence and unwavering trust in his own ability that his future looks very promising in his capable (and heavy) hands.

‘A hungry fighter is a dangerous fighter’, and Cain is proving his desire every time he steps into the ring with his fast results. With the mindset that he has only himself to rely upon, this eager fighter has everything he needs fulfill his childhood dreams.

“All my family, growing up, got nothing. If I get the chance to make something out of the way I’m living my life, then I’ll definitely get myself and my family to a better place,” he asserted. “Got a four-month-old boy called Andrew, same name as me, and I want to get myself and my family to a better place in life.”

 

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