Nathan Heaney Outboxes Jack Flatley; Ionut Baluta Overcomes Adversity
NATHAN HEANEY VS JACK FLATLEY II – This is a rematch of a bout that concluded with Nathan “Hitman” Heaney (17-0, 6KO) remaining undefeated after a cut over his right eye from a headbutt forced an early decision. This time around, it was Jack “Quiet Storm” Flatley (20-4-1, 4KO) that would suffer a cut over his right eye. Heaney picked up where he left off from the first fight and kept Flatley on the end of his jab. This coupled with his movement kept Flatley following him around the ring in an effort to find an offensive rhythm. Instead, it was a “rinse and repeat” situation that showed Heaney consistently dictating the pace of the fight.
While he had success getting inside of Hitman and even stunned his opponent in the last round, the damage Quiet Storm took in return would often superseded his progress. In the end, Heaney took home a well-earned unanimous decision by scores of 99-91 and 97-93 twice. This grudge match has been settled!
ANDREW CAIN VS IONUT BALUTA
In a Fight of the Year candidate, Ionut “Il Capo” Baluta (16-4, 3KO) survived an early TKO to rally back and earn a split-decision victory over former WBC International Silver champ Andrew Cain (10-1, 9KO). Il Capo was hanging on by a thread in the first round. He touched the canvas twice and found himself on wobbly legs while trying to fight back. The referee nearly stopped the fight a few times before allowing Baluta to continue. This decision ended up being a great case of why not stopping a fight too early can result in an epic turnaround!
While Baluta realistically didn’t find stable legs until the third round, he immediately took the fight to his “knockout-minded” opponent. His superior boxing ability contrasted Cain’s persistence to land big shots. This allowed the fight to turn his favor rather quickly. By the middle rounds, Cain’s face started to show damage but he never made adjustments to the game-plan.
Then in round nine, Baluta returned the favor when he put Cain down against the ropes! The British fighter regained his footing, only to continue to be out-boxed until the final bell. After the decision was announced, Ionut celebrated to the dismay of the UK fans. However, the fact that Baluta was able to avoid getting knocked out to reverse the pressure successfully spoke volumes. He without a doubt deserved to be victorious!
