Ashley Lane vs Andrew Cain full fight breakdown
The resurgent Ashley Lane (18-10-2, 3KO) defends his British and Commonwealth bantamweight titles to the capable challenger Andrew Cain (11-1,8KO) on Saturday, July 20, in Birmingham on Frank Warren’s packed ‘Magnificent Seven’ card.
It’s experience versus youth, with six years and 18 fights separating the two.
‘Flash’ Ash Lane, 33 from Bristol, turned pro in 2011 and only managed to win seven from his first 17 fights, but then went on to win 11 from his last 13, collecting the Commonwealth crown twice, then the English and the Lonsdale belt in his last two fights, both ending in stoppages.
Headlining York Hall in the away corner against Chris Bourke last March, Lane set a high pace from the off and, although he was caught a lot in the opening rounds, his busy style and non-stop pressure paid off as he was able to land eyecatching shots and force the favourite back to the ropes constantly.
By round five, Lane was like a man possessed, Bourke just couldn’t keep him at bay. In the sixth stanza, Lane threw close to 40 punches in 30 seconds to knock his man down, then proceeded to continue to ambush Bourke to force the stoppage soon after and claim the British belt.
Prior to that in 2023, he won the English championship against unbeaten Jordan Purkiss, again from the away corner.
Essex boxer Purkiss started brightly, as expected as the home favourite, but then walked onto a wicked right hand to the chin in the third round that dropped him instantly. Lane pounced and landed another right hand to knock him down a second and then a third time. Somehow Purkiss survived the torrid time on shaky legs to reach the next round.
The rest of the action was a complete shootout, but a bad cut sustained to Jordan’s left eye caused the fight to be stopped after round seven, handing the victory to Lane.
Cain came back with a fourth round KO over Darwing Martinez in April after hand surgery kept the Liverpudlian out for 13 months.
The 27-year-old Merseysider took his time to grow into the contest, but noticeably stepped up the pressure in the fourth to end the fight with a single big shot to floor the Nicaraguan, who did not want to get back up after taking such a hurtful, huge right hand. Prior to that, he hadn’t been stopped in his last 10 fights.
In his only defeat to date, Cain was incredibly unlucky against Ionut Baluta, who is well known on these shores for his ability to upset British prospects.
In March 2023, Cain had Baluta down twice in the first round, then broke his right hand shortly after, which he blames for not being able to kill the fight off. In round nine, he was caught and dropped as he was slipping the Romanian’s shots on the ropes and an extra one got through that he wasn’t expecting that unbalanced him.
He wasn’t hurt, but it swayed the decision on the scorecards the other way, losing on a split, although many spectators that night thought Cain should have won.
Trained by Paul Stevenson at the Everton Red Triangle, Cain came to the attention of fight fans when he won the WBC International Silver super-bantamweight belt with around three punches when he stopped Pablo Ariel Gomez within 19 seconds in April 2022.
He rushed back to the ring five weeks later to defend his maiden title in just 2:02 of the first round against Luis Moreno, who was down twice before the stoppage.
So it took the powerful puncher just 121 seconds to win and defend a WBC regional title.
Now, he heads into his first ever 12-round contest against an experienced veteran.
Styles
Lane is like a spider in the ring, his punches coming in from all angles at all times. His engine is his best asset because he throws a lot of punches, utterly unrelenting. It’s what broke down Bourke and Purkiss so quickly. The pace he sets is so high and intense, he drains his opponents until exhaustion saps their strength and punch resistance.
He can fight on the outside and on the inside; his 30-bout experience is invaluable and he is a match for anyone, and currently enjoying some very good form.
Cain is a flashy, confident fighter, who bounces on his toes with his hands hanging by his hips. He is incredibly fluid and reactive, able to slip shots stylishly. He uses lots of feints and tricks of the trade to open his opponents up and draw them out. He is an expert at leading his opponents on, teasing them just enough to lead them out to attack, all on his terms, so he can counter what he just manipulated.
The rotation of his hips complemented with his speed is how he has been able to stop all but one opponent, clocking up a 90% KO ratio.
Betting Odds
9/1 Lane
1/16 Cain
Prediction
Lane will likely aim to continue his perfected style to overwhelm Cain with his high output and energy. He could also be spurred on knowing Cain can be dropped by a puncher with a similar style and power level as him. That said, I think his best chance to win will be on points. The more the fight goes on, the more it will be his territory and in his favour.
For me, Cain is not just a KO artist, he’s clever and calculated too. He is trained by Paul Stevenson, who I rate highly as one of the best coaches in the country. His sparring partners include Nick Ball and Peter McGrail, so he is in very good company every single day.
Although I rate and respect Lane’s chin and heart highly, 12 rounds is a long time to go with such a dangerous puncher, so I am backing to Cain to win by KO.
I fully expect Cain to take a few rounds to adjust to Lane’s awkward, smothering style and immense output, and to also find his timing and accuracy this being just his second fight in 16 months.
I can envisage Cain winning in the first half of the contest, perhaps between rounds 4-6. However, if he lands heavily early, he will almost certainly finish the fight off there and then, not wishing to go anywhere near the championship rounds if he can help it. Eight of his 10 KOs have come in rounds 1-3, so he will continue that trend if he gets even a hint of chance to.
