For a fight week that was already messy, Jordan McCann has added another layer of disruption. The 32-year-old said he was arrested as he landed at Manchester Airport on Wednesday evening, just days before his scheduled bout with Big Stacks in Newcastle on Saturday night.
McCann, who is still chasing his first win after losing on points in his Misfits Boxing debut against Ibiza Final Boss, said the setback would not keep him from the ring. In his message, he apologised to Misfits Boxing, said he was on his way to Newcastle and stressed that the fight was still on.
That matters because this card had already been thrown off balance by events involving Big Stacks earlier in the week. On Wednesday, Stacks was involved in a brawl that broke out after a verbal spat involving Joe Laws and Harley, leaving fight week with plenty of noise before the fighters even reached the press conference stage.
The arrest allegation and the timing
McCann’s account of the arrest came immediately after he landed in England following training in Dubai. He said police took his phone, but his message to fans and Misfits Boxing was clear: he was still headed to Newcastle and would not miss the fight.
“Jesus Christ, bro, I’ve had a long f*****g day,” McCann said, before asking Lawsy to post the update and adding that Stacks should be left alone because “we need him alive for the fight.” It was a chaotic line, but also a useful one: whatever happened at Manchester Airport, it did not appear to change the plan for Saturday night.
Big Stacks gave the same basic answer from his side. “It is what it is. The night is still on. The fight is still on,” he said, after describing the earlier trouble as another attempt to target him. His view was blunt, but it matched the bigger reality of this card: the build-up has been volatile, but the bout itself remains scheduled.
A turbulent fight week before Newcastle
There is a temptation to treat this as just another bit of crossover-boxing theatre. But the timing makes it more important than that. The pre-fight press conference was set for Thursday evening in Newcastle, which means the arrest allegation lands right at the point where the final promotion should be focused on the matchup itself.
Instead, attention has shifted to uncertainty, security and the mood around the event. That does not automatically damage the fight, especially when both men are still saying it will happen. But it does underline how much of this card has been shaped by events away from the ropes.
McCann’s situation also adds pressure to a simple sporting storyline. He is trying to get his first Misfits Boxing win, and every interruption now becomes part of the public narrative around whether he can stay focused enough to do it. For Stacks, the question is slightly different: after the brawl earlier in the week, can he keep the card on track and arrive in Newcastle without further distractions?
There will also be wider interest in the card because Misfits Boxing has become a magnet for big personalities, and the special edition about Ricky Hatton and his career gives the event an even broader boxing backdrop. But for now, the immediate story is straightforward enough. McCann says he was arrested at Manchester Airport, he says the fight is still on, and the Newcastle meeting with Big Stacks is still set for Saturday night.
