By Jake Donovan

Andrew Cancio always believed he would become a major titlist the moment he made his way to a major title fight. 

What he didn’t believe as recently as just over a year ago, was whether he’d even make it back to the ring, never mind to that level. 

“I had a lot of things going on in my personal life as far as the gym life between trainers and managers,” Cancio (20-4-2, 15KOs) admitted of his frustration with the sport following a Sept. 2016 stoppage loss to fellow Caiifornian Joseph Diaz. “It was just switching gyms. There was just a lot going on.

“I was just mentally frustrated with everything. Nothing was going right. I got cut one week before a fight on my nose sparring. There was a lot going on. I was just frustrated. I felt like here I was once again getting nowhere. Like I said, I was just more mentally frustrated and just drained from everything.”

It was at that point, Cancio decided he was done with the sport and ready for another career. It led to his landing a job as a full-time as a construction technician for Southern California Gas Company, where he remains to this day even after his upset knockout win over previously unbeaten 130-pound titlist Alberto Machado this past February.

The two will run it back this Friday, returning to where it all happened before as the rematch will stream live on DAZN from Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, Calif. Cancio arrived in town on Tuesday, having used vacation time from his job just to fully play out the fight week schedule ahead of his first title defense.

Such work ethic defines Cancio’s feel-good comeback story, one he realized needed to be told rather than simply envisioned.

Of course, it meant whipping himself back into boxing shape.

“I was not training. When I left that stadium, I didn't pick up a pair of gloves until I started getting ready for the (Aidar Sharibayev) fight,” Cancio noted during a recent media conference call, in which he participated while on his lunch break from his full-time construction job.

It wasn’t until he was approached by new manager Ray Chaparro for a fight with then-unbeaten Sharibayev last April when he rediscovered the burning desire.

“I was in the gym I believe either one month or a month and a half before the Aidar fight just to start losing weight,” Cancio notes. “The manager that I have now, we told him not to make any phone calls until we lost some weight, once we all decided as a team we were going to go ahead and go forward. I was on the couch working my 9 to 5.

“I didn't have no enthusiasm going into the gym or running, doing nothing. I did absolutely nothing. What made me get back in the ring, in the gym, was I knew I have a lot to prove. I knew I could be a world champion, like I am right now.”

It began with an upset 10th round stoppage of Sharibayev last April, kicking off his current three-fight win streak. His title win over Machado (21-1, 17KOs) came with its share of drama, as Cancio had to climb off the deck inb the opening round before thrice dropping Machado in the 4th round to pull off a huge upset that still stands out in a year full of them.

It all began with self-reflection and a desire to provide even more for a loving family who always saw greatness in the resurgent boxer.

“My kids wanted to see me fight again, as well. I got the itch again,” notes Cancio. “That's what made me come back to the sport that I love doing.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox