IRELAND’S NEWEST BOXING world champion Anthony Cacace will defend his super-featherweight title against Josh Warrington at Wembley Stadium on 21 September, on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s meeting with fellow Englishman Daniel Dubois.
Cacace produced a stunning stoppage of the previously undefeated Joe Cordina on the Oleksandr Usyk v Tyson Fury bill last month to seize the Welshman’s belt.
And in his first defence, West Belfast’s ‘Apache’ will face another world-level British opponent in the shape of two-time featherweight world champion Warrington, 33.
Anthony Cacace levels up and defeats Joe Cordina by TKO and becomes the IBF Super Featherweight Champion #FuryUsyk #RingOfFire pic.twitter.com/FkU96vmfnL
— Boxing on TNT Sports (@boxingontnt) May 19, 2024
Cacace, who was paraded through the streets of Andersonstown upon his return from Saudi Arabia with the title, will hope to carry that momentum into his meeting with ‘The Leeds Warrior’ who lost his last two world-title challenges a division below.
Warrington (31-3-1, 8KOs) ran consequent Michael Conlan conqueror Luis Alberto Lopez close in Leeds in December 2022 before losing a majority decision and, in October of last year, he was dramatically stopped in the seventh round by English rival Leigh Wood while leading on all three scorecards.
Cacace (22-1, 8KOs), while naturally larger, is also the fresher of the two fighters despite being two years’ Warrington’s senior.
His career until last month had been stunted by plain bad luck including frequent injuries, fight cancellations and opponent withdrawals, and so he hasn’t shipped anywhere near the same amount of punishment in the ring as Warrington, who has famously warred with a plethora of modern-day featherweight greats such as Carl Frampton.
Cacace is Ireland’s first ever world champion at super-feather, while their bout in September will be Warrington’s first outing at 130 pounds.
In the main event in three months’ time, former two-time heavyweight beltholder Anthony Joshua will face domestic rival Daniel Dubois for the IBF world title which has been vacated by recently crowned undisputed king Oleksandr Usyk.
Usyk, who holds two comprehensive points victories over Joshua (28-3, 25KOs) and a stoppage win over Dubois among his last four fights, was forced to relinquish the IBF belt as his rematch with Tyson Fury later this year will prevent him from defending it against the sanctioning body’s interim champion and mandatory challenger Dubois (21-2, 20KOs).
🚨 Oleksandr Usyk announces that he is vacating his IBF heavyweight world title so that Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois can fight for it on September 21st 🥊🏆
— Boxing on TNT Sports (@boxingontnt) June 25, 2024
You just can't not love this guy 😅
📹: @Usykaa pic.twitter.com/K0y1QV8Ra8
Usyk taunted both men on Tuesday as he announced he was vacating the belt for which they will scrap, posting a video to his social media accounts accompanied by the caption: “Hey @anthonyjoshua, @DynamiteDubois. The IBF belt is my present for you for 21.09.2024. The world loves strong. Your friend, Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World, Oleksandr Usyk.”
And there in lies the problem with boxing, 4 sanctioning bodies means no-one can hold all belts as they don’t rank the same no recongising other champions, meaning there 4 different challangers Usyk would have to fight next or be stripped off a belt, all the IBF are trying to do is set up another unification fight. Only title that matters is the Ring.
@Kingshu: all about greed and money, similar to the playoffs in football and rugby.
Is he Irelands only world champ
@Gary Galligan: katie