Anthony Cacace says he wants to cement his name in Irish boxing history as he prepares for the “fight of my life” against Josh Warrington.
Earlier this week, the IBF confirmed that Cacace’s super-featherweight world title will not be on the line in Saturday’s fight at Wembley Stadium.
The sanctioning body does not recognise Warrington as a challenger because of his inactivity in the super-featherweight division. But while Warrington cannot win the title at Wembley, it will be vacated if he beats Cacace,
“It’s the hardest fight of my career by a mile. Josh is no mug,” said 35-year-old Cacace.
“He’s a two-time world champion [at featherweight], same as Joe [Cordina] but he’s more accomplished. He’s had harder fights and better fights and has a better resume.
“This is the fight of my life and I’m just wanting to leave no stone unturned and do the job.”
At Friday’s Trafalgar Square weigh-in, the fighters engaged in an energetic face-off before sharing an embrace and turning to pump up the crowd, in keeping with the respect they have shown one another all week.
Cacace, who again cut a laid-back, smiling figure in his final pre-fight engagement, weighed in at just under 9st 3lb (129.85lbs) while Warrington tipped the scales at a slightly lighter 9st 2½lbs (129.55lbs).
Cacace, who became a world champion by beating Joe Cordina in May, has spoken this week about how he has no desire to become a “millionaire or a superstar”.
But having achieved a lifelong dream of strapping a world title around his waist, he is determined to deliver a few more big performances and take his place among the greats of Irish boxing.
“That’s what the plan is,” he said when asked about securing his legacy.
“Now’s the time to cement my name into Irish boxing history. I just want to continue to win and put on performances.
“It’s going to be a hard fight, a gruelling fight. It depends on what Josh turns up here.”
‘Whoever wants to support me, I’m all over it’
Cacace also feels as though he will be representing the entire Irish boxing community when he steps out in front of a 96,000-strong crowd at one of the world’s most iconic stadiums.
“Andersonstown, west Belfast, the whole of Belfast, wherever you’re from – south, east – I know they’re behind me, I’m getting the messages from everyone,” he said.
“I’m representing the whole of Belfast, Northern Ireland, Ireland. Whoever wants to support me, I’m all over it.”
Beating Warrington would set up a bout against mandatory IBF challenger Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez before 20 March 2025.
But knowing that a defeat at this stage of his career would be difficult to come back from, Cacace is not looking past Warrington, who memorably beat Belfast’s Carl Frampton in a world title fight in 2018.
“They say Nunez is next. To me, Josh is next.
“If I don’t beat Josh, I’m back down that pecking order again and at my age there’s no time for that.”
