Belfast boxer Anto Cacace has vacated his IBF world super-featherweight title in search of the “biggest fights possible”.
The 35-year-old beat Joe Cordina to become world champion in Saudia Arabia in May 2024 before winning a non-title fight against Josh Warrington at Wembley Stadium four months ago.
Cacace was due to face his mandatory challenger for the IBF title Eduardo “Sugar” Nunez in his next bout but will now be free to face any opponent after relinquishing his championship belt.
“Today I have decided to vacate my IBF world title,” Cacace said on Friday on his social media account.
“Becoming a world champion was an absolute dream and an incredibly proud moment for me. However, at this stage of my career, I only want the biggest fights possible, regardless of the belt on the line.”
Cacace stunned the boxing world when he knocked out Cordina in the eighth round on the undercard of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s first undisputed heavyweight showdown in Riyadh.
The underdog going into the fight, the Belfast man delivered a brutal performance to hand the Welshman his first professional defeat and claim the world title.
His first defence of that belt was due to be against former world champion Josh Warrington before the IBF refused to sanction the fight as a world title contest due to the Leeds’ fighter inactivity as super-featherweight.
Without the title on the line, Cacace claimed a unanimous points win over Warrington to complete a memorable 2024 for the 35-year-old from Belfast.
You can hear more from Anto Cacace on Nations Fight Night on Saturday, live across BBC Sport NI, as he will be part of our pundit team.
Watch on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website from 18:30 (GMT)
