Anthony Cacace and Josh Warrington close up in their 130-pound fight on September 21 at Wembley Stadium in London. Photo credit: Mark Robinson, Matchroom Boxing.
Anthony Cacace followed up his career best win with his highest profile performance to date.
The Ring’s no. 6-rated junior lightweight contender turned down the challenge of former featherweight titleholder Josh Warrington. Scores were 118-110, 117-111 and 117-111 for Cacace, whose IBF 130-pound title was not on the line Saturday at London’s Wembley Stadium.
Sanctioning was not provided by the IBF as Cacace was set to next defend against mandatory challenger Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez. Additionally, Warrington is ranked against any weight by the sanctioning body.
Tension was palpable throughout the build-up to this game, not an uncommon occurrence with any fight involving Warrington. Cacace even managed to get a light push at the end of the final pre-fight instructions. On the legal side of action, the Belfast native got a sharp uppercut in the most telling blow of the opening round.
Warrington stormed back with a strong second round in his 130-pound debut. The former two-time IBF featherweight titlist worked to the inside, targeting the body. Cacace was briefly thrown out of his game in the round and for sacks in the third.
The tide shifted for good in round four. Cacace was able to string together his power shots, which clearly stunned Warrington. It did not result in a layoff, although Warrington were forced to punt during several series.
Warrington’s most effective moments in the balance of the fight came with the use of his head. Another regular occurrence in his fight is the number of head collisions. One such moment caused a cut along Cacace’s left eyebrow. It never became a real factor, other than the nuisance of the blood running down the side of his face.
Cacace connected with a right hand and left hook in the eighth. Warrington took the shots well as his back touched the ropes, but he couldn’t get a response. He was later able to connect with body shots, but Cacace brushed off the shots as he piled up points on the scorecards.
Warrington hit the deck within the last minute of the twelfth and final round. He avoided a strikeout call when referee Howard Foster ruled that he had slipped on the center ring logo. Cacace continued to start the action in the closing seconds to put a bow on his latest victory.
With the win, Cacace (23-1, 8 KOs) extended his current eight-fight winning streak. Warrington (31-4-1, 8 KOs) is now 1-4-1 in his last six starts, including three straight losses. While this is a valiant effort, it will be his last on this stage for a while. A popular ticket seller, Warrington—who brought 10,000 fans from Leeds—was able to rebuild at home.
However, the fact that he is hanging up his gloves at center after the decision was announced suggests that he is more likely to call it a career.
Meanwhile, Cacace will now have to review his mandatory title defense against Nunez (28-1, 28 KOs). That is if he stays at the weight. The Ring has learned that there is a chance that Cacace will vacate the IBF title later this year.
Also on the show, Josh Kelly survived a rocky final round to see off late substitute Ishmael Davis over twelve rounds. One judge had it 114-114, while Kelly (16-1-1, 8 KOs) won by scores of 115-113 and 115-114 in their bout above the 154-pound limit.
Davis (13-1, 6 KOs) accepted the fight on short notice, replacing an ill Liam Smith.
Kelly is the number one contender according to the WBO junior middleweight rankings. However, he has not yet been named as the mandatory challenger.
Both bouts were part of a six-fight DAZN/PPV.com pay-per-view event. Daniel Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs) defends his IBF heavyweight title against Anthony Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) on top of the show.
