Anthony Cacace is not out of the woods with his mandatory title defense obligation.
The Ring has confirmed that a November 7th scholarship hearing has been scheduled for Cacace’s ordered IBF junior lightweight title fight against Eduardo Núnez. A previous order was voided when both sides agreed to go their separate ways for one fight.
With this fightback in play, Cacace (22-1, 8 KOs) will either have to honor the order or relinquish the crown.
Cacace-Núnez was originally ordered to win the belt in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia shortly after Cacace’s May 18 upset victory over Joe Cordina. The two sides failed to reach an agreement, prompting two rescheduled purse presentations before the case was tabled.
Mexico’s Núnez (28-1, 28 KOs) agreed to step aside for one fight. This allowed Cacace to appear at the September 21 British launch of Riyadh Season at Wembley Stadium in London. A distinction for the card was that all matches were exclusive to the UK.
The concession by Núnez paved the way for Cacace to face former two-time IBF featherweight titleholder Josh Warrington. Cacace won by unanimous decision to retain his title. He has since advanced to the No. 4 slot in The Ring 130-pound ratings.
Because an exception had to be filed to accommodate the match, Cacace is now stuck meeting his obligation.
Núnez earned the No. 1 spot with an eleventh-round knockout of former titleholder Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov. Their February 16 title eliminator saw Núnez hit the road to stop Rakhimov (17-2-1, 14 KOs) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
The fight was the first time that Núnez, The Ring’s no. 9-rated 130-pound contenderwas extended beyond the tenth round. However, he didn’t need much longer than that to close the show.
Núnez has since added a sixth-round knockout of Miguel Marriaga on August 31 in Carson, California. The win extended his current eighteen fight win and knockout streak.
Cacace is promoted by Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions. In fact, he just re-signed with the company along with a number of other fighters. Núnez signed with Matchroom Boxing last May.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
