For Dickens, the fight is the first defense of the belt he has secured after years of setbacks and rebuilding.
Dickens (36-5, 15 KOs), 34, was elevated to full WBA champion in December when Lamont Roach was stripped of the title. The Liverpool southpaw previously stopped Olympic gold medalist Albert Batyrgaziev in the fourth round to claim the interim belt earlier in 2025.
The road to that moment spanned nearly fifteen years.
Dickens battled through knockouts, inactivity and the lack of support from a major promoter. His career included a world title shot against Guillermo Rigondeaux in 2016 that ended early when Dickens suffered a broken jaw. Subsequent losses to Kid Galahad and Hector Andres Sosa made many question whether his championship hopes were over.
Dickens said there were periods when the struggle almost broke his faith.
“There were times when I thought, ‘What is this all about?’ When it was really hard,” Dickens said ESPN.
“I believe if you listen, God teaches you, but I wondered: ‘What are you trying to teach me?’ at times. I’m glad I was patient all these years, because I finally got the opportunities when nobody believed in me.”
His turnaround began with a decision victory over Zelfa Barrett, followed by the stoppage of Batyrgaziev, a result that put him back in the championship picture.
“Those opportunities came when people thought I was done,” Dickens said. “When I got knocked out by (Hector Andres) Sosa, people thought I was done. But I went out there and dominated.”
Dickens credits much of that turnaround to trainer Albert Aryrapetyan, whom he joined in Dubai after struggling to find a trainer willing to work with him.
“He was the only person who responded to me when I needed a coach,” Dickens said. “The phone didn’t ring, nobody wanted to know, but since I became champion, it hasn’t stopped ringing.”
The title defense comes against Cacace (24-1, 9 KOs), a former IBF champion who has wins over Joe Cordina, Josh Warrington and Leigh Wood in the past year.
Dickens enters Saturday to defend the WBA belt for the first time after almost a decade and a half chasing the sport’s highest level. Cacace arrives looking to reclaim a world title and put his name back among the champions at 130 pounds.
