From Forgotten Fighter to Championship Glory Cacace Seeks Second Crown

Anthony Cacace is one victory away from regaining world championship glory. The 37-year-old Belfast boxer will face WBA super-featherweight title holder James ‘Jazza’ Dickens at Dublin’s 3 Arena on Saturday, aiming to become a two-time world champion. Cacace’s path to this opportunity has been far from straightforward, plagued with injuries, opponent withdrawals and postponed bouts that risked derail his career entirely. Yet the ex-IBF champion persevered, working as a pizza delivery driver while training intensively, until his breakthrough came in May 2024 against Joe Cordina in Saudi Arabia. Since claiming that maiden world title, Cacace has beaten Josh Warrington and Leigh Wood, establishing himself as a formidable force in the division.

The Lengthy Road to Acknowledgment

Anthony Cacace’s route to world championship contention reads like a testament to perseverance against the odds. For the bulk of his professional career, the Belfast fighter was largely overlooked despite displaying undeniable talent. Injuries plagued his progression at key points, while cancellations by opponents and last-minute cancellations became an unfortunate pattern that threatened to end his championship dreams completely. Through it all, Cacace refused to surrender his ambitions, balancing grueling training sessions at Holy Trinity Boxing Club with evening shifts making pizza deliveries to make ends meet. His steadfast conviction that his moment would come in time kept him driven during the darkest periods of frustration and letdown.

The pivotal moment came in May 2024 when Cacace received his long-anticipated opportunity on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk versus Tyson Fury in Riyadh, facing IBF champion Joe Cordina. Teamed up with his amateur coach Michael Hawkins and his team, Cacace took the chance with both hands, delivering a career-best performance that captured the IBF title. His victorious homecoming to Belfast was highlighted by a hero’s welcome and a mural painted near his Andersonstown home, solidifying his status as a local sports legend. Since that watershed moment, Cacace has continued his impressive run, defeating Josh Warrington at Wembley Stadium and Leigh Wood in Nottingham, positioning himself as a legitimate championship contender.

• Injuries and fighters withdrawing hampered Cacace’s early career progression consistently
• Employed as a pizza delivery worker while pursuing boxing dreams on a full-time basis
• Captured the IBF title in May of 2024 against Joe Cordina in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• Has since defeated Warrington and Wood, raising record to 24 wins

A Competitor’s Mindset Shaped Through Challenges

What Cacace carries into the 3 Arena on Saturday is something that cannot be taught in any boxing gym: the mental resilience of a fighter who has survived years of disappointment and emerged stronger for it. His journey to world championship status was far from conventional, yet it has given him a resilience that few opponents possess. At 37 years old, Cacace recognizes the value of opportunity in professional boxing. Every setback, every cancelled fight, every injury has functioned as training for occasions exactly like this. His training team—Michael Hawkins Sr, Ruairi Dalton, Michael Hawkins Jr, and Barry O’Neill—acknowledges this psychological advantage and has designed his preparation to capitalize on it.

Speaking to BBC Sport NI during training sessions at Holy Trinity Boxing Club, Cacace’s thoughtful perspective to his career becomes evident. He views his long struggle not as wasted time but as part of a greater design, a belief that drives his confidence heading into this fight. “I’ve had my fair share of letdowns and pull-outs, but it’s all been in God’s plan,” he explained, reflecting on extended periods of disappointment transformed into motivation. This outlook, born from real struggle rather than cliché, represents the mindset of a man who refuses to waste what may be his final opportunity at title glory.

Dickens’ Path to Prominence

Cacace’s opponent, Liverpool’s James ‘Jazza’ Dickens, grasps this challenge intimately. The WBA titleholder has followed a comparably difficult path to world championship contention, spending roughly 15 years ascending the professional circuit before eventually attaining his breakthrough. Dickens previously fell short in world championship bouts at both super-bantamweight and featherweight, experiencing the sting of defeat when the championship looked within reach. These disappointments could have shaped his boxing career, yet similar to Cacace, he worked through the frustration and kept grinding toward his ultimate goal.

Dickens’ breakthrough came in July when he produced a impressive performance facing 2020 Olympic gold medallist Albert Batyrgaziev to secure the ‘interim’ WBA title, which was subsequently upgraded to full championship status during December. This triumph represented the culmination of his long journey and cemented him as a formidable champion. Both competitors come in Dublin carrying the weight of their histories, having faced lengthy periods of disappointments prior to reaching title level. This shared understanding of adversity creates a captivating story where no competitor can assert dominance based on psychological strength alone.

Faith as the Foundation

At 37 years old, Anthony Cacace carries considerably more than boxing experience into the 3 Arena. Throughout his career, he has relied deeply on spiritual conviction to sustain him through many challenges. Injuries that should have ended his career, opponents who backed out when it mattered most, and lengthy periods delivering pizzas between training sessions could have undermined his commitment. Instead, Cacace converted these struggles into fuel, seeing every obstacle as part of a greater purpose. This steadfast conviction in providence has become his most important advantage, a emotional cornerstone that sets him apart from fighters who might have succumbed to despair long ago.

This faith goes past personal resilience into his daily preparation. Working alongside his coaching team at Holy Trinity Boxing Club—Michael Hawkins Sr, his son Michael Jr, Ruairi Dalton, and Barry O’Neill—Cacace works from a place of genuine gratitude rather than urgency. He describes his current position as “a dream come true,” a perspective that paradoxically enhances his ability to compete. Fighters working from abundance rather than scarcity often perform with greater clarity and direction. For Cacace, the period of hardship have crystallized into a single objective: seizing this opportunity to win his next championship belt before it’s too late.

• Cacace credits faith for supporting him through career setbacks and injuries
• His coaching staff offers stability and mentorship throughout his title fight preparation
• Gratitude rather than desperation defines his mental approach entering the Saturday championship bout

Heritage and Potential Come Together in Dublin

The 3 Arena in Dublin symbolizes more than just a boxing venue for Anthony Cacace—it symbolizes the conclusion to a journey that has tested his resolve at every turn. Saturday’s showdown against WBA champion James ‘Jazza’ Dickens holds deep meaning past the championship at stake. For a fighter who spent years as an overlooked name in the sport, grinding through obscurity while making pizza deliveries between workouts, this moment means redemption. The artwork created near his Andersonstown home in Belfast after his IBF championship win in 2024 acts as a enduring symbol that his community never stopped believing, even when opportunities appeared out of reach.

Cacace’s journey to this championship rematch has been impressively quick since his breakthrough win over Joe Cordina in Riyadh. Within a year and a half, he has defeated Josh Warrington at Wembley Stadium and Leigh Wood in Nottingham, cementing his status as a genuine force at super-featherweight. His record now stands at 24 wins with just one defeat, a statistic that downplays the quality of his recent performances. At 37, Cacace recognizes the window for championship glory closes with each fight. This Dublin encounter may be his last chance to etch his name permanently into boxing history as a repeat world champion.