WBA super-featherweight champion Anthony Cacace is not ready to permit solutions of a showdown with Vasiliy Lomachenko distract him as he prepares to take on Nick Ball.
The 37-year-old makes his maiden defence of the title against Liverpool’s former WBA featherweight champion Ball at the just lately renamed O2 Belfast on Saturday, 19 December.
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The WBA has already indicated the winner must face Russia’s Elnur Samedov next, but the returning Lomachenko is reported to be eager too, according to ESPN’s Brian Custer.
Should that come to move, it would signify the realisation of a dream for Cacace, but his fast gaze stays firmly fixed on Ball.
“I’m not really thinking about that just now, I just kind of want to focus fully on Nick Ball and this fight coming up,” he insisted.
“I woke up to them type of things [Lomachenko interest] going to myself, ‘what?’. To see that type of stuff blows my mind but it’s one of those things and I’m just super grateful for it all.
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“I keep in mind placing a tweet out in 2012 calling out Lomachenko, so if that struggle ever materialises, I’ll get that tweet sorted.”
Size drawback no concern for Ball
The last time Cacace boxed in the enviornment was in 2023, out-pointing Damian Wrzesinski over 12 rounds on the undercard of Luis Alberto Lopez’s defeat of Michael Conlan in an IBF featherweight title defence.
Sandwiched between those two bouts was a victory for Ball over Ludumo Lamati, a struggle that ended in worrying scenes with the South African struggling a stroke in the ring when stopped in the last spherical, but has since made a full restoration.
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The Liverpudlian “did not even know that” he and Cacace shared that undercard but was more than blissful to return to Belfast for this alternative.
Since that night time, the 29-year-old has gone on to draw in a first world title attempt against Rey Vargas, before getting over the line in his next outing against Raymond Ford.
Three profitable defences would comply with, but in February of this yr, it all unravelled in the last spherical against Brandon Figueroa when he was dropped twice and then stopped, struggling his first profession loss in his twenty fifth skilled bout.
“It was a good struggle, back and forth for 12 rounds and he caught me with a good shot in the last spherical,” Ball reflected.
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“He threw an overhand left counter as I was throwing, so that’s what occurred. It’s boxing, it’s half of the recreation.”
A bundle of aggression, Ball brings a relentless style but will concede considerable height and reach advantages to Cacace in what his his first step up into the super-featherweight division with the opportunity to become a two-weight champion “something particular”.
The move up was prompted by this opportunity alone, but feels he will be “stronger, more snug” and is not concerned about fighting a much bigger man.
“All fights are difficult,” he countered.
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“The attain and the measurement benefit [for opponents], I’ve been doing that my complete profession, so that’s nothing new to me.”
‘Dream come true’ for Cacace to defend at home
In his 26-fight career, Cacace has boxed in his native Belfast on just five occasions, so to headline in his home city for the first time in a world title defence is “a dream come true”.
He has been driving the crest of a wave since successful his first world title in 2024 when he stopped Joe Cordina for the IBF model in Saudi Arabia – and there has been no trying back.
Wins over Josh Warrington and Leigh Wood – which came after vacating the title – would set him up for a shot at then WBA-holder James ‘Jazza’ Dickens earlier this yr and it proved another night time of glory for a man whose profession had beforehand been confined to the shadows.
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“I always needed to come back and have one large show,” he said. “It’s a dream come true. I never believed I’d be in this state of affairs, but here I am.
“I’m just expecting the usual Nick Ball, [he’ll] come forward with aggression.
“I really feel like I can do it all. I can deal with him and deal with those kinds for 20-plus years, so it’s just going to be another struggle, another good struggle and hopefully a good show for Belfast.”
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