From Forgotten Fighter to Championship Glory Cacace Seeks Second Crown

Anthony Cacace is just one win 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, marked by injuries, fighter withdrawals and postponed bouts that risked derail his career entirely. Yet the former IBF champion persevered, working as a pizza delivery driver while training relentlessly, until his breakthrough came in May 2024 facing Joe Cordina in Saudi Arabia. Since winning that maiden world title, Cacace has beaten Josh Warrington and Leigh Wood, proving himself to be a dominant presence in the division.

The Extended Path to Recognition

Anthony Cacace’s journey to world championship contention reads like a testament to perseverance against the odds. For the greater part of his professional career, the Belfast fighter remained largely overlooked despite displaying undeniable talent. Injuries plagued his progression at crucial moments, while fighter withdrawals and sudden cancellations became an troubling trend that threatened to end his championship dreams entirely. Through it all, Cacace refused to surrender his ambitions, balancing intense training sessions at Holy Trinity Boxing Club with evening shifts delivering pizzas to support himself. His unwavering belief that his moment would ultimately happen kept him driven during the most difficult times of setback and disappointment.

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, opposing IBF champion Joe Cordina. Teamed up with his amateur coach Michael Hawkins and his team, Cacace seized the chance with both hands, delivering a career-defining performance that won the IBF title. His triumphant return to Belfast was highlighted by a heroes’ reception and a mural painted near his Andersonstown home, solidifying his status as a local sporting icon. Since that watershed moment, Cacace has continued his impressive run, beating 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 professional development consistently
• Worked as a pizza delivery driver while chasing boxing ambitions on a full-time basis
• Claimed IBF championship in May of 2024 against Joe Cordina in Saudi Arabia
• Has since beaten Warrington and Wood, improving record to 24 wins

A Winner’s Mindset Shaped Through Adversity

What Cacace brings into the 3 Arena on Saturday is something that cannot be taught in any boxing gym: the psychological strength of a boxer who has endured years of disappointment and grown stronger for it. His journey to world championship status was far from conventional, yet it has equipped him with a mental strength that few competitors possess. At 37 years old, Cacace recognizes the value of opportunity in professional boxing. All setbacks, all cancelled fights, all injuries has functioned as training for occasions exactly like this. His training team—Michael Hawkins Sr, Ruairi Dalton, Michael Hawkins Jr, and Barry O’Neill—recognizes this mental edge and has constructed his preparation to maximize it.

Speaking to BBC Sport NI during training sessions at Holy Trinity Boxing Club, Cacace’s philosophical approach to his career becomes clear. He views his extended hardship not as lost time but as part of a greater design, a belief that drives his confidence heading into this contest. “I’ve had my plenty of letdowns and pull-outs, but it’s all been in God’s plan,” he explained, reflecting on years of frustration transformed into motivation. This perspective, born from genuine hardship rather than cliché, represents the mentality of a man who refuses to waste what may be his last chance at title glory.

Dickens’ Path to the Top

Cacace’s opponent, Liverpool’s James ‘Jazza’ Dickens, grasps this challenge intimately. The WBA champion has traveled a equally demanding path to contention for a world title, taking approximately 15 years climbing the professional ranks before finally achieving his breakthrough. Dickens fell short previously in world-title fights at both super-bantamweight and featherweight divisions, experiencing the bitter taste of loss when the championship looked within reach. These reverses could have determined his career, yet similar to Cacace, he persevered through the frustration and pressed on toward his final objective.

Dickens’ turning point occurred in July when he delivered a stunning display facing 2020 Olympic gold medallist Albert Batyrgaziev to claim the ‘interim’ WBA title, which was subsequently upgraded to undisputed championship status during December. This victory marked the pinnacle of his lengthy path and established him as a formidable title holder. Both competitors arrive in Dublin bearing the weight of their experiences, having endured years of disappointments prior to reaching championship level. This mutual recognition of adversity forges a captivating story where no competitor can assert dominance based on mental toughness alone.

Faith as Foundation

At 37 years old, Anthony Cacace carries considerably more than boxing experience into the 3 Arena. Throughout his career, he has depended significantly on spiritual conviction to sustain him through many challenges. Injuries that should have ended his career, opponents who pulled out at critical times, and years spent delivering pizzas between training sessions could have broken his resolve. Instead, Cacace converted these struggles into fuel, seeing every obstacle as part of a larger design. This unshakeable faith in providence has become his most important advantage, a emotional cornerstone that distinguishes him from fighters who might have succumbed to despair long ago.

This faith goes past personal resilience into his daily preparation. Working alongside his training staff 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 characterizes his present situation as “a dream come true,” a viewpoint that counterintuitively strengthens his ability to compete. Athletes operating from plenty instead of lack often perform with greater clarity and direction. For Cacace, the years of struggle have crystallized into a singular focus: seizing this opportunity to claim his second world title before time runs out.

• Cacace attributes spiritual belief for sustaining him through professional challenges and injuries
• His coaching team provides guidance and support throughout his championship preparation
• Appreciation over desperation defines his mindset entering Saturday’s title fight

Legacy and Opportunity Meet in Dublin

The 3 Arena in Dublin embodies more than just a fighting arena for Anthony Cacace—it symbolizes the culmination of a journey that has tested his resolve at every turn. Saturday’s showdown against WBA titleholder James ‘Jazza’ Dickens carries profound significance past the championship at stake. For a fighter who spent years as an overlooked name in the sport, working through obscurity while making pizza deliveries between training, this moment means redemption. The mural painted near his Andersonstown home in Belfast following his IBF title victory in 2024 functions as a permanent reminder that his supporters never stopped believing, even when chances seemed impossibly distant.

Cacace’s path to this championship rematch has been strikingly rapid since his impressive triumph over Joe Cordina in Riyadh. Within a year and a half, he has overcome Josh Warrington at Wembley Stadium and Leigh Wood in Nottingham, establishing himself as a real contender at super-featherweight. His record now stands at 24 wins with just one defeat, a statistic that fails to capture the quality of his recent performances. At 37, Cacace knows the window for championship glory closes with each fight. This Dublin encounter may represent his ultimate shot to etch his name permanently into boxing history as a repeat world champion.