On Saturday, March 14, at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, Jazza Dickens defended his WBA super featherweight world title against Anthony Cacace. The atmosphere was first class, and while the fight lacked the anticipated action, Cacace boxed smartly at the key moments and landed the more eye-catching shots.
After Cacace got the verdict and became a two-time super featherweight world champion, having previously held the IBF title. Following the verdict, attention quickly turned to what could come next for Anto. Here are three possible next opponents for the 37-year-old Belfast fighter.
Anthony Cacace becomes a two-time super featherweight champion
The fight between Jazza Dickens and Anthony Cacace (25-1, 9 KOs) ultimately failed to catch fire. It was a quiet start to the fight, with Dickens’s footwork and busier style standing out.
Cacace enjoyed a big fifth round, hurting Dickens, and the Belfast fighter continued to largely control the tempo and distance as the fight progressed. Despite Dickens enjoying a strong ninth round, Cacace navigated some difficult moments and continued to land the more eye-catching shots. The scorecards read 115-113, 116-112, and 116-113, all favouring Anthony The Apache Cacace, the new WBA super featherweight world champion.
In the ring after the fight, Anthony Cacace made it clear who he wants to face next: “I believe I can unify, I can beat Navarette, I can beat these guys, and that’s what I’m aiming for.
“How many British fighters have I boxed now? When am I going to get the chance at one of these big boys? Carl Frampton fought Leo Santa Cruz… Get me Navarette, it’s not that hard to make, let’s do it.” The options for big fights have understandably increased for Cacace now that he has the WBA title. Here are the three opponents we view as most realistic.
Emanuel Navarrete
Emanuel Navarrete (40-2-1, 33 KOs) is clearly the opponent Cacace wants above anyone else. The IBF and WBO champion produced his most impressive performance in his last fight, dominating Eduardo Nunez to win the IBF title. It was arguably a career-best performance for “Vaquero,” now the unified super featherweight champion. A unification bout with Cacace would produce plenty of action.
Navarrete is as awkward as they come. He’s a high-volume puncher who doesn’t stop coming forward and carries plenty of power. He varies the angles he attacks, making him a nightmare to face. Navarrete-Cacace would be a fascinating battle of who can find their range first.
O’Shaquie Foster
O’Shaquie Foster (24-3, 12 KOs) was last seen in action, comfortably defeating Stephen Fulton at lightweight, after Fulton blew the super featherweight limit.
Foster is highly skilled and has been involved in entertaining fights, including his dramatic win over Abraham Nova. He’s slick defensively and punches impressively between his opponents’ work. His effective jab often enables him to control the distance and tempo in his fights.
He times his punches well, and Cacace will have to be at his very best to negate the strengths of the American. Foster is not afraid to meet his opponents in the middle of the ring and engage in a firefight, making a potential Foster-Cacace showdown a mouthwatering one.
Elnur Samedov
When asked about potentially facing Ryan Garner in the future, Cacace didn’t appear enthusiastic, so we are picking Elnur Samedov (22-1, 11 KOs), the WBA interim super featherweight champion, as a potential next opponent.
Despite Samedov not being a huge name, Cacace would sell out anywhere in Belfast or Dublin, making this a viable option. The 32-year-old Azerbaijani native recently won the interim title, winning via an 11th-round TKO over Colombia’s John Lenon Gutierrez. Samedov showed in that fight what an effective pressure fighter he is, but he would need to breach the long arms of Cacace to cause the Belfast fighter any real problems.
Who would you like to see Anthony Cacace face next? Let us know in the comments.