Leeds fighter Josh Warrington denied IBF world title shot against Anthony Cacace on Joshua vs Dubois undercard
Anthony Cacace’s IBF world title will not be on the line when he fights Leeds’ Josh Warrington.
Leeds Warrior Josh Warrington will not be able to win the IBF super featherweight world title when he takes on Anthony Cacace on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night.
When the bout was announced it was to be for Cacace’s IBF and IBO world titles but the former belt will no longer be up for grabs, due to Warrington’s ‘inactivity’ in the super featherweight division, as decreed by the IBF. Warrington is jumping up from featherweight to challenge Cacace in what will be his first contest in the higher weight class.
While Warrington cannot win the IBF world title, he can win the IBO super featherweight title, which is also held by Cacace. The Belfast man has been the holder of the IBO belt since 2022, when he defeated Michael Magnesi by split decision. As such, if Warrington defeats Cacace, he will win the IBO belt - the IBF, meanwhile, will be declared vacant.
If Cacace defeats Warrington, he will be ordered to take on a mandatory defence of his titles against knockout artist Eduardo Nunez at any date before March 20 next year.
Speaking with BBC Sport, Cacace said: “It's for the IBO world title. The IBF isn't on the line. You would need to talk to Frank [Warren, Cacace's promoter] and everybody else behind the scenes about that. I wanted it on the line. I've known for weeks. It's not one bit of bother to me, but at the same time I don't really understand what the hell is going on.”
Later in the interview, Cacace also said that he ‘doesn’t know’ why only one belt is on the line in this fight, as opposed to the two that he currently holds.
On Warrington, Cacace said: “He's going to bring the fight. I believe he is a warrior. In terms of boxing, I think I'm an all-round better fighter than Josh. He is a good guy and he always gives his best. He's been unlucky in his last couple of fights, he's been fighting at a really high level and fallen a wee bit short.”