ANTHONY Cacace is confident he holds the upper hand over Leigh Wood as they prepare for their highly anticipated super-featherweight clash on Saturday night. The former IBF champion enters the main event in Wood’s hometown of Nottingham as the bookmakers’ odds-on favourite. Fresh from two impressive victories over Joe Cordina and Josh Warrington, Cacace is brimming with belief ahead of the 25th fight of his career.
“He’ll [Wood] definitely bring it at some stage, whether it be at the start, middle, or end of the fight. But I believe I’ve got just as much power as he has,” Cacace told Boxing News.
Not only does the Belfast boxer back himself in the power department for a bout tipped as a potential Fight of the Year contender, but he also insists he possesses a superior skillset compared to the former WBA featherweight titleholder.
“I’ve got better boxing ability than him. I feel like I can do what I want in this fight and end this fight the way I want it. We’re going to have to just see what happens.”
Cacace, 23-1 (8 KOs), believes observers are overanalysing his performance against Cordina. Twelve months ago in Riyadh, he overwhelmed the Welshman, stripping him of his world title and handing him his first defeat via an eighth-round stoppage.
“People are going off the Cordina performance where I had to step it up and beat down a boxer. This one, Leigh’s a fighter; he’s going to bring the fight. I feel like I can out-box him all night long. I’m a puncher as well as a boxer, so he can walk into big shots, too. We’re just going to have to see.”
Wood, 28-3 (17 KOs), a career-long featherweight, steps up to super-featherweight for the first time since October 2023, when he overcame a slow start to stop Josh Warrington in a thrilling encounter. That victory, a successful first defence of his second reign as WBA 130lb champion, capped a strong run of form that began with his British title win over Reece Mould over four years ago. However, Cacace dismisses concerns that Wood’s layoff will hinder his performance on fight night.
“He’s a two-time world champion. He said he’s been in the gym the whole time, so I don’t expect him to be rusty at all. Maybe there’ll be a couple of small factors for him personally, but I feel like he’ll be alright.”
