Anto Cacace has British title fight confirmed

Belfast super featherweight Anto Cacace [15(7)-0] will box for the British title this Summer.

The BBBoC have confirmed that Cacace, the mandatory challenger for the belt, must fight the winner of the March 25th title clash between champion Martin J Ward and Maxi Hughes – and that the proposed bout must take place by the end of June.

The BBBoC Celtic champion has had a somewhat frustrating time regarding the Lonsdale belt in recent times – first seeing Ward grant Ronnie Clark, a man knocked out by Cacace, a voluntary shot at the belt, before a mix-up from the BBBoC regarding the mandatory challenger spot led to the board, admittedly correctly, moving Maxi Hughes ahead of the Andersonstown southpaw in the pecking order.

Now however he has, in cold hard black and white, confirmation that he will battle for the belt this Summer – and manager Pat Magee intends to bring the fight to Belfast.

Regardless of who wins in two weeks time, they must defend against the 28 year old Irishman. Should Ward prevail over Hughes, the Cacace bout would be his third defence and an opportunity to win the belt outright.

The European route is also firmly in play too, with Cacace rated 8th in Europe. Ward and Hughes are 3rd and 10th respectively, so a win over either during the Summer would help push ‘The Apache’ further up the ladder currently topped by Frenchman Guillaume Frenois. Indeed Magee is planning for both the blue belt and the Lord Lonsdale to be adorning the waist of Cacace by the end of 2017.

At the present moment Cacace is keeping sharp ahead of his opportunity, and has been in Gallaghers Gym in Bolton, performing the role of chief sparring partner to Anthony Crolla ahead of his WBA lightweight title rematch with champion Jorge Linares on March 25th – which tops the card that also features the Ward-Hughes British title fight.

Jamie Conlan joins Gavan Casey and Joe O’Neill for Episode 3 of The Irish Boxing Show: