Anthony Cacace is reportedly expected to vacate his IBF super featherweight title to fight Leigh Wood. The IBF belt will become vacant for #1 Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez (27-1, 27 KOs) and #3 Masanori Rikiish (16-1, 11 KOs) to fight for it.
It makes sense for the 35-year-old Cacace (23-1, 8 KOs) to vacate the IBF title to battle former two-time WBA featherweight champion Leigh Wood (28-3, 17 KOs) because it’s a fight that will pay well for Anthony.
Nunez’s Time to Shine?
Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez has looked impressive, knocking out his last 17 opponents since suffering his lone career defeat to Hiram Gallardo by a six-round unanimous decision in June 20018. In Nunez’s last four fights, he’s knocked out Miguel Marriaga, Oscar Escandon, Jesus Martin Ceyca, and Willmank Canonico Brito.
It’s difficult to know how good the eight-year professional Rikiish, 30, is because he’s fought mostly unknown opposition his entire career in his native Japan. He’s lost once as a pro, but he’s been fighting under the radar against opposition that most fans have never heard of. That’s not a good sign.
Slim Chance of Success
The 13-year professional Cacace’s chances of success against ‘Sugar’ Nunez would have been minimal due to the power, youth, and aggressiveness of the Mexican fighter. It wouldn’t have been a big payday for Cacace going up against Nunez, and the outcome would have likely been bad for him.
Last year, Cacace defeated IBF 130-lb champion Joe Cordina, destroying him in eight rounds on May 18th in Riyadh. The fight wasn’t even remotely close, as Cacace was too fast and too busy for the weight-drained Cordina in that contest. Cacace dropped Cordina in the third round, and he looked like he never recovered from that.
In Cacace’s last fight, he defeated former featherweight champion Josh Warrington by a 12-round unanimous decision on September 21st on the Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois undercard at Wembley Stadium in London.
I watched the fight, and it looked like Cacace took it easy on Warrington, staying in second gear the entire contest and not giving him the same rough treatment as he had Cordina in his previous fight. If that’s what the game was, it was a kind gesture on Cacace’s part because Warrington looked completely shot. He would have folded like a cheap suit if Cacace had bum-rushed him like he did Cordina all night.
“With the expectation that Anthony Cacace will vacate his IBF belt to fight former champion Leigh Wood, the super-featherweight belt is set to be determined by a bout between top ranked Eduardo Nunez and Japan’s No. 3 Masanori Rikiishi, I’m told,” said Lance Pugmire on X.
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