Highly skilled Anthony Cacace will defend his IBO super featherweight title tonight against the inactive former 126-lb champion Leigh Wood at the Nottingham Arena. Cacace (23-1, 8 KOs) will have to find a way to neutralize Wood’s power advantage (28-3, 17 KOs) for him to win. Leigh is coming up in weight after a two-year layoff to reinvent himself at 130.
Tonight’s Cacace vs. Wood event will be shown live on DAZN at 2:00 p.m. ET / 11:00 p.m. PT for the main card.
Tough Test for Wood
It could go badly for Wood tonight because this is his first fight against a true talent. The belief that he’s gotten by with matchmaking from his previous promoter, but that won’t work tonight. He’s being thrown in with Cacace, who has excellent technical ability.
Tonight’s Undercard at 2:00 PM ET
Liam Davies vs. Kurt Walker – Co-main event
Ezra Taylor vs. Troy Jones
Owen Cooper vs. Chris Kongo
Sam Noakes vs. Patrik Balaz
Lewis Williams vs. Viktar Chvarkou
Huey Malone vs. Jakub Laskowski
Charlie Senior vs. Cesar Ignacio Paredes
Joe Cooper vs. Dmitri Protkunas
Joe Tyers vs. Mario Valenzuela Portillo
Harris Akbar vs. Octavian Gratii
Nico Leivars vs. Darwing Martinez
The former two-time WBA featherweight champion Wood is no spring chicken at 36, and there are questions about what he has left after wars against Mauricio Lara and Michael Conlan. Wood absorbed a lot of punishment in those fights, and those weren’t even the cream of the crop at 126.
His previous promoter, Eddie Hearn, never matched him against this murderer’s row of featherweights: Rafael Espinoza, Stephen Fulton, Angelo Leo, and Nick Ball. In that respect, Wood was protected from the harsh world of the featherweight division. It can be brutal for carefully maneuvered domestic-level fighters, portrayed as top echelon.
Keys to Cacace’s Win
Cacace doesn’t have the power to knock out Wood or punch with him. So, he’s going to have to rely on his skills to get the victory tonight. If he makes the mistake of standing in the trenches with Leigh, it won’t end well for him. Wood might be past his best, but his power is still there.
Last Updated on 05/10/2025
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