Chris Oliver previews Saturday's showdown between Leigh Wood and Anthony Cacace, with the former taken to win on points.
Boxing betting tips: Saturday live on DAZN
2pts Anthony Cacace to win by decision at 7/5 (Paddy Power, Betfair)
1pt Kurt Walker to win by decision at 11/2 (Unibet, BetMGM)
Saturday's main event on DAZN at the Nottingham Arena features two men who have had to wait until the tail-end of their career to have their big success.
Both Leigh Wood and ANTHONY CACACE had to endure frustrating spells for much of their journeys in professional boxing, but each has enjoyed an Indian summer and will be desperate not to be asked to leave the top table now that they’re there. For that reason, and the fact they are both great to watch, this super featherweight contest has all the ingredients to be cracker.
With his come-from-behind victories, Wood (28-3) has arguably been Britain’s most exciting fighter in recent years and the former two-time featherweight champion would have been a warm favourite if this had taken place 18 months ago. However, Wood has been on the sidelines during that period and Cacace (23-1) has flourished, so the former is a 21/10 underdog this weekend.
While always highly rated, Cacace’s career proved to be a slow burner and, due to some bad luck, never really hit the big time. That was until he faced IBF super featherweight champion Joe Cordina in Riyadh a year ago and upset the heavy favourite with a dominant eighth-round stoppage victory. That was quickly followed by a comfortable points victory over Josh Warrington, another former two-time featherweight champion, at Wembley Stadium in September. He may be 36 now, but Cacace is in the form of his life and the Belfast man is an 8/15 favourite to continue his winning streak.
That was the same Warrington who was clearly outboxing and beating Wood until the latter unleashed a devastating combination at the end of the seventh round and dropped his man heavily in Sheffield 19 months ago. Warrington rose to his feet after the bell but, somewhat controversially, the referee waved the fight off and Wood claimed what had seemed an unlikely victory.
That was the culmination of a fantastic 27-month spell for Wood, who upset the odds to win a world title with a last-round defeat of Can Xu in Matchroom’s back garden during the Covid-19 pandemic. In March 2022, having been dropped heavily in the first round, he stopped Michael Conlan in the final round of their Fight of the Year, and one of the most dramatic finishes you will ever see.
Then, seemingly in control against Mauricio Lara, he was sparked out in the seventh session at this same arena, before outboxing the heavy-handed Mexican three months later. That win proved he is more than ‘just’ a banger, as he displayed his skills and IQ to navigate his way to a wide-margin victory, but he always has that power to fall back on and that is what makes him so exciting to watch. He is a clever switch-hitter who can do damage with either hand and carries his power until the very last second of the fight.
However, also 36 now, we haven’t seen Wood since the Warrington victory in October 2023 and that absence has to be a worry. He blamed weight-making troubles for that lacklustre performance and subsequently binned the belt to move up to 130lb, which will help him, but he won’t have been in the ring with anyone as big as Cacace.
The Northern Irishman is huge for a super featherweight. Big, tall and long – the southpaw uses his physical advantages very well, as we saw against Cordina and Warrington, when he was happy to walk those smaller men down and bully them on the inside. However, he is a very tidy boxer himself, with a lovely, accurate jab and his lead left hook is a very dangerous weapon. While not a one-punch knockout artist like Wood, Cacace does hit harder than his record of just eight stoppages would suggest, and he certainly punches with authority.
Cacace gave up his belt in order to land some more lucrative matches and fighting Wood in Nottingham certainly represents that, but home advantage may not count for much if Wood is ring-rusty or has declined during his extended layoff. That latter point is a big possibility, given the number of wars he has been in, and Cacace looks the fresher fighter of the two, plus the one with all the momentum. For that reason, I fancy Cacace to win this battle of the veterans.
The last southpaw Wood faced was ‘Jazza’ Dickens just over five years ago and he lost that one on the cards, which is the method by which I believe ‘leftie’ Cacace can get the job done here at 7/5. He was happy to trade up close with Cordina and Warrington as he didn’t seem to respect their punching power, but he would be unwise to repeat those tactics against Wood. I think Cacace can use his long levers to keep this on the outside and box his way to a points success.
Wood is always dangerous, but even if he does land something heavy, Cacace has shown a good chin and his sole defeat, nearly eight years ago now, was a tight decision. Also, there is no guarantee the local man will carry his power up in weight.
CLICK HERE to back Cacace by decision with Sky Bet
Walker to stroll to shock success?
Sticking with the England versus Northern Ireland theme, Liam Davies aims to bounce back from his first career defeat but has no easy task against KURT WALKER.
After taking his record to 16-0 with some impressive knockouts, Davies was heavily favoured to beat domestic rival Shabaz Masoud last time, but he struggled with the latter’s slick skills and dropped a split decision.
He now faces another skilful boxer in the shape of Walker, who was an excellent amateur and is unbeaten in 12 outings as a professional.
Davis is a 1/4 chance get back on the winning trail and the more experienced man may know enough to land the odds, but Walker (7/2) has the ability to follow the blueprint set by Masoud and the 11/2 about him winning by decision is too big to pass up.
Walker is the quicker and more mobile of the two, so I can easily see him opening a lead on the cards early doors and can give himself every chance going into the later rounds. If that’s the case, we should get a good run for our money at long odds.
Posted at 1300 BST on 09/05/25
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