“Nothing But Excitement”: Leigh Wood Predicts War with Anthony Cacace on May 10th

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Anthony Cacace and Leigh Wood will square off for the IBO super featherweight title on May 10th, and it’s certain to be an action-packed fight in Nottingham.

British fight fans were recently treated to an extraordinary spectacle when Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn fought a gruelling fight at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium a few weeks ago. That was deemed as a potential fight of the year, and at times it did live up to that. 

However, this upcoming clash, between Cacace and Wood, has all the potential to be another fight-of-the-year contender, and possibly even trump Eubank Jr vs Benn. 

Will Leigh Wood Carry ‘Ring Rust’ Into Bout Against In-form Anthony Cacace?

Cacace, the gritty Belfast native, enters the bout with a 23-1 (8 KO’s) record. Notably, he vacated his IBF super featherweight title, a bold move made in pursuit of bigger, more meaningful fights rather than mandatory defences that didn’t excite him. That decision has now led him to this high-profile all-British showdown, and he’s looking to make a statement.

Wood, 28-3 (17 KO’s), is no stranger to drama in the ring. The former WBA featherweight champ is returning after an extended layoff; his last appearance was in October 2023. While the inactivity may raise questions, Wood has delivered thrilling performances throughout his career, including his unforgettable war with Michael Conlan in 2022 and a competitive run through 2023 against Mauricio Lara and Josh Warrington.

In the midst of the Englishman’s absence from the ring, Cacace has fought against two elite Brits in the form of Joe Cordina – where he stopped the Welshman to become the IBF champ – and then claiming a unanimous decision win over Leeds warrior Josh Warrington.

Is Wood Biting Off More Than He Can Chew at New Weight Class?

Wood moves up in weight for this challenge and will have the hometown advantage in Nottingham. But, it’s also worth noting that the Nottingham native has hinted at retirement by the end of the year, adding an extra layer of intrigue to what could be one of his final bouts.

These facts alone don’t exactly paint a positive image of Wood at this stage in his career; the 36-year-old is at a higher weight class and has been inactive for over 15 months.

While British boxing fans can all guess about whether or not Wood can take to the new weight, and if he’ll be rusty early on in this bout, there is no guessing as to what style we’ll see from the former WBA featherweight world champ. Wood will be looking to fire off his powerful combination punches, but so will Cacace.

What Leigh Wood Has Said Ahead of World Title Fight Wit Anthony Cacace

Speaking to Left Lion, the Nottinghamshire-born boxer had this to say about ahead of his fight against Cacace: 

“A lot of people are saying that I’m going up to Super Featherweight, but in reality I’m actually not. I’m just not coming down in weight as much as I did for Featherweight. I’ll let you know after the fight how I feel because that’s when I’ll know the difference. But it should be less of a drastic cut.”

Wood was asked if this fight could be fight of the year: “Exactly that. Given what I bring to the table and what [Cacace] brings to the table, nothing but excitement!”

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