Fairy Tale Continues – Amazing Anthony Cacace Stops Leigh Wood
Anthony Cacace could be going back to the world title ball after winning the battle of the Cinderella Men in Nottingham tonight.
The Belfast man continues to shine in a bright through his indian summer, ‘The Apache’ making it a hat trick of double world champion scalps with a sensational stoppage win over Leigh Wood.
The 36-year-old showed real boxing beauty to get ahead before displaying real brutality to get a ninth-round finish.
One of the world’s form fighters had too much by way of skill for the Nottingham native in the first half of the fight, and once he hurt the former world champion, he was never going to let him off the hook.
The fighter, who is finally fulfilling his much lauded talent, sent ‘Lethal’ crashing to the ropes early in the ninth, forced a count and had his prey on the run from that point until the towel came in.
The boxer, who also had ability but rarely got opportunities, now holds consecutive wins over Joe Cordina, Josh Warrington, and Wood.
It’s a run that should secure his legacy as an Irish great, although the victory means the feel good fairy tale will have one more chapter at least with talk of world honours and a homecoming in the ring after his hand was raised.
Wood tried to impose himself on the fight early, looking to bring a quickfire double jab into play. Cacace seemed content to have a look, waiting for the perfect time to land a right hand over the jab or walk his foe onto a long left hook.
‘The Apache’ did seem to find his range at the tail end of the first, more than tickling the home fighter’s rib with a body shot and landing a combination on the bell.
Two crisp right hands from the Belfast side of the fight were the highlight of the second, a session Wood was continually looking for work in.
A switch to southpaw saw ‘The Apache’ take a double jab early in the third, but upon reverting back, the natural talent started to show his class.
The former IBF super featherweight world champion widened his opponent’s eyes with another well-picked right hand, landed an uppercut of note, and scored with a left hand.
Wood landed an uppercut of his own in the last few seconds of the next stanza, a round he used to prevent his opponent from pulling well clear.
The respect for each other’s power remained through five, as a tense battle of wits ensued. Cacace did finally find a home for his jab, a shot he used well in the sixth. Indeed, after frustrating his rival through the first two minutes of the round with the crisp shot, he began to hurt his fellow puncher in the final minute.
A beautiful feint right hand left hook stiffened ‘Lethal’s’ legs before an uppercut did damage.
The skillset of Cacace was on full display in the seventh. The Andersontown native’s IQ was bamboozling a fighter, who holds wins over Michael Conlan and David Oliver Joyce, while his feet graced the Nottingham dance floor in a session he won without having to exert massive effort.
History proves Wood remains a threat right up and until the final bell and he proved why when he drew blood from the Irish fighter early in the next.
Fighting in front of his home fans, the sight of claret spurred him on, but Cacace made sure momentum wasn’t going to shift.
The ninth caught fire early, as Wood nearly paid the ultimate price for gambling. A massive left hook hurt the home fighter, and he was sent to the ropes. The referee stepped in and gave a count, but once proceedings resume,d Cacace showed his killer instinct. He remained cool and calculated but vicious at the same. Thudding and accurate, he had Wood ready to go before Ben Davidson came to the brave fighter’s rescue.
