Anthony Cacace refuses to let Lomachenko talk distract him from Nick Ball defence

The WBA has indicated the winner of the Belfast fight on 19 December must face Russia's Elnur Samedov next, and Cacace, headlining his home city for the first time, called the night "a dream come true".

By Combat Sports UK Staff · Published Mon 12 Oct, 13:40 UK · AI-assisted reporting

Anthony Cacace, holding his WBA belt, and Nick Ball at the press conference for their fight in Belfast — Photo: Queensberry Promotions

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Anthony Cacace says reported interest from Vasiliy Lomachenko will not take his mind off Nick Ball, who challenges him for the WBA super-featherweight title at The O2 Belfast on Saturday 19 December.

"I'm not really thinking about that just now, I just kind of want to focus fully on Nick Ball and this fight coming up," Cacace told BBC Sport. The WBA has already indicated that the winner must face Russia's Elnur Samedov next, while ESPN's Brian Custer has reported that the returning Lomachenko is keen on a fight with Cacace.

Cacace said the talk had caught him by surprise. "I woke up to them type of things [Lomachenko interest] going to myself, 'what?'. To see that type of stuff blows my mind but it's one of those things and I'm just super grateful for it all," he said. "I remember putting a tweet out in 2012 calling out Lomachenko, so if that fight ever materialises, I'll get that tweet sorted."

The 37-year-old won the WBA belt by unanimous decision against James 'Jazza' Dickens in Dublin in March, and this is his first defence. It is also his first time headlining in Belfast: he has boxed in his home city only five times in 26 professional fights. "I always wanted to come back and have one big show," he said. "It's a dream come true. I never believed I'd be in this situation, but here I am."

Cacace won his first world title in May 2024, stopping Joe Cordina in the eighth round in Riyadh to take the IBF belt. He then outpointed Josh Warrington, vacated the IBF belt in January 2025 and stopped Leigh Wood in Nottingham before the Dickens fight.

Ball, 29, held the WBA featherweight title after beating Raymond Ford in 2024 and made three defences before Brandon Figueroa stopped him in the 12th round in Liverpool in February, the first defeat of his career. "It was a good fight, back and forth for 12 rounds and he caught me with a good shot in the last round," Ball said. "He threw an overhand left counter as I was throwing, so that's what happened. It's boxing, it's part of the game."

The Liverpool fighter is stepping up to super-featherweight for this fight, and will give away considerable height and reach. He said he expects to feel "stronger, more comfortable" at the heavier weight. "All fights are challenging," he said. "The reach and the size advantage [for opponents], I've been doing that my whole career, so that's nothing new to me."

Both men boxed on the same bill at the arena, then called the SSE Arena, in 2023: Cacace beat Damian Wrzesinski on points after 12 rounds and Ball beat Ludumo Lamati on the undercard of Luis Alberto Lopez's IBF featherweight title defence against Michael Conlan. Ball said he "didn't even know that". The venue took the name The O2 Belfast in July.

Cacace expects Ball to press forward, as usual. "I'm just expecting the usual Nick Ball, [he'll] come forward with aggression," he said. "I feel like I can do it all. I can deal with him and deal with those styles for 20-plus years, so it's just going to be another fight, another good fight and hopefully a good show for Belfast."

Promoter Frank Warren called it "one of the best fights that can be made, certainly in British boxing" when the bout was announced. Cacace is 25-1 with nine knockouts and Ball is 23-1-1 with 13. The fight is live on DAZN; details are on our Cacace vs Ball fight page.