- Anthony Cacace defends his WBA super featherweight title against Nick Ball at The O2 in Belfast on Saturday 19 December, live on DAZN, with tickets on sale now
- Cacace is 25-1 with nine knockouts, Ball is 23-1-1 with 13, and a win would make Ball a two-weight world champion
- My prediction is Cacace by unanimous decision in front of his own people
Cacace v Ball Is Official
Right then. It is done. Anthony Cacace will make the first defence of his WBA super featherweight title against Nick Ball on Saturday 19 December at The O2 in Belfast. It is promoted by Frank Warren and Queensberry, it will be live on DAZN and tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster. The undercard has not been announced yet. Warren called it “about as 50-50 as you are going to get in this sport”, and Cacace v Ball really does feel that way on paper.
Let’s not beat around the bush, this is the sort of fight the sport needs more of: a champion at home against a former world champion with something to prove. Cacace is 25-1 with nine knockouts. Ball is 23-1-1 with 13 knockouts, and a win would make him a two-weight world champion.
What Ball Brings To Belfast
Nick Ball is 29, from Kirkby on Merseyside, and he stands about 5ft 2in. Do not let that fool you. He won the WBA featherweight title in Riyadh in June 2024 and defended it three times before losing it to Brandon Figueroa, stopped in the 12th round in Liverpool in February. That is his only defeat. He walks you down, he throws from every angle and he makes the fight ugly in the best way.
The Size Question
Here is where Cacace gets his edge. He is a southpaw and a natural super featherweight, longer and heavier than Ball, with a jab and a straight left that I rate highly. Ball will be stepping up in weight to fight a bigger man, and over twelve rounds that tends to tell. Pressure fighters can be made to look good by an opponent who stays in the pocket, but I do not think Cacace will stand and trade.
My Prediction
Cacace by unanimous decision. Ball will land plenty, especially to the body, and he will make some rounds a real scrap. But the champion has the reach, the size and a Belfast crowd roaring him on, and that is a proper combination in a fight this close. I expect Cacace to box in spells, move his feet and make Ball miss. If I am wrong, it will be because Ball’s engine drags him over the line in the late rounds.
Either way, Cacace v Ball is one to circle in the diary. Christmas arrives early for the boxing fans of Belfast.