As the lights prepare to dim and the atmosphere intensifies at the recently renamed O2 Belfast, WBA super-featherweight champion Anthony Cacace finds himself standing at the intersection of a long-awaited homecoming and the potential for a legacy-defining future. On December 19, the 37-year-old Belfast native will make the maiden defense of his world title against Liverpool’s Nick Ball, a former WBA featherweight champion known for a relentless, high-pressure style. Yet, even as the local hero prepares for the most significant night of his professional life on home soil, the shadow of a modern boxing legend has begun to loom over the proceedings.
In recent days, reports have surfaced suggesting that the legendary Vasiliy Lomachenko, a multi-weight world champion and one of the most decorated amateur and professional fighters in the history of the sport, has his sights set on the winner of the Cacace-Ball clash. According to ESPN’s Brian Custer, the returning Ukrainian maestro is monitoring the situation closely, potentially setting the stage for a massive unification or high-stakes encounter in 2025.
For Cacace, the mention of Lomachenko—a man widely regarded as a pound-for-pound great—is both a surreal acknowledgement of his own rise to the top and a potential distraction he is determined to avoid. While the prospect of facing such an icon represents the ultimate realization of a career-long dream, "The Apache" is adamant that his immediate focus cannot waver from the dangerous task at hand in 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 insisted during a recent press conference. The champion admitted to a sense of disbelief when the rumors first reached him, noting the stark contrast between his current status and his years spent fighting in the relative shadows of the sport. "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."
The connection to Lomachenko is not merely a recent development in Cacace’s mind. It is a thread that stretches back over a decade, to a time when the Belfast man was still a prospect looking for a breakthrough. "I remember putting a tweet out in 2012 calling out Lomachenko," Cacace recalled with a smile. "So if that fight ever materialises, I’ll get that tweet sorted."
Despite the allure of a superfight, the logistical path forward remains complex. The WBA has already provided a clear directive: the winner of the December 19 bout must face Russia’s Elnur Samedov in their next outing. This mandatory obligation means that any potential clash with Lomachenko would require careful negotiation and the navigation of governing body rotations. For now, however, those administrative hurdles are secondary to the physical challenge presented by Nick Ball.
Size disadvantage no concern for Ball
The challenger, Nick Ball, arrives in Belfast with a reputation for being one of the most exciting and durable fighters in the lower weight classes. The 29-year-old Liverpudlian is no stranger to the O2 Belfast, though his history with the venue and his opponent is more intertwined than he initially realized. The last time Cacace boxed in this arena was in 2023, where he secured a points victory over Damian Wrzesinski on the undercard of a major bill headlined by Luis Alberto Lopez and Michael Conlan.
