Anthony Cacace pulled an upset when he faced Joe Cordina on Saturday, May 18 live from Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The pair squared off on the “Ring of Fire” fight card topped by Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk live on PPV.
The scheduled for 12 rounds world championship bout didn’t go the full distance. In the third round, Cacace secured a knockdown dropping Cordina with a jab that followed a repeated right uppercut. The latter managed to get back on his feet and beat the eight count.
The Irish southpaw claimed the IBF super featherweight belt, dethroning the Welsh defending champion with a flurry of punches to the head and body. Referee Bob Williams stepped in and waved the fight off at 39 seconds into the eighth round.
With the victory by TKO, Anthony Cacace improved to 22-1, 8 KOs and secured his seventh win in a row. The 35-year-old native of Belfast, Northern Ireland, who also brought to the ring his IBO strap, became a new IBF 130-pound champion.
Two-time world champion Joe Cordina (17-1, 9 KOs) dropped to 17-1, 9 KOs. Cardiff’s 32-year-old suffered his first career defeat as a pro and lost the title.
“I am in shock,” Cacace said post win. “Nobody gave me a chance to do this here.”
“Joe is a hell of a competitor. He is an Olympian, two-time world champion… Tonight, I was hurting him with every single shot.”
As for the potential rematch, Cacace said he would like it to also take place in Saudi Arabia.
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