The scheduled super featherweight bout for this upcoming weekend on September 21st between Anthony Cacace and Josh Warrington will not include Cacace’s IBF title. While Cacace will not be stripped, the IBF has indicated they would not sanction the bout as Cacace was supposed to face mandatory challenger Eduardo Nunez.
On September 21st, Anthony Cacace (22-1, 8 KO’s) will not enter the ring as the IBF super featherweight (130 lbs) champion when he faces Leeds native Josh Warrington (31-3-1, 8 KOs). According to BoxingScene, Cacace has been given an exemption to face Warrington but at the cost of not being allowed to defend his IBF title due to not facing Mexican mandatory contender Eduardo Nunez (27-1, 27 KO’s).
Their bout will be a part of an all-British fight card that is set to feature Anthony Joshua (28-3, 25 KO’s) and Daniel Dubois (21-2, 20 KO’s) as the heavyweight (200+ lbs) headliners at the esteemed Wembley Arena in London. Along with the multiple mostly UK-based promotional outfits set to help promote the fight, the card has further been sponsored by Riyadh Season at the behest of General Entertainment Authority (GEA) chairman Turki Alalshikh.
The IBF also reportedly indicated Cacace would be stripped of his IBF title were he to lose to Warrington, allowing the IBF 130 lbs belt to become vacant and potentially allow Warrington and Nunez to vie for it [though Warrington is currently not ranked within the IBF’s top 15 featherweight rankings].
Anthony Cacace acquired the IBF title on the May 18th undercard of the Usyk-Fury event after defeating the then-incumbent champion, Joe Cordina (17-1, 9 KO’s), through a surprising technical knockout (TKO) victory. The IBF title would be the first major world title that Cacace won in his career.
Josh Warrington himself has a history with the IBF, having held the IBF featherweight (126 lbs) title prior from 2018 to 2019, and briefly again in 2022.
The lesser-recognized IBO title, currently held by Cacace, will be defended against Warrington come September 21st.
