Having lost his last two fights, former featherweight champion Josh Warrington has faced much criticism for his world title fight against IBF super featherweight champion Anthony Cacace on the undercard of the Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois fight at Wembley Stadium on September 21.
Fans feel Warrington (31-3-1, 8 KOs) should not be taking on Kakace (22-1, 8 KOs) in a title fight because he has never fought at 130 pounds. 0-2 His records over the past two games.
Warrington defends their position
Warrington was knocked out in the seventh round by Lee Wood in his last fight, failing to win the WBA featherweight title on October 7, 2023. The loss left Warrington's record at 1-3-1 In the last five games since February 2021.
It would be a bit unfair to a challenger like IBF No. 1-ranked Eduardo Nunez for Warrington to edge out Nunez for a direct title bout with Cacace in the 130-pound division debut.
Warrington responded to criticism from fans for challenging for a title fight after two losses by saying his Excellency wanted him on the card because of his exciting fighting style, while other great fighters of the past, such as Marco Antonio Barrera, returned to fight for a world title quickly after losing to Erik Morales.
There is a big difference between the level of talent Marco Antonio Barrera was fighting when he first lost to Morales and the level Warrington is at going into a title fight after losing consecutive bouts and boasting a record of 1-3-1 in his last five fights. He is no Barrera.
Kakache accepts the challenge
“Sharing the ring with Josh Warrington, he's a true warrior. I think he's going to put on a great fight. I think it's a really fan-friendly fight, a fight for the fans,” Anthony Cacace said at today's kick-off press conference about his opponent, Josh Warrington, who will be fighting at Wembley Stadium in London on September 21st.
“This is a title fight, the pinnacle of the sport. I'm not surprised,” Cacace said when asked if he was surprised that Warrington agreed to fight him for the world title.
“Who wouldn't be excited if there wasn't a main star? Thank you for this opportunity,” said Josh Warrington, thanking His Excellency for selecting him to compete for a world title despite his previous losses: a knockout to Lee Wood and a 12-round decision loss to Luis Alberto Lopez.
“his [Cacace] The performance against Cordina was really good. He boxed really well. We're going to give it our all. We'll figure it out when we get to the three of us.
“People are saying 'why does he have a chance?' That's boxing,” Warrington said of complaints from fans on social media about him getting a chance to fight for a world title despite being 0-2, both by knockout, in his previous two fights.
“His Excellency wants exciting matches and the Riyadh season is about exciting matches,” Warrington said on why he got the job rather than more suitable candidates.
