James ‘Jazza’ Dickens [36-5, 15 KOs] will make the first defence of his WBA super-featherweight title against Belfast’s Anthony Cacace [24-1, 9 KOs] at Dublin’s 3 Arena on Saturday, 14 March.
The 34-year-old Liverpool southpaw was upgraded to full champion in early December as Lamont Roach was stripped of the belt, having fought in lightweight and light-welterweight bouts since his last title defence against County Tyrone’s Feargal McCrory in June 2024.
Dickens won the interim title with a fourth-round stoppage of Albert Batyrgaziev in July and was due to face Hayato Tsutsumi in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 27 December but withdrew through injury.
Instead, he will take on former IBF champion Cacace who relinquished the belt in order to face Leigh Wood in May, a fight the 36-year-old won by ninth-round stoppage at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena.
Cacace has been out of the ring since, with a back injury forcing him out of an August meeting with Raymond Ford in Saudi Arabia.
However, he returns to take on Dickens as he bids to become a two-time champion, having beaten Joe Cordina to win his first title in Saudi Arabia in May 2024 before going on to defeat Josh Warrington at Wembley Stadium four months later.
Chief support on the night will be a light-welterweight battle between two big punchers in Dublin’s Pierce O’Leary [18-0, 10 KOs], is and Portsmouth’s Mark Chamberlain [17-1, 12 KOs].