Anthony Cacace vs Ryan Garner - could twice cancelled fight be on the cards later this year?
Anthony Cacace may be fully focused on this weekend's bout with Leigh Wood, but there are always thoughts about what comes next for a fighter.
A late bloomer and now 36, a shock technical knockout win over Joe Cordina to secure the IBF world super featherweight title last year has catapulted Cacace into the big time of British and Irish boxing.
Prior to his world title shot, Cacace had been set to face fellow super featherweight Ryan Garner until that proposed bout fell through twice.
With both men set to fight in the coming months, perhaps the duo will finally meet inside the ring.
Cacace vs Garner cancellations have worked out for both parties
In April 2022, Ryan Garner accepted the chance to step in on short notice to fight Anthony Cacace, only for the bout to fall through. A further meeting was scheduled for November 2023 but fell apart after Cacace injured his wrist.
That proved to be a blessing in disguise for the Belfast fighter, who would be offered the chance to take on Joe Cordina for the IBF super featherweight world title the following year.
Garner has since admitted that perhaps an earlier fight with Cacace would have proven to be a fool's errand. In fact, the man nicknamed the Piranha believed it was a bullet dodged.
He told Queensbury Promotions' media: "I was the one that wanted that fight with Cacace, but now that I look back on it, it could have been too soon. Well, it would have been too soon, because I'm a different fighter now. So, I'm glad it never happened. Me being a fighter, I want the biggest fights, I want the biggest paydays, I want the chances. But now that I'm a bit older, more mature, I think that was too soon.
With the benefit of time, Garner now feels differently.
"At the time,' he says, 'I was like, 'I'm ready for this'. But now I look back and I've seen myself in the gym, and how physically much stronger I am now, a different head on my shoulders. That Ryan Garner isn't the Ryan Garner that is here today."
Having avoided a potential loss in the form of Cacace, Garner has maintained his unbeaten record – with the Piranha now 17-0.
Cacace is at a stage in his career where he wants the biggest fights possible, having eschewed defences of his IBF world super featherweight title in order to face Josh Warrington and Leigh Wood.
In comparison, Garner is on the precipice of breaking into the world title picture, and whilst he may not carry the name power of Cacace's recent opponents, he can sell out an arena.
The Piranha headlined a show at the Bournemouth International Centre in March, with thousands of his fans travelling from neighbouring Southampton to support their man. Garner's promoter Frank Warren has hinted that his fighter will return to Bournemouth in the summer in a possible defence of his recently acquired EBU super featherweight belt.
According to the EBU, Garner is in private negotiations with James Dickens over a potential bout. A successful defence of his EBU crown would further increase Garner's stock and leave enough time in the final months of 2025 to arrange a fight with Cacace.
Garner has long spoken about fighting at the home of his beloved Southampton FC, St. Mary's, and a fight with Cacace would draw a huge crowd to the Premier League stadium. Cacace has also shown that he is willing to enter hostile territory to fight, as evidenced by this weekend's bout in Wood's backyard of Nottingham.
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