Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Anthony Cacace connects with a jab on Leigh Wood.Alamy Stock Photo Anthony Cacace earns sensational stoppage win over Leigh Wood in Nottingham Ireland’s leading male boxer extended his superb run at world level with a ninth-round stoppage of the hard-hitting Englishman. 12.02am, 11 May 2025 Share options IRELAND’S ANTHONY CACACE stopped his fellow former world champion Leigh Wood in the Englishman’s hometown of Nottingham to earn another signature win on a remarkable run at world level. Cacace [24-1, 9KOs] dropped and halted the hard-hitting Wood [28-4, 17KOs] in the ninth round at a sold-out Nottingham Arena, where local hero ‘Leigh-tal’ had previously stopped Cacace’s friend and fellow Belfast man Michael Conlan three years ago. The 36-year-old Cacace is a late bloomer, having overcome years of misfortune with injuries, opponent withdrawals and card cancellations to reach the super-featherweight summit when he dethroned Welsh world champion Joe Cordina last May. Cacace went on to beat Leeds’ two-time former featherweight world champion Josh Warrington before relinquishing his world title belt to eschew a mandatory contest against Mexico’s Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez and instead accept a far more lucrative bout with Wood in Nottingham. Andersonstown’s Cacace, known as ‘The Andy-town Apache’, has pulled off a series of victories that rivals that of any male Irish boxer in the last 10 years. He added Wood to his list of world-level British victims to stun a raucous home crowd, with trainer Ben Davison flinging the towel into the ring as the wobbly Wood sought refuge under heavy fire in the ninth. IT'S ALL OVER!!! 🤯 Anthony Cacace STOPS Leigh Wood‼️#CacaceWood | Live NOW on DAZN pic.twitter.com/HHBd3HQId0— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) May 10, 2025 Cacace had controlled proceedings to that point, his superior footwork, sharper jab, and frankly harder punches posing questions of Wood for which he had few answers. The Nottingham native, also 36, hadn’t boxed since stopping Josh Warrington in sensational circumstances 18 months ago and had moved up four pounds from featherweight, but he refused to make excuses for his defeat afterwards, instead crediting a “gentleman” in Cacace for being better on the night. Cacace, too, was full of respect for his beaten opponent and his hometown. Advertisement “Leigh’s had a long time off. I didn’t beat the best Leigh Wood but I beat Leigh Wood,” Cacace said. “And I appreciate Nottingham. Thank you, Nottingham, for inviting me here. Youse were a great crowd.” The elated Cacace also paid tribute to his own fans from Belfast who “spent their hard-earned money to come and watch me”, adding live on DAZN that he had done “The same as I do always: I travel. I conquer. And I go home to Andy-town.” Cacace banked the opening three rounds without great hassle, finding his groove in the third as he jolted Wood’s head with several perfectly timed right-hand bombs. A natural switch-hitter, he also caught Wood flush with a left uppercut from the southpaw stance, later crediting Michael Conlan who had used a similar ploy to drop Wood during their fight in March 2022. Wood had his moments, including in the quieter rounds four and five, which he arguably won. Cacace, though, put his foot back on the accelerator in six, bombarding Wood for the first time and cracking shots through his guard as the hometown fighter was forced to backpedal. Anthony Cacace connecting in round six 👀#CacaceWood | Live NOW on DAZN pic.twitter.com/Grr8bAD1Lx— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) May 10, 2025 Wood, famously a warrior, again steadied himself in the seventh, but Cacace smelled blood. Upping the ante again in the eighth, Cacace went in for the kill in the ninth: Wood made the mistake of rushing in after a right hand of his to Cacace’s left arm had briefly spun the Irishman a few degrees and roused the dormant crowd. Cacace timed him perfectly as he came in, cracking Wood with a left hook upstairs which ultimately led to his unravelling. With more than two minutes remaining in the round, ‘The Apache’ poured on the pressure, Wood initially shaking his head to indicate that he hadn’t been hurt before falling backwards onto the ropes after a couple more shots. Refree John Latham correctly scored a knockdown as only the ropes had prevented Wood from collapsing onto the canvas. Anthony Cacace DROPS Leigh Wood!!! 😱😱#CacaceWood | Live NOW on DAZN pic.twitter.com/JNrhHYdW0x— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) May 10, 2025 The courageous Wood beat the count but Cacace was surgical in his finish thereafter, picking his moments before rocking Wood from one side of the ring to the other until the home corner intervened. Cacace, as he tends to, dropped to his knees in celebration, while Wood was thankfully upright and responsive despite the beating he had received. “I don’t want to make any excuses,” former featherweight beltholder Wood said post-fight. “It was hard tonight, harder than usual. I don’t know was it the layoff. “If I want to lose to anyone, I want to lose to a gentleman like Anthony Cacace. And hopefully he goes on a good run.” Cacace’s promoter Frank Warren, meanwhile, teased the prospect of a world-title fight in Belfast, while The Apache himself defended his decision at 36 to turn down his mandatory bout with ‘Sugar’ Nunez and forfeit his world-title belt to take a more lucrative bout with Wood. “I took this fight soley for money. I got paid double for this [compared to the Nunez fight],” Cacace said. “Show me the money. I’ll travel anywhere. But I’m 36. It’s time for me to keep her truckin’. Let’s go.” Earlier on the card, Ireland’s Tokyo Olympian Kurt Walker [12-1, 2KOs] suffered his first professional defeat as he fell to Englishman Liam Davies [17-1, 8KOs] on a unanimous decision. Walker fought gamely but was second-best to the more seasoned pro Davies, who took the bout on scores of 117-111, 115-113 and 116-112. 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