On May 10 (Japan time May 11), the main event of a Queensberry Promotions show took place at the Nottingham Arena in Nottingham, England.
Anthony Cacace (Ireland, 23 wins [8 KOs], 1 loss), who had vacated the IBF World Super Featherweight title, defended his IBO World Super Featherweight crown against former WBA World Featherweight Champion Leigh Wood (UK, 28 wins [17 KOs], 3 losses). Cacace won the bout via TKO at 2:15 of Round 9.
This was a clash between two seasoned 36-year-old veterans. Backed by a loud hometown crowd, Wood started aggressively with his jab. The technically skilled Cacace looked for counter rights. In Round 3, Cacace switched stances and landed a right straight and a left hook, while Wood responded with a jab and a right straight of his own.
In Rounds 4 and 5, both fighters exchanged right straights from long range, and when in close quarters, landed right uppercuts. In Round 6, Cacace connected with a series of punches: left hooks, uppercuts, and right straights. In Round 7, Wood pressed forward, but Cacace continued to switch stances and landed right uppercuts and left hooks. In Round 8, Wood tried to break through with body shots, but Cacace countered with uppercuts from both sides.
Round 9 began with a heated exchange. Cacace landed a right uppercut that sent Wood flying backward and bouncing off the ropes. Referee John Latham (UK) ruled it a knockdown, and Wood took an eight-count. Though Wood showed signs of a comeback, Cacace landed a flurry of left hooks and uppercuts, followed by a damaging left to the body that forced Wood to retreat. As Cacace closed in for the finish, Wood’s corner threw in the white towel, ending the fight.
Cacace chose not to fulfill his mandatory defense against IBF No.1 ranked super featherweight contender Eduardo Núñez (Mexico, 28 wins, all by KO, 1 loss) and instead vacated his IBF world title to face the more popular and comercially attractive Leigh Wood under better terms.
Wood had previously fought on October 7, 2023 (Japan time October 8) at the Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, UK, where he defeated former IBF world champion Josh Warrington (UK, 31 wins, 8 KOs, 4 losses, 1 draw) with a dramatic turnaround TKO in Round 7. A comeback at a higher weight class had been planned last year, but injuries delayed his return. This fight marked his first appearance in about 1 year and 7 months.
In the semi-final, the 10-round contest for the vacant WBA Continental Gold Light Heavyweight title featured an undefeated showdown between Ezra Taylor (UK, 11 wins, 8 KOs) and Troy Jones (UK, 12 wins, 6 KOs). Taylor claimed a unanimous decision victory to become the new champion. The scorecards read: Mikael Hook (Sweden) 100–90, Luigi Boscarelli (Italy) 99–91, and John Latham (UK) 97–94.
In the 12-round bout for the vacant IBF International Featherweight title, Liam Davies (UK, 16 wins, 8 KOs, 1 loss), who had lost his IBO World Super Bantamweight title and disappeared from the world rankings after a split-decision loss to Shabaz Masoud (UK, 14 wins, 4 KOs) on November 2, 2023 (Japan time November 3) at Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, moved up in weight to face unbeaten Kurt Walker (Ireland, 12 wins, 2 KOs).
Davies held off Walker’s late surge and captured a unanimous decision to become the new champion. Judges scored it 117–111 (Bob Williams, UK), 116–112 (Amar Sakraoui, France), and 115–113 (Mikael Hook, Sweden).
Leigh Wood fought aggressively in front of his hometown crowd, but it wasn’t enough. Will he make a comeback?
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