THE London Guildhall survived the Great Fire that ravaged the city in 1666. It remained unscathed through the years of the Blitz in World War Two.
Built in 1411 on the site of a Roman Coliseum, it’s foundations are soaked in the blood of ancient gladiators.
On Thursday night Anthony Cacace and Josh Warrington became the latest gladiators to grace the famous stage. The Guildhall was packed to the rafters as the super-featherweight rivals respectfully took their turns to talk up their prospects ahead of Saturday night’s super-featherweight title rumble at Wembley Stadium.
Warrington, who has the scalps of three Irish fighters under his belt already, predicts his duel with Cacace will be “the fight of the night”. He has moved up to super-featherweight to take Cacace’s crown in front of 96,000 but ‘The Andytown Apache’, looking confident and calm, told him that wasn’t going to happen.
“No man is unbeatable,” said Cacace.
“I’ve been at this (boxing) from I was nine years-of-age and I’m now 35. I’ve had to work very hard to win these belts and be part of these big nights so I’m not giving them away a couple of months after I won them.
“I’m not taking Josh for granted. I know exactly what he’s going to bring, I know he’s a long time in this game but the belts are coming home with me.”
Cacace beat Joe Cordina to add the IBF title to his IBO belt in May. Because Warrington wasn’t the IBF’s mandatory contender, only the IBO title will change hands if the ‘Leeds Warrior’ wins. However, defeat for Cacace will mean that the IBF becomes vacant, so his fighting future is on the line on Saturday night.
After years of hunting the belts, Cacace is now the hunted but he insists he retains the underdog mindset that propelled him to the word title after more than a decade as a pro.
“There’s no pressure,” he said.
“Josh is a two-time world champion. His career has been filled with success and I’m only getting to have success now. Josh was a great champion at featherweight and he is moving up in weight and says he’s stronger and whatever else.
“But I’m a big super-featherweight and it’s going to be a tough night for him.”
Cacace says that Warrington’s warriorlike nature will play into his hands. He expects his opponent to be aggressive and come at him and is confident his devastating punching power will win him the fight.
“I’m not going to have to go looking for him,” he predicted.
“Josh has a big set of balls, he’s got a big heart. He’ll be coming forward looking for a fight and that’s exactly what I want. He’ll walk onto shots. But he’s a top class fighter, his record speaks for itself – he’s done everything, he has fought some great champions and beat them so I know I’m in for a hard night.
“But nobody is taking these belts.”
Warrington’s pedigree is beyond doubt. He proved he had the composure and skills to win on the biggest stage when he shocked the more experienced Carl Frampton in Manchester six years’ ago.
Since then he has gone through a series of brutal wars and goes into this fight having lost his last two (against Luis Lopez and Leigh Wood) determined to reinvent himself as a super-featherweight. He says he should have made the move up in weight two years ago.
“Everybody always says their camp was great but I have had a good one,” he said.
“I feel really strong, really good and I’ll show on Saturday night that I should have done this two years’ ago.
“He’s already made it quite clear that I just bomb forward and throw punches and that’s all you’re going to get. People don’t really give me credit for my boxing ability.
“Yes, I’m not on the back foot counterpunching but I can go on the back foot and box.
“I’m not a long fencer and I’m not hands-down elusive, but I can box.”