Boxing world champion Cacace visits home turf
Cacace met residents and children from Scoil na Fuiseoige primary school
- Published
World title winning west Belfast boxer, Anthony Cacace, has been out and about meeting fans after his surprise title win.
The 35-year-old paid a visit to a Twinbrook nursing home and met primary school pupils after returning from Saudi Arabia following his victory over Joe Cordina.
Cacace pulled off a shock win in the eighth round to win the IBF super featherweight title.
Many gathered round to see a glimpse of the Belfast man as he stood to chat with the home's residents and pose for pictures.
Pupils at a local Irish medium school gave Cacace a guard of honour
The 'Andytown apache' was also presented with a guard of honour upon his arrival courtesy of a local Irish medium school.
At the reception Cacace met the children of Scoil na Fuiseoige primary school.
Pupils sang renditions of different pop songs in Irish, with the lyrics tailored to help the kids remember their times tables.
Cacace was swarmed by many of the children telling him how they had recently joined local boxing clubs.
The boxer told BBC News NI how the occasion was 'such a pleasant surprise.'
'Before I went over there I was an ordinary man, and I came back and people seem to have a lot of respect for me.'
Anthony Cacace now holds both the IBO & IBF super-featherweight titles
Cacace was not the only boxer in the room.
The 35-year-old was able to shake hands with local boxing legend Jim Jordan, one of the home's residents.
Resident Oliver Cunningham stated he 'couldn't describe it, this couldn't get any bigger than what it is. He took it with both hands flying. It gives all the residents a bit of a lift.'
Cacace was fighting on the undercard of the Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk heavyweight title clash.
Unanimously considered the underdog, Cacace shocked the world with his defeat of Cordina by TKO in round 8.
The victory ensured Cacace took home the IBF super-featherweight title, as well as retaining the IBO featherweight title which he won against Michael Magnesi back in September 2022.
With no confirmed fight on the horizon, Cacace is back on home turf and, for the meantime, here to stay.