Belfast southpaw Anthony Cacace produced a sharp performance to retain his British junior lightweight championship by defeating Leon Woodstock via 12-round unanimous decision at the Arena Birmingham in Birmingham, England on Saturday. The official scores were 117-110, 117-110 and 117-111.

Cacace scored a knockdown in Round 4 with a terrific left uppercut and was largely in control behind a steady jab. The champion also presented an elusive target by utilizing quick feet and adept head movement, and some intermittent switch hitting further compounded Woodstock’s problems.

There was a solid drive from Woodstock in the ninth but it was too little too late and his opponent was always comfortable in retreat. Woodstock had applied plenty of pressure throughout but success was scarce. The 32-year-old Cacace (19-1, 7 knockouts) was just a step ahead of the Leicester-based Londoner in terms of variety and punch-picking.

Woodstock drops to 12-3 (5 KOs).

Undercard

Former world light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Yarde got back in the win column with a simple first-round knockout of unheralded Colombian Alex Theran. The official time was 2:32.

Yarde, who lost for the first time to fellow Brit Lyndon Arthur in December 2020, was looking to shake off some ring rust and did what he had to do. A left hook to the body dropped Theran midway through the opening session and the visitor was still hurt when he got to his feet. It didn’t take long for Yarde to trap his man in the corner and the same shot put him down for the count.

The 30-year-old Yarde is now scheduled to rematch Arthur on October 9.

In a clash of unbeaten Englishmen, Sam Maxwell claimed the British and Commonwealth 140-pound titles with a dubious 12-round unanimous decision win over Akeem Ennis-Brown.

The official scores were 116-113, 116-113 and 115-114.

An old-timer might say that Ennis-Brown couldn’t punch his way out of a wet paper bag, but power is irrelevant providing you’re hitting and not being hit. The champion used every inch of the ring over 36 minutes, darting in and out or moving side to side as Maxwell struggled to get set. Whenever Ennis-Brown found himself too close for comfort he tied up his man and waited for the referee to intervene.

Ennis Brown appeared to control this 12-rounder and outscore his man, but all three officials saw a different fight.

Tom Gray is Managing Editor for Ring Magazine. Follow him on Twitter: @Tom_Gray_Boxing

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