New world super-featherweight boxing champ Anthony Cacace has been greeted by fans during homecoming celebrations in west Belfast.
The athlete, who won the title on Saturday night in Saudi Arabia, met well-wishers as he returned to Andersonstown on Monday.
Earlier, while congratulatory car horns blared outside her Andersonstown home, Irene Cacace said she was “still buzzing” at her son being crowned IBF super-featherweight world champion.
Anthony, dubbed the Andytown Apache, clinched the title thanks to an eighth-round stoppage win over Welshman Joe Cordina, in Riyadh’s Kingdom Stadium.
Having returned from meeting the victorious Anthony at the airport, to a house jammed with well-wishers, Irene told The Irish News the whole family was “very, very proud” of him.
“We are all so proud of him,” she said. “He did well. It was an amazing fight.”
Too nervous to watch the fight in the early rounds, Irene said she and her daughter, Sylvia, stayed outside the house, only coming in for a look every now and then.
“When we heard all the cheers coming from inside, we went in and watched the rest of the fight,” said Irene.
“It was a great fight and when it was all over, we had loads of people from the street coming down and in. Anthony had great local support.
“I am always nervous before Anthony’s fights, even though he has never really lost a fight. I just can’t watch until I know he has got the upper hand, then I can watch.
“But I was nervous on Saturday. This was a huge fight for him. We were actually surprised it went so well. We knew he had a chance, he always has a chance, he’s a good fighter, but we didn’t actually know it would go as well as it did. Thank God.
“I can’t describe how I felt. I was just so happy for him. It was for him. This is what Anthony wanted all of his life. He didn’t really get the chances he should have got because people didn’t want to fight him. A lot of managers couldn’t deal with it. When they were trying to arrange fights, people were declining because they knew Anthony would beat them,” she said.
Anthony’s whole family was watching the world title fight – sisters, Margaretta and Sylvia, and brother, Daniel, who lives in Australia.
His brother Matthew was with Anthony as part of the team in Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately, his father, Tony was not in good enough health to make it.
“We are all over the moon, absolutely over the moon,” said Irene, who invited round to the family home to celebrate at 8.00pm. “Everyone is welcome up,” she said.
According to Irene, Anthony inherited his athletic prowess from both sides of his family.
She added: “Tony ran marathons, and he was a champion runner in Naples, where he is from originally,” said Irene. “That’s where Anthony got his stamina. It wasn’t from me,” she laughed.
In his younger days, Anthony played football with St Agnes’ GAC and soccer with Belfast Celtic Boys.
“He must have gotten those skills from his great granda,” said Irene. “His name was Patrick Murphy, and he was on the first Belfast Celtic team in 1919. Sadly, he died of Spanish flu at the age of 30. My granny actually knitted the team’s first set of jerseys,” she said.
At that moment there was a cheer and Anthony, replete with his world title belts, arrived at the house.
He said he was “still in shock” about Saturday’s result.
“I can’t believe it. It all hasn’t sunk in yet to be honest, and I am knackered – I haven’t slept in two days,” he said.
His mother added: “We always knew he was world class. Thank God he’s getting the recognition he deserves now.”
Jimmy McGrath, who used to train Anthony back in the day in the St Oliver Plunkett boxing club, described Saturday’s result as “absolutely fabulous”.
Now a coach in St Agnes’ boxing club he said: “It is brilliant for Anthony and his family and the wider community.
“I think it will inspire a lot of younger kids to get involved in the sport.
“Not everybody can be a world champion but to me, boxing gives them all the tools to deal with whatever comes up in their lives. It is absolutely fantastic.”
