Dickens’ two-day ordeal from Dubai to Dublin for world title bout

The journey to a first world title defence for James ‘Jazza’ Dickens has been elongated – and that is not confined to his boxing career.

On Saturday, the 34-year-old from Liverpool puts his WBA super-featherweight world title on the line against Belfast’s Anthony Cacace at Dublin’s 3 Arena, but much like his career, arriving in the Irish capital was not without its twists and turns.

Dickens, now based in Dubai where he trains under head coach Albert Aryrapetyan, was in the final throes of training camp when Israeli-US strikes began in Iran, with attacks spreading across the Middle East including the United Arab Emirates.

Geopolitics is a little beyond Dickens’ pay grade, but while he was keeping his mind on the job, the logistics of flying to Dublin soon became a problem with flight disruption from the UAE.

Dickens embarked upon a two-day journey that saw him travel to Oman where he caught a flight to Istanbul and from there, it was off to Dublin.

Such a curve ball in the build-up to a career-defining night could throw a fighter off course, but Dickens brushed it off, reasoning: “I wasn’t training anyway, so it killed a bit of time.”

“It was very safe,” he told BBC Sport NI of his situation in Dubai.

“You didn’t feel uneasy, but there were air-raid sirens on the phone. I suppose that was a bit unsettling when it was happening, but you get used to that.

“They are doing a great job out there, intercepting everything that’s coming their way so they’ve kept the place quite safe.

With that significant road block now cleared, there is an ‘Andytown Apache’ in his sights as he puts the world title on the line for the first time.

“I’m not giving ground and he isn’t giving ground” is how Dickens views Saturday night and considering how the pair have arrived at this juncture, it is difficult to argue with that pre-fight synopsis.

The Merseyside southpaw began as a super-bantamweight and racked up 16 wins before tasting defeat for the first time, and not the last, to Kid Galahad.

That was for a British title in 2013 and although he would win the same belt three fights later against Josh Wale, his first foray into world title level in 2016 proved a painful one, retiring with a broken jaw in the second round against Guillermo Rigondeaux.

A step up to featherweight brought a second world title opportunity in 2021 when Galahad again proved his undoing and, while he did claim an IBO title, he would lose it first time out against Hector Andres Sosa.

Some wondered if he had reached his ceiling, but another step up has brought the rewards as, after two wins at super-featherweight, he rolled the dice and prevailed against Zelfa Barrett before facing 2020 Olympic gold medallist Albert Batyrgaziev in Istanbul last summer.

A career-best performance saw him tear up the script with a fourth-round stoppage against the Russian to improve to 36 victories with five defeats, claiming the ‘interim’ WBA title in the process which was later upgraded to full honours with Lamont Roach stripped.

All those years campaigning in the lower divisions saw him come close, but it is in the 9st 4lb (59kg) class where he has come alive.

“I think it was 12 years ago today I fought for a British title at super-bantamweight,” he reflected.

“I saw the pictures today and thought, ‘how was I ever making super-bantamweight?’

“What was even making me want to make that weight? Maybe the thought of the bigger you are the better because of the amateur system, but that’s over three rounds.

That strength is not just physical, but mental as he has proven the ability to overcome the odds and silence home support.

He will have his fans with many travelling over from Liverpool, while his time in Dublin when training under Peter Taylor made him part of the fabric of the city.

However, he is not relying on the cheers, just like he is unconcerned about the jeers from an expected sizeable Cacace support.

“It’s nice to have a crowd backing you and there’s loads of Scousers coming over for this, plus all the support from Dublin, so I actually feel at home, but a ring is a ring,” he said.

“The stars have aligned for a great night in Dublin and I’m grateful.