WHAT JERSEY DOES What do Joe Walcott, Archie Moore and James “Jazza” Dickens have in common?

All three have shown incredible resilience on their journey from their professional debut to winning the world title. It took Walcott (heavyweight) 21 years in 1951, Moore (lithe heavyweight) 17 years in 1952, and Dickens (junior lightweight) 14 years and 319 days.

Dickens added his name to the list of boxers who have the longest time to win their first world title since their professional debut, when he was promoted from interim WBA champion to full world champion in December after Lamont Roach was stripped of his world title belt.

Dickens (36-5, 15 KO), 34, of Liverpool, will step into the ring as a world champion on Saturday for his first defense against Northern Ireland’s Anthony Cacace (24-1, 9 KO), 37, at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. Dickens, who traveled from his training base in Dubai after the region was bombed, was scheduled to face Japan’s Hayato Tsutsumi at the Mohammed Abdo Arena in Saudi Arabia in December, but was canceled due to Tsutsumi’s injury.

While there are similarities to Cacace’s blossoming career (he stopped Joe Cordina at age 35 to win the IBF junior lightweight title), Dickens’ story is very different from that of superstar world champions like Oleksandr Usyk, Naoya Inoue and Ryan Garcia.

Dickens had to work challenging without the support of his main promoter, struggling with knockout defeats, passivity and boxing politics. His career was very different from the attention and wealth enjoyed by his fellow Englishmen Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Conor Benn.

At times, Dickens wondered whether his career would ever reach the same heights as it did in 2016, when he challenged Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux for the WBA junior featherweight world title and was stopped slow in the second round with a broken jaw.

BUT Dickens has changed his career in 2025. First came a 10-round points victory over Zelfa Barrett, before Dickens knocked out Russia’s Albert Batyrgaziev, the 2021 Olympic gold medalist, in the 4th round to win the interim WBA junior lightweight title in Turkey.

“There were times when I thought, ‘What is this all about?’ When things were really challenging,” Dickens told ESPN.

“I believe if you listen, God is teaching you, but I wondered, ‘What are you trying to teach me?’ sometimes. I’m glad I was patient all these years because I finally got a chance when no one believed in me. The most significant thing that happened was the opportunities, that’s why I’m here now as a world champion.”

“These opportunities came when people thought I had had enough. When I got knocked out [Hector Andres] Sauce [in July 2023]people thought I was finished. There were a lot of things going on behind the scenes leading up to this fight, but I got knocked out and it didn’t look good.

“People thought I was done after that fight, and Batyrgaziev thought it would be an straightforward fight against me, but I went out there and dominated.”

JUST LIKE THE RING the legends of Moore and Walcott, Dickens showed unwavering perseverance in pursuing his goal.

Dickens, who has won four fights since his last defeat, has repeatedly rebuilt his career. After being stopped by Kid Galahad in 2013, Dickens suffered back-to-back losses to Rigondeaux and Thomas Patrick Ward in 2016 and 2017. After another loss to Galahad in 2021 and a crushing loss to Sosa, Dickens started 2025 far from world title contention.

“I joined my coach Albert Aryrapetyan a year ago and moving to Dubai to train has been a key part of my career,” Dickens told ESPN.

“He was the only person who answered me when I needed a coach. The phone didn’t ring, no one wanted to know, but since I became champion, he hasn’t stopped calling. We joined forces before the fight with Barrett, and Albert put together a good game plan for that fight and for the fight with Batyrgaziev.

“Since those defeats against Rigondeaux and Galahad, I always go to the gym, trying to get better, trying to develop, that hasn’t changed. What has changed? Perhaps I have grown mentally, as happens with age in any sport or job.”

After completing one of the longest world title journeys in boxing history, Dickens also now manages boxers under the banner of Integrity Boxing Management with Mitchell Walsh.

“We called it honesty boxing because there’s not a lot of honesty in boxing,” Dickens told ESPN.

“We don’t do this for a fee, it’s my pleasure and my reward is seeing the smiles on the faces of the boxers and their families.”