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.”

Promoter Matchroom has suggested that the acts staged so far will struggle to meet the standards set by Alalshikh with the season’s events in Riyad, which feature headline fights, packed houses and global attention.

“He’ll be sitting there watching Zuffa perform and he won’t be very impressed,” Hearn told Ariel Helwani while discussing the current boxing landscape.

Hearn explained that Alalshikh’s expectations for boxing highlights are based on recognizable fighters, sturdy cards and an atmosphere usually associated with stadium cards. The Saudi emphasis on boxing has placed an emphasis on major fights between top fighters, gigantic venues and international distribution that puts the sport in front of a global audience.

“He loves substantial shows. He loves substantial fights. He loves deep cards, substantial names, sold out stadiums and the buzz of boxing,” Hearn said, describing Alalshikh’s approach to the sport.

The Saudi official played a key role in the recent series of high-profile boxing events surrounding the Riyad season, many of which featured top champions and challengers from multiple divisions. These cards included major heavyweight and other title fights that attracted worldwide attention.

Zuffa had only recently entered the boxing industry, and its early events were held on a smaller stage than many of the season’s events in Riyad. Several shows were held in smaller venues and focused on brand building rather than staging major title fights.

Hearn believes the difference will remain noticeable as the project continues to develop and try to establish itself in the sport. In his opinion, the early cards had not yet matched the scale and depth of the events that had become common during the Riyad Season era.

For Hearn, the standards for major boxing events are already clear and any fresh promotion entering this space will ultimately be judged against them. From his perspective, early Zuffa cards simply hadn’t reached that level yet.

Swiss lightweight Seifeddine Letaief told World Boxing News he is ready to settle his growing ring rivalry with fellow undefeated fighter Arbnor Jashari.

Letaief is currently in first place in the Swiss rankings for his division, while Jashari is in second place, which is a natural matchup between the two undefeated fighters.

A meeting between the pair would pit the two highest-ranked lightweights in the country against each other.

Tensions escalated with exchanges on social media, FaceTime calls about a potential fight and exchanges of words.

According to Letaief, the rivalry even escalated to the point that Jashari tried to involve the SwissBoxing committee.

“At one point he even tried to block me from SwissBoxing, claiming that I had humiliated him on social media,” Letaief told World Boxing News.

Swiss competition

Letaief insists that from his point of view the situation is plain. The undefeated lightweight says he is ready to fight and believes the fight should happen now rather than later.

“I’m ready to fight and decide everything in the ring,” he explained.

SwissBoxing has suggested waiting until both fighters have built bigger physiques before moving on to staging the fight, but Letaief believes the circumstances already make it an attractive fight for the local scene.

The clash between the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the country, combined with the rivalry between Zurich and Basel, may arouse great interest in Switzerland.

Unbroken records

Letaief, 23, turned professional in September 2024 and has compiled an undefeated record of 6-0, including two knockouts. He lives in Winterthur and has fought several times in the Zurich region, establishing himself as one of the country’s emerging prospects.

Meanwhile, Jashari has had a slightly longer professional career. The 25-year-old made his debut in April 2022 and has a 7-0 record, which includes two knockouts.

Both fighters also share a common opponent, Lasha Giorgi Vardiashvili, and each of them scored a six-round decision victory in 2025.

For now, the fight that many in the Swiss boxing community want to see remains unsigned, and Letaief has made it clear he is ready to move forward as soon as the opportunity arises.

“Despite all these talks, the fight has still not been decided. For me, the matter is plain: I am ready to fight and decide everything in the ring. I believe that this fight must take place now,” Letaief concluded.

About the author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.