WBA super-featherweight champion Anthony Cacace is not prepared to allow suggestions of a showdown with Vasiliy Lomachenko distract him as he prepares to take on Nick Ball.

The 37-year-old makes his maiden defence of the title against Liverpool’s former WBA featherweight champion Ball at the recently renamed O2 Belfast on Saturday, 19 December.

The WBA has already indicated the winner must face Russia’s Elnur Samedov next, but the returning Lomachenko is reported to be keen too, according to ESPN’s Brian Custer., external

Should that come to pass, it would represent the realisation of a dream for Cacace, but his immediate gaze remains firmly fixed on Ball.

“I’m not really thinking about that just now, I just kind of want to focus fully on Nick Ball and this fight coming up,” he insisted.

“I woke up to them type of things [Lomachenko interest] going to myself, ‘what?’. To see that type of stuff blows my mind but it’s one of those things and I’m just super grateful for it all.

“I remember putting a tweet out in 2012 calling out Lomachenko, so if that fight ever materialises, I’ll get that tweet sorted.”