Fighters

Despite the miserable weather, it wasn’t quite a storm in Dublin on Thursday, but one is quietly brewing for Saturday night when James ‘Jazza’ Dickens puts his WBA super-featherweight world title on the line against Anthony Cacace in the city’s 3 Arena.

As is the way, there were no bold statements or gimmicks from either at Thursday’s final press conference as their no-frills approach to the fight game ensured the exchanges were complimentary rather than confrontational.

Described as Cinderella Man v Cinderella Man, the pair have travelled rough terrain to get here and that is what sets this up perfectly.

Both have had their setbacks in boxing, with 34-year-old Dickens falling short in world title fights at super-bantamweight and featherweight before getting his hands on the gold when upgraded from the ‘interim’ title he won against Albert Batyrgaziev last summer.

Cacace, 37, endured years of disappointment before stopping Joe Cordina for the IBF version in May 2024, opting to vacate in order to face Leigh Wood in Nottingham last year.

“Until that first bell, all of this [build-up] is just nonsense and we have to sit here and talk,” said Liverpool’s Dickens.

“We just like to fight, but this is part of the business. I think we both just want to get in there and get the respect, throw some punches and shake hands after.”

Cacace is cut from the same cloth, with the Belfast man fully aware of what it has taken the champion to get here considering he has travelled a similar road.

“There is no point sitting here and saying ‘I’m going to do this and that’ because we are fighters and one punch can change everything,” Cacace said.

“I know Jazza has a big heart, same as me. We’re pretty similar in terms of career, so I fully respect Jazza for what he’s done in his career. He’s here for the same reason as me – to put food on the table for his family and that’s the bottom line.”

Afghan officials deny claims, as they accuse Pakistan of targeting civilians and violating its sovereignty in Sunday’s border air raids.

A senior Pakistani government official has claimed that its military killed at least 70 fighters in air raids along the border with Afghanistan, claims Kabul has denied, amid escalating tensions between the two South Asian neighbours.

Talal Chaudhry, Pakistan’s deputy interior minister, offered no evidence for his claim in an interview with Geo News on Sunday evening that at least 70 rebels were killed in the attack. Pakistan’s state media reported that the death toll had jumped to 80; however, there was no official confirmation.

Pakistan’s military carried out the air raids early on Sunday, targeting what it called “camps and hideouts” belonging to armed groups behind a spate of recent attacks, including a deadly suicide bombing at a Shia mosque in the capital, Islamabad.

The country’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar wrote on X that the military conducted “intelligence-based, selective operations” against seven camps belonging to the Pakistan Taliban group, known by the acronym TTP, and its affiliates.

Tarar said Pakistan “has always strived to maintain peace and stability in the region”, but added that the safety and security of Pakistani citizens remained a top priority.

President Asif Ali Zardari said late on Sunday that Pakistan’s recent attacks along the Afghan border were “rooted in [its] inherent right to defend its people against terrorism” after repeated warnings to Kabul went unheeded.

The attacks threaten a fragile ceasefire between the South Asian neighbours, negotiated following deadly border clashes that killed dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected fighters in October last year.

Pakistan said it has repeatedly urged Afghanistan’s Taliban government to take action to prevent armed groups from using Afghan territory to launch attacks, but that Kabul has failed to “undertake any substantive action”.

Afghanistan has rejected Pakistani allegations that its territory is used by armed groups linked to attacks in Pakistan.

Afghanistan denies claims

The Afghan Ministry of Defence said in a statement that “various civilian areas” in the eastern provinces of Nangarhar and Paktika were hit, including a religious school and several homes. The statement called the attacks a violation of Afghanistan’s airspace and sovereignty.

Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said “people’s homes have been destroyed, they have targeted civilians, they have committed this criminal act” with the bombardment of the two eastern provinces.

Residents from around the remote Bihsud district in Nangarhar joined searchers to look for bodies under the rubble using shovels and a digger, the AFP news agency reported.

“People here are ordinary people. The residents of this village are our relatives. When the bombing happened, one person who survived was shouting for help,” resident Amin Gul Amin, 37, told AFP.

Spokesperson Mujahid also said Pakistan’s claim of killing 70 fighters was “inaccurate”.

Mawlawi Fazl Rahman Fayyaz, the provincial director of the Afghan Red Crescent Society in Nangarhar province, said 18 people were killed and several others were wounded.

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Pakistan’s ambassador in Kabul to protest against the attacks.

In a statement, the ministry said protecting Afghanistan’s territory is its “Sharia responsibility”, warning that Pakistan would be held responsible for the consequences of such attacks.