Felix Cash is looking to break into the middleweight world title race after taking nearly a year off, and his quest to go past domestic level in the United Kingdom begins Saturday, when he faces Magomed Madiev on the Jacobs-Ryder undercard.
Cash, 28, won the Commonwealth title in 2019 and made three defenses, unifying with the British title last April with a third round stoppage win over Denzel Bentley. He seemed to be on a terrific run of form, and admits that he needed a break, but also that he maybe didn’t go about it in the best way.
“Sometimes you need a bit of a break,” he said. “I’ve been boxing since I was a kid and I’ve never taken a lot of time off. I took my time off in the wrong way to be honest with you, having a few too many beers shall we say. I’m hungrier than ever because I’ve missed out on a lot of opportunities and that’s knocked me back a bit.
“This is the time now; I can’t have any more slip-ups and I can’t have any more time off. I’m training hard and I’m staying around the corner from the gym. I’m in the gym every single day and I just can’t wait now. It will be a big night for me and it will be one of the sweetest wins of my career after what I’ve been through.”
The middleweight division is currently open for contenders to make waves quickly — Gennadiy Golovkin is aging and likely fighting Canelo Alvarez later this year at super middleweight, Demetrius Andrade is reportedly also going up to 168, and Jermall Charlo may also move up sooner than later.
Cash (14-0, 10 KO) could definitely take advantage of a division that needs fresh blood in top spots, but he’s not trying to overly rush anything, saying he’s got his sights set on the European title currently held by Matteo Signani, and that he also isn’t writing off Madiev as a threat.
“I’ve won the Commonwealth, won the British, get the European and that’s three of the major belts as a British fighter. The next step from there is a world title so I definitely think I’m capable of beating Matteo Signani. I need to make sure I perform well and put a good performance on this Saturday. If I could get Signani next around April or May then that would be ideal.
“I know I’ve got a tough fight ahead of me on Saturday. Madiev hasn’t tasted defeat yet and he’s ranked at No. 3 with the WBA. I’m excited to get myself back in the ring and remind everyone what I’m made of. I believe I’m always exciting — it’s definitely not going to be a boring fight. By the end of the year I want to be on the fringe of fighting for a world title or fighting for a world title.”