It took Jazza Dickens 14 years and 319 days of dedication and sacrifice to win a world title and he has absolutely no intention of giving up the WBA 130-pound belt in his first defence.

The Ring’s No. 9-ranked junior featherweight will put his title on the line against Anthony Cacace (24-1, 9 KOs) at Dublin’s 3Arena on March 14. The main event clash will stream live on DAZN.

Dickens’ promise was clear from the earliest stages of his career. The teenage Liverpudlian fought with the type of flair and imagination rarely seen on the British small hall scene.

Over the years, he collected a host of titles and scored meaningful victories over the likes of two-time world featherweight champion, Leigh Wood, and long reigning British titleholder, Ryan Walsh, but he could never get over the world title hump himself.

Linking up with Albert Ayrapetyan at The Golden Ring gym in Dubai breathed new life into 34-year-old Dickens’ career and unlocked the movement and angles that once made him such an exciting prospect.

Last July he produced the best all round performance of his career to dominate and knock out the favoured Albert Batyrgaziev in four rounds to win the WBA interim belt and had that title upgraded when Lamont Roach vacated his full belt to chase glory at 140 pounds.

Dickens (36-5, 15 KOs) is finally a world champion and has done it all without any consistent promotional backing or attention.

“I don't know why. I'm not asking for it. You know what I mean? People say, 'You haven't had your flowers' but then you see who's giving the flowers out and you think, 'I don’t want them' so, that's just the way it is,” he told Queensberry.

“But no one can take it away from me. I feel like I’ve got a little bit of freedom to say what I want now in boxing to the powers that be and to people who would have liked to back me. But then again, I’ve always had the chip on my shoulder and probably even a little bit more now. A bit like two fingers up.”

Dickens isn’t the type of person to rest on his laurels having completed such a long journey to the top.

In the past, he has likened fight day to Christmas Day and you only need to see him pace around his dressing room before a tick over fight with a journeyman to see that it would be almost impossible for him to try any harder or care any more about winning now he is a reigning world champion.

“The fear and the pain of losing is well worse than the the joy of winning,” he said.

“Sometimes you go, 'Am I fighting not to lose or am I just trying to win?' I hate to lose. It’s the worst thing in the world. Especially as a fighter because we're so emotionally attached to our egos, our careers, our livelihoods and our identities.

“We just hate to lose so getting my arm raised in the 3Arena will be a special night for me.”