Limerick Duo Aiming To Impress On Lee Undercard
"There once were two men from Limerick…" okay, so I’ll refrain from attempting any rhythmic accompaniment to this piece but I’m sure you get the point. When Andy Lee tackles EU champion Affif Belghecham on Saturday 14th November, he won’t be the only local fighter stepping in between the ropes.
Rising featherweight Willie Casey and light-heavyweight hope Jamie Power will both be flying regional colours when they meet respective opponents’ on the Brian Peters promoted card. BoxRec News caught up with both men this week as they prepare for the latest installment of RTE’s Pro Box Live.
“I'm on the weight no problem and my last fight was great,” offered Casey, the self-confessed puncher who calls himself ‘Big Bang’. “I boxed a little more than I usually would and the opponent [Bulgarian Stoyan Serbezov] liked to cover-up and take my punches on the gloves, so I picked him off. I'm really excited about fighting in Limerick after having my first two fights in Kilarney and Dublin.”
Willie (who faces Middlebrough's winless Michael O'Gara) admits to having had a sketchy amateur career that saw the 27-year-old fall in and out of love with the sport before turning senior and gaining the sort of experience that allowed him to hone his skills.
Willie continues, “My amateur career started at 12 and then I quit until 18 or 19 before I went senior and fought in the Irish championships. That was when I got on to the high performance team and gained the sort of experience that I had been lacking. The computer system was okay when I was winning, but the amateurs maybe didn’t suit my style.
“I’m a puncher who likes to get into a brawl and go toe-to-toe. These early fights are all about learning my trade but if a title fight came up tomorrow then I’d take it. I’m on the first step of the ladder and next year I’ll sit down with my management and trainer and perhaps get a shot at the Irish title.”
Jamie Power, meanwhile, is looking to rebuild after Michael Sweeney popped his unbeaten cherry on the Bernard-Dunne-Poonsawat Kratienggdaengym undercard. The 28-year-old crowd-pleaser faces off with stubborn Latvian import Aleksandrs Dunecs, as he aims to banish any ghosts left by Sweeney, following a smash and grab third round knockout. In fact, Dunecs has already faced Sweeney himself, when in 2008 in Cork; the Mayo traveler stopped Aleksandrs in two rounds.
Looking to improve on his sturdy 6-1 slate, Power will seek to imitate Sweeney’s pasting of Dunecs, before moving on to bigger things: “My next opponent is bound to be a tough guy because I don’t get many easy fights,” admitted the Limerick man. “I’ve been sparring some upcoming young fighters in preparation for this and I love fighting at home and relish the comforts, food and plenty of support I’ll receive on the night.”
Everybody was surprised with the apparent ease Sweeney ripped through his fellow light-heavyweight, in what was perceived pre-fight as an even money affair. Most expected Michael to enjoy the early sessions before Power dragged him into his fight, late-on in the contest; Sweeney, however, never let it get that far, as Power recalls:
“I kept my left too low against Mike,” he laments, “and he caught me, so fair play to him. I felt fresh afterwards and wanted to carry on but the doctor thought otherwise. Michael surprised me, and everybody else, with his performance that night. I really wanted to drag him into the later rounds.
“You haven’t seen the best of me yet though; I’m planning on enjoying Christmas and then seeing what the New Year brings – maybe a title shot of some description.”
As previously mentioned, in the nominal ten-round main event Andy Lee meets Affif Belghecham, but the visitor’s EU title is not on the line. Outspoken super-middleweight Matt O’Brien (who is trying to goad Jim Rock into a fight) meets Jean-Rodrigue Kamdoum over 6x3’s, with Canada Super Channel screening things back to the homeland of the British Columbia man.
Lee Murtagh gears up for an Irish title crack at Anthony Fitzgerald on the next Matthew Macklin card in Dublin, when he meets Marcen Gierke and crowd pleaser John Waldron fills out the rest of this modest undercard as he entertains a regular guest on these shores, Martins Kukuls.
While the professional festivities get under way around 7pm, earlier in the day a local amateur club will showcase talent from the unpaid code. St. Francis’ ABC hosts a Limerick V Waterford select show –starting at 1pm- and full details, for anybody interested in attending, can be found below:
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Limerick Selection
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Wexford Selection
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St Francis Boxing Club Saturday 14th November @ 1 pm
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Red
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Blue
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Duration
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B1 33k
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Marcus McCarthy
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Vs
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Jordan Ryan
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3 x 1.5
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B1 33k
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Dylan Ryan
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Vs
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Brian Power
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3 x 1.5
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B1 39k
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Gary Kavanagh
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Vs
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Ryan Murray
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3 x 1.5
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B1 40k
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Jordan O Donnell
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Vs
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Shane Flood
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3 x 1.5
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B2 52k
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Tyrone Franklin
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Vs
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Conor French
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3 x 1.5
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Int 64k
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Shane Byrnes
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Vs
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James Byrne
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3 x 2
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Int 69k
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Mike Waldron
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Vs
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Barry O’Toole
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3 x 2
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Interval
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Yth 46k
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Martin Reilly
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Vs
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Dean Walsh
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3 x 2
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Irish r/up
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Irish Champion
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Int 60k
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Vinny Kinsella
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Vs
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David Moran
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3 x 2
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Munster champion
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Leinster Champion
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Int 71k
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Ben McDonagh
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Vs
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Kyle Roache
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3 x 2
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Irish Champion
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Leinster Champion
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Int 75k
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Shaun Kelly
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Vs
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Tomas O Neil
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3 x 2
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Munster champion
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Irish Champion
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Open 69k
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Gary McNamara
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Vs
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Niall Murray
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3 x 3
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Munster Champion
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Irish Champion
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Open 69k
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Mark McNamara
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Vs
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Tienan Sludds
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3 x 3
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Irish Champion
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Irish Champion
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Open 91k
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William McDonagh
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Vs
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Niall Kennedy
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3 x 3
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Irish International
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Irish Champion
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Submitted by Steve Wellings on 12 November, 2009 - 20:00
