Willie "Big Bang" Casey beats Italian in Dublin
It’s pre-season and most promotional outfits are winding down for the moment. DolPhil Promotions however ran a successful card with a mammoth ten bouts on Saturday August 7th underlining their growing commitment to domestic boxing. Dublin’s City West hotel provided an impressive setting for the show and a healthy crowd –with plenty of support for all the local combatants- enjoyed the evening’s entertainment.
Heading the card was Irish boxing’s man-of-the-moment Willie Casey, the 28-year-old super-bantamweight who is riding the crest of a wave following his Prizefighter win. Victim on this occasion was Italian Emiliano Salvini, a rugged survivor now sporting a sketchy 13-12-1 record, only stopped twice. The fact that he wasn’t halted here was a testimony to his dogged resilience and Casey opting to tactically box for spells of the fight as he prepared himself for the 12-round assignments that are getting closer with each contest.
The stoppage was close, but never arrived
Willie shot out of the blocks as usual, peppering Salvini with southpaw jabs, slashing hooks and some classy uppercuts. His willingness to engage occasionally left the chin exposed and Salvini slotted home a couple of speedy ripostes to give the Limerick man something to think about. The pattern of the fight was set from the early stages. Casey bulldozed forward, pushing the Italian on to the back foot, his counters becoming less and less as the fight wore on, he began trading on heart and spirit alone.
Willie shipped a few on his way to victory
The body was an obvious target in the fourth-round and a tiring Salvini was walking on to the bombs. An impressive variety and more mature performance from Casey is testament to the skills of Phil Sutcliffe’s Crumlin boxing team and when a right uppercut in the fifth had Salvini all at sea, some observers called for Emile Tiedt to intervene. He let it continue and an exhausted Emiliano held on until loose tape on Casey’s gloves offered him a brief final round respite.
The referee totalled a shutout 80-72 scorecard, which in the scheme of things was academic, but I was glad to see Salvini claim a moral victory in hearing the final bell. It was the least his efforts deserved.
Job done
“I did enough to win each round, I saw the finish but didn’t go after it,” Casey gasped in the dressing room. “I had to be careful because he was coming back with shots after I caught him. My coaches Phil, Bra, Joe and Jimmy told me what was working well so I just needed to keep boxing smart.
“In boxing you’re always going to get hit and it’s all about how you react to the punches and recover. I showed good fitness in there and when he got to me I recovered.”
Willie, whose next bout will be in Belfast next month, is eyeing the winner of the Kiko Martinez-Arsen Martirosyan bout in Dublin next month, but Dubliner Paul Hyland, who also has his sights set on the winner, may have something to say about that.
The rest of undercard including wins for Dean Byrne and Anthony Fitzgerald and a shock loss for Irish champion John Waldron to come!
