Big Fight Preview - Willie Casey ready to prove everyone wrong
It’s fair to say that there is no great number of fight followers giving Willie Casey much of a chance on March 19. The Limerick man tackles Cuba’s Guillermo Rigondeaux in Dublin and a quick glance across the websites and forums shows that a consensus has been made, with debate and chatter focusing on which round Rigondeaux will finish the job, rather than whether Casey has the tools to complete another famous victory.
Even though Rigondeaux’s superb amateur pedigree, seemingly unflappable demeanour and vast array of skills make him a frightening prospect for any opponent, I would also be cautious of writing his WBA Interim co-challenger off too quickly. Casey thrives on being the underdog, has resoundingly improved - not only from his debut in 2008 but noticeably since his win over Tyson Cave last year - and will be whipped into career-best condition on fight night, primed and ready for his powerful engine to keep rolling for 12 hard rounds.
The mood in the camp is unerringly positive. There is high confidence in head trainer Phil Sutcliffe’s tactical nous and his coaching teams’ ability to meticulously prepare Casey behind the scenes for the City West showdown.
“Everything’s on schedule and Willie is 100 per cent, in the form of his life,” says Don O’Leary, head player at DolPhil promotions. “It’s all about the way Phil trains his fighters. There’s absolutely no talk of Rigondeaux winning this fight, in Willie’s mind or in any of our minds – we will win.”
Don sees the vociferous, packed out crowd being able to roar their man on through the difficult moments and upset the former two-time Olympic gold medal winner. The fact that Rigondeaux is managed by Cork businessman Gary Hyde only adds further spice to the proceedings.
“It’s a complete sell-out and the atmosphere will be unreal,” continues O’Leary. “Ian Tims-Michael Sweeney is going ahead as planned, that should be a great fight and the fans will get Katie Taylor as well. The casual boxing fans love watching Katie fight. I reckon the pick of the undercard will be Anthony Fitzgerald versus Affif Belghecham though.”
He might be right there. Affif Belghecham is far and away the toughest test of Fitzgerald’s career so far and a genuine threat to the impressive 11-fight unbeaten run ‘The Pride’ has put together since getting knocked out in Dublin almost two years to the day. Even though the EBA title (on the line for this scrap) is a bit of a head scratcher, Belghecham is the acid test that DolPhil have been craving for Fitz, who has outgrown Irish title level and is now eager to prove himself on the European circuit.
Amateur queen Katie Taylor is expected to be added to the card and her immense popularity will further boost viewing figures. It’s perhaps no real coincidence that her name was linked to the bill just as broadcasting heavyweights RTE finally agreed to give this card the airtime it deserves. It seemed for a while that it would run without TV coverage, as RTE initially cited budget cuts as the reason they couldn’t take it on and then, one-by-one, the likes of TV3, Setanta and ESPN ruled themselves out of the running.
It was a frustrating time of uncertainty and Don O’Leary realises the importance of nationwide coverage: “It’s great having RTE on board. All of our efforts will be rewarded and the fighters will be showcased across the country. A superb main event like this deserves to be televised.”
One grudge match that will finally be settled on fight night features Michael Sweeney and Ian Tims, clashing for the vacant Irish cruiserweight crown. Tims was a multiple title winner in the amateur game and has strung together eight wins in the professional ranks. He has, however, been crippled by spells of inactivity and that could hurt him whenever this fight inevitably shifts into the trenches. Ultra confident Sweeney, on the other hand, sees it playing out only one way.
“Speak to me after the fight to see what damage ‘The Storm’ has done on Saturday night in Dublin!” he proclaimed. “Training went well and I can’t wait for the fight now,” added the man who has sparred Arthur Abraham and Wladimir Klitschko prior to past assignments. “I’m really looking forward to it because a good win will move me on to bigger things. This fight has been a long time in the making. Ian got injured five days before the last time we were supposed to fight.”
Sweeney ended up outpointing Tommy Tolan when the Belfast slugger ended a five-year ring exodus to step in as Tims’ replacement in Limerick that night. Neither man is too keen to admit it but there is a begrudging respect between the two. Sweeney has now signed with DolPhil on a long-term contract and is busy training hard with Sutcliffe in the Crumlin gym. Tims had not fought in over a year before stopping Viktor Szalai this January, but the 31-year-old is enjoying good sparring down in Cork under the watchful eye of ex-pro Paschal Collins. The team was so desperate for a fight at the end of last year that Tims was considering a move up to heavyweight and looking to challenge Martin Rogan. As expected, nothing materialized for big Ian on that front.
Ever since Sweeney knocked out Jamie Power in 2009, and a fight between him and John Waldron was made irrelevant when Waldron fell to Ciaran Healy, this has appeared the natural next step for both men.
“No problems this time,” Sweeney concludes, “things are looking good and I want to fight for the EU title when I get this one out of the way. I’m taking it one step at a time though, I’m only focused on March 19 and Ian Tims at the moment.”
