Other Sports

Willie 'Big Bang' Casey - The Cinderella Man

November 23rd, 2010
by Weeshie Fogarty

It was the end of October 2008. I sat ringside at the Gleneagle Hotel Killarney as a rarely seen professional boxing tournament got under way.  I had interviewed the promoters on Radio Kerry's Terrace Talk in the weeks preceding the event and I was there at their invitation. It was the night when a young man who grew up in the Clonlong halting site in Southill Limerick would begin an amazing career that has seen him become European boxing champion.  That night in Killarney he simply bounced into the ring all action and there was something about him which signified even to the untrained eye that here indeed was something special. And he certainly got his career off to a sensational beginning. Facing Carlos De Jesus a native of Bahia Brazil, Casey tore into his man from the very beginning  swarming all over him landing a barrage of punches. The referee stopped the fight in the second round and Casey's Super Bantamweight boxing career was under way.  In May of this year Casey made a dramatic Sky Sports debut when he won a cheque for 32,000 English pounds.  He made a massive impact that night having fought three bouts to win the tournament. He outpointed Scotsman Paul McElhinney in the final, southpaw Mark Moran in the first round and Josh Wale in the semi-final.  It made for great viewing.

I have been keeping a close eye on his progress ever since and when I read  he was to fight Dubliner Paul Hyland for the vacant EBU European Super Bantam weight title three weeks ago and it was being televised live I looked fordward eagerly to the event.  Two Irish men fighting each other for a European title for the very first time. It had all the makings of a cracking contest and we weren't disappointed. Hyland went in as favourite. The fight took place in the University Arena Limerick and the crowd went wild when the referee stopped the fight in the fourth round in Casey's Favour.  The TV experts were astounded when Hyland changed his usual fighting style and decided to fight "Big Bang" on his terms. That was the mistake he made as Casey is at his very best standing toe to toe trading punches as fast and as often as possible. Hyland the former amateur star was literally mauled and punched around the ring by Casey and in the third round it was obvious that the Limerick hero was getting well on top. However it must also be said that Willie combined his non stop aggression with smart footwork, powerful punching and he also showed a smart boxing brain. He continues to improve with every fight. This was only Casey's eleventh pro fight making his achievement nothing short of unbelievable.  It's expected that he will defend his title sometime early in the new year also in Limerick against The Spaniard from Alicante Kiko Martinez. Now that will be some fight as Martinez is the man who shocked Bernard Dunne whom he knocked  out in Dublin back in 2007 in the very first round.  The Spaniard has a fight record of 23-3 KO (17). So watch out for this and fireworks from the opening round are guaranteed.

So what's so special about this great Munster sporting story? Well I had a quick chat on the phone with "Big Bang" following his spectacular win.

He is let it be said a great supporter of the Bee for Battons fund raising campaign and that logo was plain to be seen on his gear as he climbed into the ring to fight for that European title. And it was through his great interest in that most worthy cause that I was able to make contact with the champ. Willie is a father of four and one of a family of twenty two who grew up in Clonlong halting site in Southill Limerick. He makes no secret of the fact that he comes from a travelling back ground. "I'm a traveler and nothing else" he told me "from the bottom of my heart I wouldn't change it for the world. I'm proud of who I am and if I got the chance to live any where else in the country I'd live in Southill". A qualified boxing coach he began his career in Our Lady of Lourdes boxing club at the age of twelve. He has fought in twelve international amateur matches. However he attributes his professional success so far to former two times European Amateur bronze medalist Phil Sutcliffe as he explained. "Philip seen me as an amateur and during a conversation I had with him he convinced me that I wasn't suitable to the amateur game. He said that I should turn professional and he promised he would make me a European Champion inside three years" Casey claimed. The new European champ is a breath of fresh air to the boxing scene in Ireland and is a dream to interview. No clichés or ducking or dodging, he leaves all of that in the ring. So when did the boxing begin to take over his life. "Boxing was always in my heart. I love it but I was also big into football, hurling soccer and rugby and also athletics. However the more effort I put into training the more success I was getting. I loved Rickey Hatton style of boxing and I was a great fan of Wayne McCullough. I liked Mike Tyson. He's a big fellow, but if I had to I'd fight him too. I'd fight any man" So where did the nick name Willie "Big Bang" Casey come from?  That was given to me by a man in Cork, before it was Razor Casey. I'm delighted with it, but now I have to live up to it". So it's now a case of bang, bang and his man is gone down.

Some time last year I wrote my column here on the great American boxer James J Braddock, a new film starring Russell Crow had been released which depicted Braddock's life in the ring in the early thirties. It appeared in fact at that time his career  was well and truly finished. He had hit rock bottom but driven by love for his starving young family, honour, and an incredible heart and true grit he willed his impossible dream to come true. He was fuelled by something more important than just competition. Braddock was known as "The Cinderella Man".  Now it appears that Limerick might have their own "Cinderella Man". It certainly is an inspiring story and we await his fight against Kiko Martinez with great anticipation. If "Big Bang" wins this the world might just be his oyster.



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