Casey focussed on Friday
9 December 2010 – Jonny Stapleton
European super bantamweight champion Willie Casey will put all title talk on hold on Friday to focus on defeating Manuel Sequera in a non championship bout.
The Limerick native squares off against the beatable Spainard in the National Basketball arena on the under card of Anthony Fitzgeralds WBF intercontinental challenge amidst rumours of a WBA interim world title shot.
But Big Bang is focused on the task at hand and is more concerned with Sequera than WBA champ Rigondaux or even mandatory EBU challenger Kiko Martinez at present.
The reigning European champ is adamant this fight is not a warm up and the 11 fight novice stressed he trained as if it was set to trade leather with a world champion.
Manuel Sequera will prove a tough challenge, Casey told Mirror Sport. He has seven knockouts from ten wins so nothing will be taken for granted. I trained for this fight like I do every other and that as if its a world title challenge. I hate the word warm up, it is disrespectful and you know anything can happen in boxing. You are always just one punch away from defeat. I have to also be aware that as European champion I am a scalp too and Sequera will be all gins blazing to defeat me. I will have to be prepared for that. Im delighted to be returning to the ring so soon and hoping to finish the year with another win under my belt.
The pocket sized power house is in discussions re a bout with the man regarded as the greatest amateur of all time Guillermo Rigondeaux, but claims when he returns to training after Christmas he will do so with Martinez and not the Cuban in mind.
I will focus on training with Kiko in the back of my mind. If that name changes to Rigondeaux well and good. We changed styles three weeks before the Hyland fight when Kiko dropped out and we can do it again. I rise to the bigger occasions so If the opportunity to fight for a world title comes my way I’ll jump at it no doubt, he added.
And it seems Casey may just get that world title chance. Co promoter Daniel Halpin revealed that both Dolphil promotions and Gary Hyde, Rigondeauxs Corkonian manager, have an agreement and a TV deal has become the only stumbling block to a Mill Street hosted March bout.
We have agreements met on both sides. The only hurdle now is television. The Irish public have been with Willie all the way on this journey and it would be a travesty if they couldnt tune in to see his World Title fight but we are confident this can be resolved and then the fight will be made.
Meanwhile also appearing on the Tallaght show will be debutants Paddy Ward and Noel OBrien, the McDonagh brothers Paddy and JJ as well as Christina McMahon, Gavin Prunty and Robbie Long.
