Trio set to thrill fans

FOR first time ever all three of Limerick’s professional boxers are set to appear on the same bill.
Earlier this month Andy Lee confirmed his 21st pro fight for the UL Sports Arena on November 14.
Leader Sport can now reveal that the 25-year-old Castleconnell middleweight will be joined on his undercard by fellow Limerick men Jamie Power and Willie Casey.
Lee, the US based southpaw, will headline the event when he takes on Frenchman Affif Belghecham on the Yanjing Fight Night.
Their opponents have yet to be confirmed, but Power and Casey will also fight in front of the passionate home crowd.
Power also fought on Lee’s undercard last year in Limerick in what was only his second pro fight.
The 28-year-old boxer from Norwood Park has since progressed his record to six wins from seven contests.
The ex-St. Francis amateur boxer lost his perfect record last month to Michael Sweeney, when they fought on the undercard of Bernard Dunne’s ill-fated WBA super bantamweight title defence against Thailand’s Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym in front of a capacity crowd of 9,000 spectators in Dublin’s O2.
For Casey it will be a first fight in front of his local supporters.
Just last Saturday night the 27-year-old featherweight recorded his second win. One year after his professional debut Casey was an impressive points winner over Bulgarian Stoyan Serbezov in the National Boxing Stadium in Dublin. The featherweight made his pro debut last October with a second round stoppage in the INEC in Killarney, however his career then stalled until last Friday night.
A former Irish intermediate featherweight champion, Casey is who is a former member of Our Lady of Lourdes Boxing Club and Southill Boxing Club, is being coached in Dublin by former Olympian and double European Championship bronze medal winner Phil Sutcliffe.
Now nicknamed ‘The Big Bang’, as an amateur Casey had up to a dozen fights with the Irish A team including bouts against fancied Russian and USA sides.
Further details of the undercard for the November 14 event will be confirmed in the coming days.
Tickets for the Yanjing Fight Night, priced from €40, are on sale from Ticketmaster (phone 0818 719 300 or visit ticketmaster.ie).

JEROME O’CONNELL