The 28-year-old Southill man has moved up to number nine in the Euro rankings following Saturday’s win over Italian Emiliano Salvini in an eight round super bantamweight contest when he headlined a Dolphil Promotions event in Dublin’s CityWest Hotel Complex.
Now the married father of four wants a title shot against either Barnard Dunne’s conqueror Kiko Martinez or Arsen Martirosyan who clash for the vacant European title in Dublin’s National Stadium on September 11.
“I am going after which ever one wins between Martinez and Martirosyan.
“I want that European title now and they have no excuses. I’m ranked number nine in Europe so they can’t avoid me,” declared Casey after referee Emile Tiedt scored Casey a comfortable 80-72 winner.
“Will I beat either of them? It’s all on the performance on the night.
“If I fight like that ever time then no one if going to keep up with me,” said Casey.
Next up for Casey could be a September 18 contest in the Ulster Hall in Belfast.
A former Irish intermediate featherweight champion Casey is a former member of Our Lady of St. Saviour Boxing Club.
Casey’s opponents on Saturday had fought for the EBU bantamweight title last November and Saturday’s contest was regarded as a European title eliminator by Casey’s management of former Olympian and double European championship bronze medal winner Phil Sutcliffe and Don O’Leary.
As well as winning Sky TV’s Prizefighter Series in May, Casey has already fought three times in 2010.
“He was a very experienced guy and very tough, but that was exactly what I wanted,” said Willie Casey of Saturday’s Italian opponent.
“I wanted him to bring out the best in me. I could have rushed myself and tried to finish it, but I didn’t. I paced myself, relaxed myself and let the power and the shots come. I caught him with a lot of big bangs and he still survived. It was a great eight rounds - eight rounds for Kiko Martinez,” said a confident Casey.
“I did enough to win each round. I didn’t have to go all out with him. There were one of two occasions when I saw the finish and I still didn’t go after it because he was coming back with his own shots after he got caught so I had to be careful as well.
“I caught him with a few big bangs over the top, but I never followed up on the big shots. I just kept my pace and it was working for me. I didn’t need to work more,” Casey recalled of the fight.
Fresh from soaring to new heights in the boxing rankings Casey will set a world record next Saturday when he takes part in a novel fund-raising event when he participates in a most unusual boxing exhibition on top of Ireland’s highest peak Carrauntuohil in Kerry.
Casey is just one of the Irish sporting stars that are confirmed for the fund-raiser for Battens Disease - a rare neuro-degenerative fatal condition which affects babies and young children.
A boxing ring is to be airlifted to the summit via helicopter for the ‘Boxing for Battens’ event which hopes to raise funds for the treatment of Irish patients in the US.
Further information is available on www.beeforbattens.org and donations can be made via any AIB with account number 06040095 and sort code 93-63-24.
Meanwhile on the undercard in Dublin on Saturday night Limerick-based Galwegian Alan Donnellan won his second pro-fight.
Donnellan, who made his debut in May in the Yanjing Night Fight in the UL Arena, is coached by Ken Moore.
The LIT graduate in quantity surveying is a member of St. Francis Boxing Club and is coach to the LIT Boxing Society.
Donnellan was a convincing points winner over Lester Walsh of Scotland in a middleweight contest.
JEROME O’CONNELL
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