THIS time last year Willie ‘Big Bang’ Casey was excitedly preparing for a world title fight with Guillermo Rigondeaux.

MICKY WARD, the former world champion whose life was portrayed in the Oscar winning movie “The Fighter” has been brought in by Corkman Gary Hyde to train his light welterweight sensation, Levan “The Wolf” Ghvamichava.

NEW heavyweight sensation Tyson Furey stopped Nicolai Firtha in the fifth round of their scheduled 12 rounder at the King’s Hall, Belfast on Saturday when Willie ‘Big Bang’ Casey shared the limelight with an eighth round stoppage against Daniel Kodjo Sassou to re-launch his career.

WILLIE ‘BIG BANG’ CASEY’S return to competitive boxing has been put on hold after a problem with the venue emerged yesterday.

WILLIE “Big Bang” Casey is ready to return to the ring under new management for a tilt at the durable French super bantamweight, Daniel Kadjo, at the Limerick Institute of Technology on September 3.

WILLIE “BIG BANG” CASEY will be back in the gym in two weeks, according to his trainer, Phil Sutcliffe, who admitted yesterday that they were all very disappointed with Saturday night’s loss to Guillermo Rigondeaux.

WITH a dazzling array of powerful punches delivered with pinpoint accuracy it took Guillermo Rigondeaux less than three minutes to end Willie “Big Bang” Casey’s world title hopes before a frenzied following at the Citywest Convention Centre on Saturday night.

Irish boxer Willie 'Big Bang' Casey failed in his bid to become WBA super-bantamweight champion at Citywest in Dublin last night.

A DREAM ending to the perfect fairytale would see Willie “Big Bang” Casey claim the belt at the Citywest Conference Centre tonight but even the Limerick man’s combination of heart, strength and a defiant attitude is unlikely to strip Guillermo Rigondeaux of his WBA world super bantamweight title.

WILLIE “BIG BANG” CASEY’S trainer Phil Sutcliffe has no fears for the Limerick man ahead of tomorrow night’s WBA World title fight at the Citywest Conference Centre.

KATIE TAYLOR sparred with world champion Guillermo Rigondeaux when he visited Limerick a few weeks ago and now she has been added to the undercard at the CityWest Convention Centre on Saturday night when the double Olympic champion defends his WBA super bantamweight title against Willie “Big Bang” Casey.

WILLIE “Big Bang” Casey has pushed his body to the limits of human endurance in preparation for next Saturday’s WBA world title fight with Guillermo Rigondeaux at Citywest Conference Centre.

ARMCHAIR sports fans are in for a treat next Saturday after RTÉ announced yesterday that Willie ‘Big Bang’ Casey’s attempt to take Guillermo Rigondeaux’s WBA world super bantamweight crown will be broadcast live.

WILLIE “Big Bang” Casey is about to face the best 122 lb puncher of all time.

GUILLERMO RIGONDEAUX will complete his preparations for his world title defence against Willie “Big Bang” Casey at a special training camp in Cork.

CONTRARY to earlier reports that the much anticipated WBA World Super bantamweight title fight between Willie “Big Bang” Casey and the Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux on March 19 would not be televised, it now appears that the fight will be shown on TV3.

GUILLERMO Rigondeaux yesterday told of the pain and anguish of leaving his wife and young son behind him when he left Cuba to pursue a professional boxing career.

WILLIE “Big Bang” Casey and Guillermo Rigondeaux came face to face at the Montenotte Hotel in Cork for the first time on Saturday ahead of their world title fight in March.

GUILLERMO RIGONDEAUX comes face to face with Willie “Big Bang” Casey at Hotel Montenotte in Cork this afternoon.

HE may have won two Olympic gold medals and two amateur world titles before claiming the WBA crown, but Willie “Big Bang” Casey has found Guillermo Rigondeaux “boring to watch.”

WILLIE “Big Bang” Casey returns to camp on Monday to prepare for his World title fight against Cuban sensation Guillermo “El Chacal” Rigondeaux at the Citywest Conference Centre on March 19.

GUILLERMO “El Chacal” Rigondeaux returned to his training camp in Houston, Texas, yesterday with words of warning for Willie “Big Bang” Casey in advance of their WBA title fight at the Citywest Conference Centre on March 10.

WILLIE “Big Bang” CASEY will touch gloves with the two-time Olympic champion Guillermo Rigondeaux for the WBA super bantamweight title at the Citywest Conference Centre on January 19 following agreement between the camps.

WILLIE ‘Big Bang’ Casey could be the ideal opponent for the two-time Olympic champion Guillermo Rigondeaux, according to the Cuban’s manager Gary Hyde.

CORKMAN Gary Hyde has signed a new deal that will kick-start the stalled professional career of two-time Olympic champion Guillermo Rigondeaux, considered by many to be the best amateur in boxing history.