'Big Bang’s’ title bid live on RTÉ

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.

It means sports fans can sit back and take in almost 11 hours of action, including the England-Ireland Six Nations clash at the Aviva Stadium, soccer highlights from the Premier League and Casey’s fight against the double Olympic champion at Dublin’s Citywest.

The fight, which is being beamed live to the US and Caribbean, will also be broadcast on RTÉ Radio and via the website at rte.ie.

Casey’s opponent next weekend, meanwhile, will be the star attraction at Aghabullogue tonight when Rylane Boxing Club stage their second tournament in a week. The Cuban will be present to meet local fight fans and watch young Tommy Hyde, son of his manager, Gary, in action.

However, today’s public sparring session at the Montenotte Hotel in Cork has been cancelled after Rigondeaux’s sparring partner, Daouda Sow, returned to France yesterday complaining of an injury to his ribs.

Sow, the lightweight Olympic silver medallist from Beijing, was dropped twice by Rigondeaux with ferocious body shots during Thursday’s sparring session and complained of damaged ribs later in the day.

Hyde said: “It is not the first time we saw Rigondeaux inflict this type of damage on sparring partners. I saw him do it a number of times in Los Angeles.

“Having said that, Sow gave his money’s worth on Thursday. It was an excellent session and the whole team were delighted with it, especially as Rigo was sparring a guy 20 lbs above his weight.”

Hyde added: “Next Saturday’s fight is going to be some fight. We are all very excited about it. There are still a limited number of tickets available but they have been flying out the door.”

Tonight’s 14-bout bill in Rylane is being used as preparation by some members of the Garda team who face a NYPD selection in a sell-out show in New York next week.

Eight boxers from Limerick, all in the heavier weights, have been drafted in to face the likes of Kieran Twohig, John Murray, Dean Desmond, Pat Fitzgibbon and Darren O’Gorman.