Two of Limerick's most legendary boxers celebrated in new book titled 'Fight of my Life'

JOURNALIST Owen Ryan has released a book titled 'Fight of my Life', which gives readers a fascinating insight into the lives of Irish boxing greats from the last 50 years.  

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Included amongst that boxing royalty are Limerick men Andy Lee and Willie 'Big Bang' Casey, both of whom give a compelling account on some of their most memorable nights in the ring, whilst also detailing their struggles outside of the ring. 

In the book Lee speaks about marrying outside the Traveller community and training some of the top fighters in the world, while Casey speaks about the pride he took in showing that people from disadvantaged backgrounds in Limerick can succeed with work and determination.

Speaking about his relationship, Lee said: "It's very difficult to marry from outside your culture, not just from the Traveller to the settled community, but if you marry someone from a different country or a different race or religion, because of the traditions within those different cultures, its very difficult.

"It is much harder because in every situation in a relationship, you draw upon what you know don't you? I know from boxing, and from parenting, that you learn more from examples than what you're told or even what you say to yourself. You're not even in control of your behaviour a lot of the time, it's about what you grew up watching, the way things were done.

"The way men are in the travelling community and the way women are in the settled community, do those things match? Not all the time, but we've found some way to make it work."

Lee, who has also trained top heavyweights Joseph Parker and Tyson Fury, said that the opportunity to train Paddy Donovan was what got him into coaching, an avenue he hadn't expected to go down after retiring.

"The boxing world, the boxers are nice but the business has a dirty underbelly and it's unscrupulous. I didn't really want to get back into all that but Paddy Donovan caught my attention and I was blown away by him."

Lee said he expects real application from the fighters he works with.

"I have a certain standard of training and demands in the gym and if you don't want to do it, you can go. There's no attitude when you come to the gym, you either do the job or you can go home, that's it. 

Reflecting on the night that he beat Paul Hyland to win a European title in 2010, Willie Casey said: "Those four rounds must have been the best four rounds anyone ever saw in pro boxing in Ireland, the speed, the intensity, the power in the shots that were thrown, everything was full on.

"With that high intensity and work rate something had to give eventually and I wasn't going to let it be me."

The fight was in UL and he said it had been a wonderful occasion and having it in Limerick made it extra sweet for him.

"I don't know had Limerick and Dublin ever had a rivalry but there was one then. But a good rivalry, a good buzz, great craic around it, great banter.

"It was the first time two Irish boxers fought fora European title and lucky for me, I managed to get in my home town. It just made it that bit more special."

He said that education was important to him, and he wanted to inspire his younger siblings.

"My older brothers and sisters didn't make much of an effort, whereas I made some bit of an effort. I completed my Junior Cert, went on to Fifth Year, but left after being offered a full time job. That time once you had a job you felt like you were sorted.

"Education was very important to me and you'd be trying to inspire your younger brothers and sisters. A lot of them went on to complete their Leaving Certs as well, so it worked."

He said that Travellers still face discrimination in Limerick and states he would be wary about going for a drink in Limerick city centre.

"I've been in the same job for the last ten years and I worked for the same company for four years in the early 2000s as a welding fabricator. I've been lucky, but unfortunately for other Travellers they're not so lucky, they can't  get that job.

"I go to my local no problem, where I'm comfortable and I know I'll get served. But every year on the break up from work I'd be wary of where we go, because I'd have that fear of getting stopped."

He said that through his career he wanted to show that people can succeed no matter where they come from.

"Going professional, the mindset I had at the time was all about changing the perspective, changing the mindset of someone coming from a disadvantaged area or the travelling community, to have a different view about where they come from.

"With the little bit of success I had, I wanted to change the view of coming from an area like Southill or Moyross or the Island Field, just because you're living in a disadvantaged area it doesn't have to be all negative, it can be all positive."

Fight of My Life features 25 Irish boxers and coaches, each one reflecting on the most memorable fight of their career and it is now available on Amazon.

As well as the two Limerick men, also featured are the likes of coach Billy Walsh, world professional champions Barry McGuigan, Wayne McCullough, and Deirdre Gogarty, who was Ireland's first female professional world champion, long before Katie Taylor.

Also featured are Olympic medallists Michael Carruth, Kenneth Egan, Paddy Barnes and Aidan Walsh. 

The book 'Fight of my Life' is available to buy now on Amazon.