Mike Tyson has always been Nick Casal's favorite fighter -- in the ring, at least.
The Niagara Falls native's style mirrors the one Tyson displayed nearly two decades ago, when he exploded into the national sporting consciousness with a string of electrifying knockouts -- constant head movement and a barrage of punches thrown with both hands from every angle, all with bad intentions. Casal utilized that style to compile a 71-9 amateur record with 54 knockouts, as well as a string of tournament championships.
As he joins his fistic idol in the ranks of people who get paid to punch other people, the Niagara Falls native is following the lead of one of Tyson's better decisions outside the ropes -- signing on with veteran boxing manager Shelly Finkel.
Finkel has also managed former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, lightweight king Pernell Whitaker and welterweight titlist Mark Breland. But it was Finkel's style that impressed Casal and his parents, Ray and Lesli.
"I felt real comfortable with him," said Nick Casal, who signed a five-year managerial deal with Finkel last Thursday. "He was real upfront with me, and very honest."
Those qualities also drew Tyson to the manager after his infamous attack on Holyfield's ear jeopardized his ability to get a license to fight and Don King's self-serving management style left his finances in ruins.
"He gave Tyson a chance when nobody wanted him," Casal said of Finkel.
While the deterioration of Tyson's skills, increasingly bizarre behavior and recent disinterest in fighting (he hasn't fought since destroying Clifford Etienne in 49 seconds last February) have prevented him from regaining the status he enjoyed before going to prison on a rape conviction in 1991, Finkel's integrity is rarely questioned in boxing circles.
With his dwindling finances forcing him into bankruptcy, Tyson briefly severed his relationship with Finkel in December, only to reunite with his adviser in February. Earlier this month, Finkel told Reuters News Service that Tyson would return to the ring in June or July. Tyson himself, though, told Fox News Channel, "I'm old, I'm tired, I'm out of shape. It's probably too difficult to get in shape now -- I'm exhausted now."
If Tyson's at the end of the line, the 18-year-old Casal's raring to get started. The dream he carried through his amateur career -- fighting at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece -- ended with a shoulder injury on the verge of qualifying for the U.S. Trials. But he didn't waste any time dwelling on what might have been.
"It was a blessing in disguise," Casal said of the injury. "It turned out better for my professional career this way -- I'll get a jump on those Olympic guys and have some experience by the time they turn pro."
Casal's style may be better suited to the professional ranks, where there's no headgear or bigger gloves to blunt his power. As an amateur, most of his fights consisted of three two-minute rounds. Pro rounds are three minutes each, with a minimum of four rounds for beginning fighters.
"I won't have to go spastic," Casal said of the new pace. "I have an extra minute in each round, so I can show my boxing skills a little. My defense will be a lot better without the headgear -- that adds about two inches to your head."
But if his working time is expanding, Casal isn't. He was ranked No. 7 in the country at 154 pounds, but plans to make his pro debut at 140. He said the decision is partly a function of his height -- at 5-foot-7, he'd be fighting uphill against the heavier junior middleweights
"That's why we went down," Casal said. "At 140, they're all about my height."
Finkel first saw Casal fight as an amateur, and was one of several managers or promoters to contact him. None of the others was willing to make a long-term commitment, though. The deal won't make Casal rich on its own, but will allow him to focus on his workouts at the family-owned gym, Casal's School of Fighting Arts, on Hyde Park Boulevard, where he trains under the eye of his father.
"Training is his job now," Lesli Casal said. "It's been his job, but now he'll get paid for it."
His boss at that job will remain his dad, Ray.
"That's never going to change," Nick Casal said. "He's always going to be there. He got me this far. Other people may come in to show me a few things here or there, but he's always going to be the head coach."
Ray Casal wanted someone with experience to guide Nick's early career, as well as teach him the boxing business.
"Maybe by the time Anthony's ready to turn pro, I'll know enough to start managing," Ray Casal said, referring to Nick's 16-year-old brother.
That's no idle chatter. Anthony Casal, a southpaw with more of a counterpunching style than his brother, is becoming an amateur presence at 139 pounds, as well. Two weeks ago, the younger Casal pounded out a win over Dante Moore of Cleveland on a card in Olcott, flooring his foe in the third round to seal the victory.
Nick Casal said he hopes his professional debut will be sooner, rather than later, but trusts Finkel to chart the right path.
"He'll start me gradually, with a series of stepping stones," Casal said. "They'll be good fighters -- every fight I get will be giving me a new experience, facing a different type of fighter."
One of those early fights, if not the first, could come on a very large stage. Joe Mesi and his father and manager, Jack, have been publicly angling for a summertime bout with Tyson at Ralph Wilson Stadium for months. It remains unclear what the Tonawanda heavyweight's razor-thin win over Vassiliy Jirov on March 13 will do to Team Mesi's timetable. If Tyson has any fight left in him, the sight of Mesi hitting the floor three times in the last two rounds against Jirov would figure to rouse it. The prospect of a massive payday won't hurt, either.
Should a Mesi-Tyson match ever get made, Casal's relationship with Finkel and local connection would figure to land him on the undercard.
Whenever that first fight winds up taking place, Casal has a definite timetable in mind, and no shortage of confidence.
"In three to four years, I want to be a world champion," he said. "I want to put Niagara Falls on the boxing map."
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | March 30 2004 |