• Submitted by: manso
• Sports
• 01 / 03 / 2011

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Updated: January 2, 2011, 6:01 PM ET. By Dan Rafael. ESPN.com. In just his seventh professional fight, two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux won an interim world title. In his eighth fight, he'll make his first defense.Rigondeaux (7-0, 5 KOs) will defend his version of the 122-pound title against Willie Casey on March 19 in Dublin.

Rigondeaux, 30, who is regarded as one of the greatest amateur fighters ever, outpointed Ricardo Cordoba on Nov. 13 on the Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito pay-per-view undercard at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, to claim a vacant belt.

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Rigondeaux was an Olympic champion in 2000 and 2004 in Cuba on his second attempt to defect in 2009.

"Casey doesn't belong in the same ring as me," Rigondeaux said in making the fight announcement. "But I admire his courage for wanting to fight me. I'm excited about fighting in Ireland again, where I won my first world championship as an amateur in 2001. ... Casey and all of the fans in attendance will see a true world champion in action March 19. If Casey thinks I'm going to Ireland to lose my world title belt, he's making a big mistake because I'm going to win, and in sensational fashion. He is tailor-made for me.

"I watched a couple of rounds of Casey's previous fights and concluded that he's a bit of a one-trick pony. We are as far apart in class as in residence, make no mistake about that and when the bell rings March 19, that will certainly be evident to all."

Fighting in his hometown of Limerick, Ireland, the 29-year-old Casey (11-0, 7 KOs) knocked out Paul Hyland in the fourth-round on Nov. 6 to win the vacant European title, which he will relinquish when he faces Rigondeaux for a world title belt.

"Willie is a warrior and a manager's dream but unfortunately for Team Casey, Rigondeaux is unlike any boxer Casey has ever faced," said Gary Hyde, Rigondeaux's manager. "'Rigo' is a freak of nature. His amateur pedigree is unmatched in boxing history and he has already stamped his unique talent on the professional scene by winning the WBA world interim title in just his seventh pro fight."

Rigondeaux opens training camp with trainer Ronnie Shields in Houston on Monday.

"Casey is very tough and he appears to have a big heart," Shields said. "Once Rigondeaux catches Casey, though, Rigo's power will shake him down to his boots. Rigo hits hard for his weight and Casey will be punching the air most of the night because Rigo is also a defensive master. I've worked with him for his last two fights and we understand each other very well." Dan Rafael covers boxing for ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter.

Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=5982191