WBC Champ Erica Farias vs Chicago’s Jessica McCaskill
By David A. Avila
Chicago’s Jessica “CasKilla” McCaskill has heavy hands and big plans for this weekend.
McCaskill (5-2, 3 KOs) expects to topple the monster of the super lightweight division Erica “La Pantera” Farias (26-2, 10 KOs) on Saturday Oct. 6, at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The WBC world title fight and the entire card called Worlds Collide will be streamed live on DAZN.
The last time McCaskill was seen in the boxing ring she nearly felled the mighty Katie Taylor.
It happened last December in Dublin, Ireland, as a world watched expecting to see an execution of the Chicago fighter until McCaskill delivered a left hook seen around the world.
In that brief moment that Taylor was staggered, after receiving a left hook in the sixth round, the world once again saw that all it takes is one single blow to change a fight from a loss to a win.
Those heavy hands by McCaskill can make you change your religion.
Since that fight the Chicago fighter has been unable to step back into the prize ring.
“We’ve been ready to fight but four or five fights were made and canceled for whatever reason at the last minute,” said McCaskill.
She doesn’t dwell on the negative.
When word spread that Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing was planning to promote a boxing card in Chicago, her trainer and manager Rick Ramos contacted the British promoter.
“Once the first card was announced, boxing sites and media started contacting me. I told everyone that I haven’t received any calls from Matchroom or Eddie Hearn,” said Ramos who is based in Chicago. “As the press conference got close, Eddie Hearn did reach out to me and invited us to be there. After that, we were on. It makes sense to put Jessica on. She is one of the biggest names in Chicago.”
Challenge accepted
A number of world titlists were offered to McCaskill’s team. They don’t turn down fights.
“We were looking for something big. Eddie Hearn brought up Victoria Bustos (the WBO champion) but she was going back and forth on accepting. In the meantime this opportunity (to fight Farias) came and we jumped on it,” said McCaskill.
Farias was eager to fight in North America.
“It’s a dream to fight in the United States, it was a pending account that I had in my career and today we are ready to leave everything once again,” said Farias a two-division world champion. “I am training 100% with my coach, Juan Ledesma, and I am sure that we will give a great fight.”
Both Farias and McCaskill are 34 years old. One has plenty of professional boxing experience and the other has plenty of firepower and eager to use it.
Farias has only two losses and both were against elite undefeated champions Cecilia Braekhus of Norway and Delfine Persoon of Belgium. They remain the only instances that the Argentine fighter has tasted defeat.
McCaskill is still not impressed.
“I know that she has a lot of experience. She has flaws and just the way I exposed Katie (Taylor) I plan to expose her too,” said McCaskill. “She’s never fought a puncher. It doesn’t seem like she has a lot of power, but we intend to find out.”
Farias has been the WBC super lightweight world titlist since 2014 and has defended the title four times. Before that she held the WBC lightweight title from 2011 to 2014 and made eight defenses before losing to Persoon in Belgium.
The Argentine fighter saw McCaskill’s fight and knows what to expect.
“McCaskill is strong, and despite having less experience, with Katie Taylor showed that she is up for great things,” said Farias. “It will be a very tough fight.”
McCaskill has studied the Argentine fighter too.
“She has fights where she was able to continue her fighting style. Nobody was able to make her change,” said McCaskill. “I will make her change.”
Ramos, who trains and manages McCaskill, worries about head butts.
“A lot of people well tell you to stay away from (Farias) right hand but I think her head is that we have to be careful with. Farias runs in head first,” said Ramos.
McCaskill’s team is not concerned with the Farias experience factor.
“Since the (Katie) Taylor fight, I really wanted to work on the basics. Jessica didn’t have a lot of amateur experience so I think going over the simple things is extremely important,” said Ramos. “I’m happy where we are at.”
Chicago on tap
Chicago fans are happy too including the investment banking firm where McCaskill works as a regulatory reporting analyst in the stock exchange district.
“The investment firm where I work, R.J. O’Brien and Associates, they love to hear about boxing. Everybody is so supportive of us. The building management put our posters up in the electronics. Posters put up around our office. All of our networks,” McCaskill said.
Many of the boxers on the powerful boxing card are training at McCaskill’s gym and the promotion company is sponsoring 50 children.
Chicago looks primed and ready like one of those famed steaks.
“Everybody is really excited that I’m fighting for this world title,” McCaskill says. “I will not disappoint.”
Chicago’s finest are ready to roll.
How to watch the fight
Go to this site to obtain the streaming site DAZN: https://watch.dazn.com/en-US/sports/
First month is free.