Before the opening bell rang late Friday night at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center, Nick Casal had his fan section in a frenzy.

After the Niagara Falls lightweight pummeled Shad Howard for nearly three rounds, the entire crowd of approximately 1,700 was on their feet cheering for the hometown fighter. Casal earned a technical knockout at 1:30 of the third round to improve to 19-4-1 with 15 KOs.

“You couldn’t have asked for a better day,” his father and trainer Ray Casal said. “Nick showcased himself well in front of the hometown crowd. I think people can see that now we’re back on the right track. They’re ready to jump back on this thing. I’m proud of him.”

Casal’s confidence was obvious throughout as he constantly played to the crowd, while remaining aggressive and persistent despite Howard’s tough chin.

“It’s not cocky or showboating, but I like to be flashy and perform for my fans,” Casal said with a laugh. “I felt the love from my people and I wanted to show them that I still have it.”

Having familiar faces in his corner along with four months of training at home also helped, he said.

“I think we trained him just right for this fight,” Ray Casal added. “We put about 12 pounds on him, he got healthy and he looked a lot stronger. He was prepared for this fight.”

In fact, Nick Casal said he had planned for Friday’s bout to go six or seven rounds before seeing some big openings early on. He knocked Howard off balance a few times in the opening round before sending him to the canvas at the end of round two. Then midway through the third, Casal caught Howard with a big cross and finished him off in the corner with several quick combinations.

“I thought he was patient, kept a nice pace, used his jab well and capitalized on his opportunities to do some big damage,” Ray Casal said. “He looked good.”

Nick Casal said he suffered only one small mark on his forehead and plans to be back in the gym Monday, preparing for his next fight, which he hopes to come in September, possibly back in Buffalo.

“Everything is looking up now,” he said. “I can’t wait to get back at it. Like I said, give me two or three more tune-ups and I’ll take on anyone at 140.”

In the other co-main event, former NABA lightweight champion Michael Clark left the ring on a stretcher in the opening round after taking a pair of big hits from Meacher Major. The bout, though, was declared a no contest and thus the NABA Lightweight Championship belt remains vacant.

A pair of Buffalo boxers, Excell Holmes and Guillermo Sanchez, picked up knockout wins in the first two bouts of the night. Holmes, who was making his professional debut, took out Damon Clement at 3:00 of round two in heavyweight action, while Sanchez moved to 9-0 in featherweight action with a KO of Ron Boyd at 2:59 of the opening round.

Rochester’s Kenny Abril beat Sebastien Hamel by unanimous decision in the card’s closest bout. Abril won, 59-55, 58-56, 59-55 on the three judge’s scorecards.

Contact reporter Nate Beutel at 282-2311, ext. 2262.