‘Comeback Kid’ aims to defend New England boxing championship

By Ed Pierce

It took years for Casey Streeter to overcome excruciating physical pain from nearly losing a leg in a workplace accident and a disturbing childhood to win the New England Super Welterweight boxing championship and now as he prepares to defend his title for the third time, he’s resolute to remain a champion.

Boxer Casey Streeter, left, a Correctional Trade Instructor
at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham, will defend
his New England Super Welterweight boxing title against
Joe Farina of Massachusetts in March. Streeter beat Farina
in November 2023 to win the title and has successfully
defended it twice since then.
PHOTO BY STEPHEN SHEA     

Streeter, 33, grew up in a troubled home in Raymond, and was recently promoted to the position of Correctional Trades Instructor at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham. He was a promising young boxer training under Bobby Russo at the Portland Boxing Club in August 2017 and when he learned that he had been hired to become a correctional officer in Windham. He was at work in North Yarmouth on his last day as an arborist when a devastating accident happened that left Streeter’s entire future seriously in doubt.

He was working for a tree removal company dragging logs with a log chain from a ditch. Streeter had wrapped one end of a chain around a tree trunk and was walking the other end of the chain up to the log truck’s grapple device from a ditch when a co-worker lost sight of him, and the grapple suddenly closed and clamped onto his right leg. At that instant his right femur and knee shattered, causing a compound fracture with a chunk of his leg also torn away by the grapple hook.

Blood poured from the wound and the grapple’s claw had just missed severing his femoral artery by a quarter inch. He stumbled into the ditch and thought of his wife Abby and his two children and wondered if he was going to die. His co-worker found him in the ditch and tried calling for help on his cell phone, but service wasn’t available there, so he ran to a nearby home and used their phone to summon help.

EMTs rushed Streeter to Maine Medical Center in Portland with his leg was so badly mangled that doctors didn’t know if they could save it. Fortunately, the orthopedic trauma surgeon on duty that day was a military veteran who had saved U.S. soldiers on the battlefield in Iraq. He assured Streeter that he could save his leg, and he led a team to carefully reconstruct it using more than 20 metal pins and rods.

Following surgery, Streeter developed a severe wound infection and then had to overcome post-traumatic stress disorder from the accident. He slowly began walking again with the aid of crutches and after months of challenging physical therapy, he finally felt that he had turned a corner. He was able to work at the Maine Correctional Center while believing that he might be able to box once again.

“I was left with scars, and lots of metal,” Streeter said. “The colder months are tough, but I am able to use my leg and don’t feel much of a difference in my lateral movement.”

He returned to training under Russo in 2019 and adopted the nickname of “The Comeback Kid.” Regaining his strength and prowess in the ring took time but Streeter was determined to fight again and on Nov. 11, 2023, he outlasted Joe Farina of Massachusetts in eight rounds at the Portland Expo to win the New England Super Welterweight title at 154 pounds.

Streeter successfully defended his championship twice in 2024, knocking out Jimmy Williams on June 15 at the Cross Insurance Arena just over 2 minutes into the first round. He then fought 8 tough rounds against Derrick Whitley on Nov. 9 at the Portland Expo in a back-and-forth thriller that ended in a draw with Streeter retaining his title.

His current record is 12-2-2 with 5 knockouts and he’s back in training getting ready to make a third title defense on March 22 at the Royale in Boston against a familiar opponent, Joe Farina. His first bout against Farina in Maine went the full eight rounds with Streeter’s strong combination punches attributed as the difference in the judge’s majority decision that night.

“He brings the pressure. He constantly comes forward. He’s a tough guy,” Streeter says of Farina. “He always comes ready, and this time he is coming for revenge. This time we will fight 10 rounds, instead of 8.”

From his home near the Raymond/Gray town line, Streeter has been training seven days a week and putting in up to two to three hours of a workout routine.

“I spar, do mitt work, work on strength and conditioning, and can run multiple miles in a week,” he said. “This is after I’ve already worked a shift at the Maine Corrections Center. I’m always consistently training, but when I’m in camp for a fight, I try to train every day.”

He said that his wife of 12 years, Abby, and his two children inspired him to recover from his injuries and to box again.

“My wife and kids are my biggest supporters,” Streeter said. “The kids have their own gloves. We do mitt work together and they love to come to the gym with me.” <

Local boxer overcomes crippling injury to win New England Super Welterweight title

By Ed Pierce

All Casey Streeter can do is smile when he thinks about how far he has come in a few short years. He was rising through the ranks as a professional boxer in 2017 and was looking forward to starting a new job as a correctional officer at the Maine Corrections Center in Windham, but on his final day of work as an arborist, he almost lost his life and his right leg in an accident.

Boxer Casey Streeter, left, beat Joe Farina of Massachusetts
to win the New England Super Welterweight title during
a championship fight at the Portland Expo on Nov. 11.
He had to overcome a crippling injury to his right leg
in 2017 from a logging accident to come back and 
continue his professional boxing career.
STEPHEN SHEA PHOTOGRPAHY    

Originally from Portland, Streeter has been boxing since the age of 9 and turned professional in 2014. He had started in boxing to overcome a challenging and traumatic childhood and was well on his way to achieving his dreams with a record of 9-1 as a professional.

“I became part of Bobby Russo’s Portland Boxing Club in order to have an outlet,” Streeter said. “It literally saved my life.”

But it all came to a screeching halt in August 2017 when a log truck’s grapple suddenly clamped down on his leg.

When the accident happened, Streeter was working dragging logs with a log chain from a ditch in North Yarmouth. He had wrapped one end of the chain around a tree trunk and was walking the other end of the chain up to the log truck’s grapple from a ditch when his co-worker lost sight of him, and the grapple suddenly closed and clamped onto his leg.

His femur and knee were shattered, he sustained a compound fracture, and a chunk of his leg was also torn away by the grapple. Blood erupted from his wound and the grapple’s claw had just missed his femoral artery by a quarter inch. He stumbled down into the ditch and didn’t know if he was going to live. He thought of his wife Abby and his children and wondered if this was the end of his life.

Streeter’s co-worker found him in the ditch, tried calling for help on his cell phone but there was no cell service available. He then ran to a nearby home and used their telephone to summon help.

Rushed to Maine Medical Center, his leg was so mangled that doctors were unsure if they could save it. But his orthopedic trauma surgeon was a military veteran who had worked with soldiers on the battlefield in Iraq. He assured Streeter that he would not lose his leg and reconstructed it carefully using more than 20 metal pins and rods. A severe wound infection and post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from the accident also had to be overcome by Streeter.

He then began walking again with the aid of crutches and following months of difficult physical therapy, he felt that he had turned a corner and might be able to box again.

Slowly recovering, Streeter returned to his gym in 2019 at the Portland Boxing Club and started working out for his longtime trainer Russo who had known him for decades. He then vowed if he had made it this far in his recovery, he was bound and determined to win a championship and he adopted a new “Comeback Kid” nickname.

“During a training camp, I work six days a week, up to two to three hours of a workout routine,” Streeter said. “I spar, do mitt work, work on strength and conditioning, and can run multiple miles in a week. This is after I’ve already worked a nine-hour shift.”

On Saturday, Nov. 11 at the Portland Expo in Portland, Streeter, 32, fought Joe Farina of Massachusetts for the New England Super Welterweight title at 154 pounds.

Farina entered the bout with a record of 11-1 and the fight went a full eight rounds. It was a tough fight, but Streeter’s strong combinations came out on top, and judges awarded him a majority decision and the championship belt. His record now stands at 11-2-1 and his professional career is back on track.

“What I like the most about boxing is it’s something that helps keep my mental health in check,” he said. “I like the handwork and dedication and my gym family is what I value most.”

Streeter said that he hopes to fight again early in the New Year but in the meantime, he’s enjoying spending time with his family and reflecting on his title. <