Nick Casal has dropped two of his last three fights, but you could never tell by talking to the brash 22 year old from Niagara Falls.

“Those couple losses didn’t hurt that much,” he said via telephone this past week from his training facility in Las Vegas. “It’s not like I wasn’t competitive. The losses were to top contenders. I’ve just got to train a little harder and prepare a little better and I’ll be fine. I think 2008 is my year.”

Casal (16-2-1, 16 KOs) gets his first chance to prove that today as he fights 29-year old James Wayka (15-6-0, 8 KOs) on the undercard of the Israel Vazquez versus Rafael Marquez fight at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, Calif. The eight-round fight is set to begin around 6 p.m., according to Casal, but will not be a part of the ShoBox TV package.

“I’m pretty excited about this fight,” Casal said. “I’ve been out for almost six months, so I’m looking forward to a good fight to get me back into a rhythm.”

Casal last fought in September when he dropped a unanimous decision to rising star Antonio deMarco. deMarco cut Casal during the fight and caused the Falls native to have substantial bleeding, which he feels may have cost him the decision despite his contention that he out-boxed his opponent for large portions of the bout.

“Blood makes a big appearance,” Casal said. “If there was no blood, I think it might have been a draw.”

Casal has boxed as a lightweight for his last six bouts, but for today’s fight he’s moved up to junior welterweight where he’s planning to weigh in at 142 pounds. Wayka, meanwhile, is moving down from the junior middleweight ranks for this bout. The shift in weight class, Casal believes, is in his favor.

“I actually feel stronger and faster,” he said. “This is naturally more my weight and I think I’m much better at this weight. My knockout ratio is a lot better at this weight, too.”

Casal describes Wayka as “durable” and a “guy that comes right at you,” but believes he certainly has the upper hand.

“I want to look good, hopefully get a knockout and just dominate,” Casal said while adding he’s hopes to fight again by late April with a possible rematch against deMarco perhaps just a couple of victories away.