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Ken Casey did not run 26.2 miles on Saturday, March 17, but it's fair to say he finished a marathon. Casey, the frontman of legendary Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys, performed at a sold-out St. Patrick's Day matinee concert at Boston's House of Blues, and then put on one of his other hats -- boxing promoter -- to pull off a seven-fight card in the evening at the same venue. ESPN.com was there to chronicle this unique -- and exhausting -- day in the life of a sports and entertainment star:  St. Patrick's Day in Boston means the Dropkick Murphys will be playing -- a lot. Last Saturday, it was the third of four full hometown shows at Boston's House of Blues that week, wrapping up an 18-date St. Patrick's Day tour. "It's a crazy day of the year for us," said Casey. "This is special because we have family here. Friends come from all over the world to these shows. It's almost like a convention for Dropkick Murphys fans."   He puts a lot of time into the set list for each show, as well. "We probably play 50 percent different songs every night -- which is crazy, because there's probably only 100 people or so that come to every show," Casey said. "But they're the ones standing right in front [of the stage], so you feel like you've gotta change it up for them."   Casey first got involved in the fight game six years ago. "I'm a lifelong fan, a huge boxing fan," he said. "And as the sport had fallen on a little bit of hard times locally, I was like -- I have the Dropkicks fan base. And the fan base -- I'm not gonna say they all like boxing, but it kinda goes hand in hand a little bit. I just said, man, I think I could do this -- just in terms of putting bodies in the seats. "I like to promote. It brought me back to the challenge of the old days of Dropkick Murphys -- of handing out flyers, and really pushing it uphill. I think sometimes I take more pride in that side of Dropkick Murphys than the actual playing [music]. It rekindled that spirit in me."  "Tonight, doing our first-ever pay-per-view, it's a challenge," Casey said. "Not only do we have a show, we're gonna have to load [the band's equipment] out. Then we're gonna have to go like madmen to get the ring built before doors [open]. It's crazy. Timing-wise it all has to fit, and it's very tight."  The ring did get built in time, but that wasn't the only issue that needed handling. Casey also had to fine-tune the schedule for the night -- making sure there would be enough time between each bout, but not too much. "I'm way more involved in boxing than I am in the band," Casey said. "You'll see me tonight putting seats up, hanging banners. Because it's just me, my brother-in-law, and a kid that works for me, and a bunch of volunteers. So it's all hands on deck for everything."  Murphys Boxing has come a long way since Casey launched it. He's now working with about a dozen fighters, but there are plenty more challenges to come. "You get to this level six years later where your guys are getting in contention to fight for titles -- and I have guys fighting for smaller belts -- and I thought it'd be all gravy from there," he said. "Not realizing that's actually the difficult part, because now TV becomes essential, [plus] knowing the sanctioning bodies, playing the game. "It's just like music. When a band is small, it's all in their hands -- booking their own shows, and pressing their own singles. And then you get to that point when you need wider distribution, and you kinda have to sell your soul to the devil a little bit. "Now I'm at this stage where you have a responsibility to guys -- what good is a 20-0 record if you don't then get the opportunity to win a world title? So the pressure actually ramps up even more now."  Some of the fighters in his stable are guys he watched and became a fan of. Others approached him after Murphys Boxing became established. "I like people that have great stories," Casey said. "Sometimes maybe I'll pass on a more talented guy, to get a guy that I like. I'd rather not have a world champ if it was just business -- maybe that's not good in the long run for me, but I like getting behind these guys that I like, and they become like family."  The band wasn't done in the afternoon, either. They returned to the stage for a shorter acoustic set in front of the ring during a break in the boxing. Casey made a point of expressing gratitude regarding his bandmates. "Whether it's charity work or boxing, they're always right there with me," he said. "They didn't sign up for all this." (The Claddagh Fund, founded by Casey in 2009, "raises money for the most underfunded non-profit organizations that support the vulnerable populations in our communities" in Boston, and has now expanded into Philadelphia as well.) That being said, Casey does think that boxing has helped the band. "Nowadays, being in a band is not as much about selling records, it's almost like selling your brand," he said. "And boxing is part of our brand. We're not always putting out music, and we're not always touring. This gives us a way to stay relevant with people and have a connection and have something going on."  The main event of the evening featured Danny "Bhoy" O'Connor against Steve "The Dragon" Clagett in a scheduled 10-rounder for O'Connor's WBC Silver Intercontinental junior welterweight title. O'Connor, 32, was the very first fighter Casey took under his wing. "I knew him, and just watched how hard it was for the kid," Casey said. "He was an Olympian, and a two-time national amateur champ, and I'm like, man, this is hard for this guy -- he has to train, he's supposed to sell tickets, he has a baby. I can help him. "My original thought was just to hit send on social media and introduce him to the Dropkick fans. And then I said, I'll book a show. And then, if I'm doing it for one guy, I might as well do it for Mark DeLuca, I might as well do it for all these other local guys. And then, these Irish guys want to come over. Next thing you know, there's 10-12 guys and I'm probably doing 10 shows a year now. I'm a glutton for punishment." O'Connor took some punishment on Saturday -- he was knocked down in the seventh round -- but bounced back to win via unanimous decision, retaining his belt and improving to 30-3 (11 KOs).  Casey got a moment of rest after a long day's -- and night's -- work. But he wasn't really finished. The band was playing one more show at the House of Blues on Sunday, and also just announced a summer tour that will be capped off by another concert/boxing card combo in New Hampshire. "It's a double-edged sword," Casey said. "This is a great weekend where it's easy to sell tickets, the fan base is right here. But trying to do both things at the same time, and balance family and the band -- my wife said, 'Why do you do this to yourself?'" Because of days like this.
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