Casimero needs to be in ‘best condition ever’ vs Inoue, says coach

FILE – John Riel Casimero works the mitts with Cuban trainer Pedro Roque. Photo from Team Casimero

MANILA, Philippines—John Riel Casimero, the WBO World bantamweight champion, has proven himself as a capable knockout artist, but strength and conditioning coach Angel “Memo” Heredia wants to see more explosive power from his fighter.

Casimero showed his devastating strength when he stopped Zolani Tete in November 2019 to became WBO’s full bantamweight champion but Heredia warned that his pupil will need more power if he plans to take down IBF and WBA champion Naoya Inoue.

Casimero (29-4, 20 KOs) has scored a knockout in his past five fights but Inoue (19-0, 16 KOs) is regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters and is the no.3 fighter in The Ring’s rankings.

“He needs to be, obviously, in his best condition ever. He needs to be strong and fast. He needs to be explosive, and not only in the first round but also for the entire 12 rounds. So, hopefully, we will be in very good shape — probably much better [than] when it was against [Zolani] Tete,” said Heredia in a report from BoxingScene.com.

“Every time you hit, you will be affected. And if you’re not in condition, you’ll be wasted. So, I want to sustain his mobility and [muscle] reaction [for a] longer time.”

The two were originally slated to fight in April in Las Vegas but the fight was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There’s been no word yet on when the bout will ultimately come to fruition.

Casimero was already in Las Vegas nearly a month before their original schedule but Inoue was still in Japan and was unable to fly to the United States.

ith the fight still in limbo, Heredia said he doesn’t want to keep Casimero working too much and instead maintain the conditioning the fighter is in.

“He is good — as in, in a good position, you know. He is in progress at 60 percent. And we don’t want to push it since we have plenty of time. Once we get into the ballroom, we’ll be ready.”