‘Tremendously underrated’ Casimero ready for coming out fight

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

MANILA, Philippines—It’s been a whirlwind 2020 for Filipino boxer John Riel Casimero.

First, his coming out party and his opportunity to unify his WBO title with Naoya Inoue’s IBF and WBA straps originally scheduled April 25 was shelved by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Then, his trainer Nonoy Neri had to leave the United States and fly home to tend to his obligations. leaving an unmotivated Casimero to wait for another coach.

Fortunately, MP Promotions President Sean Gibbons managed to strike a deal with former WBA bantamweight champion Clarence “Bones” Adams who immediately connected with Casimero.

“That’s who Casimero is fighting for. He’s fighting for the Philippines, he isn’t fighting for himself,” said Adams in the RingTV report.

“Casimero, he’s just like Manny Pacquiao. I’m trying to get that out of him because he likes to wait around a little bit too long. So I’m trying to change it and make him a little bit busier and have the knockouts come a little bit earlier.”

Casimero (29-4) faces undefeated Duke Micah from Ghana for his title defense, and he will feature in the Charlo brothers Showtime pay-per-view at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut this Sunday (Manila time), as per RingTV.com.

What made the transition easy for Adams was he already knew Gibbons for 30 years, having been married to a Filipino.

Adams knew that Casimero isn’t the most well-known boxer from the Philippines with the sport’s landscape in the Philippines still largely under the shadow of Pacquiao.

Casimero already won titles in the light flyweight, flyweight, and bantamweight divisions, but barely made a dent in the Philippine consciousness.

“He’s tremendously underrated, this man has been to 10 different countries, and fought and won. People here don’t want to go to Canada or Mexico, they’re scared,” said Adams. “This is his coming out party, after this fight everyone should know who he is.”

Casimero, for his part, kept himself in shape and he’s still not letting go of that potential bout against Inoue.

A win over Inoue could catapult Casimero’s career not only in terms of titles but in notoriety with the Japanese considered as one of the most dangerous fighters of his generation.

“There are many big fighters for the next fight so I’m anticipating Naoya Inoue, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Luis Nery,” said Casimero. “So next time I fight it will be all big fights.”