Joey Vincent Motel | June 28, 2022
Ormocanon prized pugilist Johnriel Casimero may be out of the radar for Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue’s next fight but the chase for the much anticipated fight isn’t far enough.
This after the Ring Magazine latest rankings placed Casimero as the top-ranked bantamweight behind newly-minted pound-for-pound kingpin Inoue. Inoue became the first Japanese national to sit atop the boxing world’s mythical rankings, thanks to a split 5-4 decision by the Ring ratings debate panel.
Inoue was coming from an impressive 2nd round technical knockout victory over Filipino legend Nonito Donaire, Jr. in a rematch last June 7 to add the latter’s World Boxing Council (WBC) belt to his WBA Super and IBF belts. Meanwhile, Casimero was stripped off his WBO belt after technicalities forfeited him in his defense against Paul Butler last April. In the process, the WBO elevated Butler to regular championship status and placed Casimero as the mandatory challenger.
The Japanese monster, Inoue, is unbeaten in 23 fights with 20 stoppages and has been on a romp against world-level opposition for almost a decade. Reports are he is targeting Butler in his next fight in his bid to unify the belts at the bantamweight division.
The Casimero-Inoue fight has have boxing pundits drooling over since 2020. With Casimero dethroned, Inoue tend to focus on unifying the belts instead of entertaining the chances of sharing the ring with his fellow three-division from Ormoc City. However, with the Ring Magazine having Casimero right behind Inoue, the fight is still within striking distance.
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