CASIMERO WILL FIGHT MCWILLIAMS ARROYO IN IBF TITLE ELIMINATOR
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 21 Jul 2015
Former IBF light flyweight champion and current No.1 ranked flyweight Johnreil Casimero will fight McWilliams Arroyo in a title eliminator for the right to face champion Amnat Ruenroeng with the winner earning a mandatory crack at the Thai champion.
Sammy Gello-ani co-promotes Casimero with Sampson Lewkowicz and despite Casimero having fought an eliminator once before to earn the right to face Ruenroeng, the promoters of the Filipino have agreed to go through an eliminator once again.
When asked by the New Standard/boxingmirror.com why Casimero has to figure in an eliminator once again instead of a rematch with Ruenroeng who retained his title in a foul-infested fight in Bangkok where referee Larry Doggett was blasted by the media for allowing the champion to engage in a series of MMA-Muay Thai style takedowns and several instances of holding one of which lasted as long as 40 seconds, Gello-ani said he and Lewkowicz had agreed that ?it is for business so Casimero can earn some money.?
Gello-ani said he is confident that the Bangkok experience won't be repeated and that Casimero ?can handle McWilliams Arroyo. We are not scared.?
However, Gello-ani admitted facing Arroyo ?is a risk we are going into and as long as there is no problem with the officials which we can handle.?
He said details of the title eliminator will be finalized soon.
29 year old McWilliams Arroyo, the twin brother of McJoe who won a hugely controversial 10th round technical decision in El Paso, Texas to grab the vacant IBF super flyweight title against previously unbeaten King Arthur Villanueva, has a record of 14 knockouts in 16 wins with 2 losses, one of which was a controversial twelve round split decision against Ruenroeng in Bangkok last September 10, 2014 despite having dropped the Thai in the 6th round.
McWilliams is coming off a 3rd round TKO win over tough Victor Ruiz last April 11. He had earlier scored a 2nd round TKO over previously unbeaten Rey ?Sniper? Saludar in a title eliminator on June 19, 2014 in Puerto Rico.
When we spoke to IBF president Darryl Peoples after the fights at the Cotai Arena in Macau on Saturday about what the IBF was doing about the travesty of the foul-filled Ruennroeng-Casimero title fight he told us ?we didn?t want to penalize Casimero so we looked at it and left him at No.1.?
Peoples said ?He is going to be in a position to fight at least in an eliminator? pointing out that ?the timing is very important. We have to inform the champion so if he doesn?t have enough time for him (Casimero) to fight an eliminator he is going to be the mandatory.?
Asked when an eliminator could happen, Peoples replied ?we are not quite sure what will happen with the eliminator. Amnat has nine months before his mandatory, so if he doesn?t do his optional within seven months then we have to notify him and there?s a good possibility he will fight a mandatory? against Casimero.?
We pursued the question as to why Casimero has to fight an eliminator when he had already done so and won against Puerto Rico?s Santos in one round only to be disadvantaged in a title fight which deserved a rematch.
Peoples said ?he may not have to? fight an eliminator.
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