Casimero vows no more weight woes
By Joaquin Henson
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 26 Aug 2019
Interim WBO bantamweight champion Johnriel Casimero downplayed his battle with the scales shortly after dismantling Mexican challenger Cesar Ramirez in brutal fashion at the San Andres Sports Complex, Manila, last Saturday night and vowed never again to make it an issue.
Casimero, 30, scaled 0.8 over the 118-pound limit at the weigh-in on the eve of the fight and was under threat to be stripped of the crown. But on his second attempt to make weight two hours later, Casimero was on the dot. It will be recalled that in 2014, Casimero lost the IBF lightflyweight title on the scales when he weighed in 5 3/4 pounds over the limit.
But Casimero has promised to turn a new leaf. Two months ago, he walked around at 147. Casimero shed off the excess poundage bit by bit, training alongside Sen. Manny Pacquiao in Los Angeles then working in isolation with chief handler Nonoy Neri in Davao before landing in Manila last week.
Casimero said he was just a fraction of a pound over the limit on his first try at the scales and knew he would make weight on his second attempt. However, the concern was dehydration because Casimero looked spent bringing down his weight to 118. ?Hindi na mangyayari ?yan,? he said. ?Hindi na ako lolobo ng 147. Up to 130 na lang kung walang laban so hindi na ako mahihirapan humabol ng timbang.?
Neri, who?s with Pacquiao?s training staff, said there will be no more concessions for Casimero. ?Kung minsan kasi nakakapuslit at kumakain,? he said, shaking his head. ?Pero alam ko desidido siyang manalo. Sabi niya sa akin bago ng laban, papatayin niya si Ramirez. Sabi ko sa kaniya, kung hindi niya gawin ?yan, ako ang papatay sa kaniya.? Neri said it was embarrassing that Casimero failed to make weight on his first try. ?Nakakahiya kay Senator at lubus-lubos ang tulong niya kay Casimero,? said Neri.
When the bell rang, Casimero didn?t disappoint. With Pacquiao watching at ringside beside Narvacan, Ilocos Sur, Mayor Chavit Singson, Casimero put on a ferocious display of aggression and his vaunted killer?s instinct. He dropped Ramirez in rounds three, five and seven before finishing off the Mexican with a vicious right uppercut to the chin at 2:23 of the 10th. Puerto Rican referee Ramon Pena didn?t bother to count as Ramirez collapsed flat on his back, his eyes rolling. It took at least five minutes before Ramirez was helped back on his feet.
Casimero paced himself in the contest and made sure he had enough gas in his tank down the stretch. ?Hindi ako nagmadali,? he said. ?Sabi ni coach Nonoy, pacing muna at hintayin kong mapagod si Ramirez. Inunti-unti ko. Mahaba si Ramirez kaya dinikitan ko hangga?t maari. Isa na siya sa mga pinakamagaling na kalaban ko.? That patience is a clear sign of Casimero?s maturity, something that will come in handy when he challenges WBO bantamweight titlist Zolani Tete of South Africa before the year ends.
MP Promotions head Sean Gibbons said the Tete-Casimero fight will likely go to a purse bid with England an option to host the much-awaited showdown. Casimero, known as a road warrior, has won fights in England, Panama, Nicaragua, Mexico, Argentina and the US so fighting on foreign soil isn?t a problem. Tete, 31, will be a tough nut to crack with a 28-3 record, including 21 KOs. He has never lost to a Filipino and his victims include five Filipinos----Rexon Flores, Richard Garcia, Eduard Penerio, Jether Oliva and Arthur Villanueva. Casimero?s record is 28-4, with 19 KOs.
Gibbons and Casimero go back a long way. In 2012, they were together when Casimero halted hometown hero Luis Lazarte in a fight that sparked a riot among the loser?s truck union colleagues in Mar del Plata, Argentina. Now, Gibbons is paving the way for Casimero to win a third world title.
Photo: Sen. Manny Pacquiao with interim WBO bantamweight champion Johnriel Casimero, Mayor Chavit Singson and MP Promotions head Sean Gibbons at the San Andres Sports Complex last Saturday night.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joaquin Henson.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
IBF Pan Pacific champion Vince Paras set to face unbeaten OPBF champion Aoi Yokoyama in Kyrgyzstan
Sun, 22 Mar 2026King James sets NBA all-time record for most games played
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Sun, 22 Mar 2026Loaded boxing schedule
By Joaquin Henson, Sun, 22 Mar 2026WEIGHTS, IMAGES, RUNNING ORDER AND THE LAST WORDS AHEAD OF ADAMES VS. WILLIAMS IN ORLANDO
Sat, 21 Mar 2026COPPER BOX ARENA FIGHT NIGHT: WEIGH-IN RESULTS AND RUNNING ORDER CONFIRMED AS LIDDARD AND DENNY FACE-OFF FOR FINAL TIME
Sat, 21 Mar 2026Weights From ‘Martinez vs. Aleem’ Event from the NOS Event Center in San Bernardino and Broadcast live on ProBoxTV
Sat, 21 Mar 2026Jordan Orozco Training Camp Notes
Sat, 21 Mar 2026Towns vs. Bordin for PAT Belt; De Barbo, Nancholas, Samiei in Supporting Bouts at Brico Santig's Exciting Show in Pattaya Beach, Thailand
By Carlos Costa, Fri, 20 Mar 2026YOENIS TELLEZ TRAINING CAMP QUOTES
Fri, 20 Mar 2026Lebron James ties the most game played in NBA history
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Fri, 20 Mar 2026Pichay supports GM Antonio's Australian chess circuit campaign
By Marlon Bernardino, Fri, 20 Mar 2026LIDDARD-DENNY PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES IN FULL: EVERYTHING THAT WAS SAID AHEAD OF SATURDAY'S COPPER BOX FIGHT NIGHT
Fri, 20 Mar 2026Round 12 with Mauricio Sulaiman: The WBC Continues the Fight for the Good of the Sport
By Mauricio Sulaimán, Fri, 20 Mar 2026AMMO: ADAMES FIGHT WILL BE EXPLOSIVE
Fri, 20 Mar 2026Carlos De Leon Training Camp Notes
Fri, 20 Mar 2026