CASIMERO TO PREPARE RIGOROUSLY FOR TETE'S WORLD TITLE
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 28 Aug 2019
Johnriel Casimero of Ormoc City will get a chance to challenge the WBO world bantamweight championship in the United States this year. The WBO has ordered interim champion Casimero and world champion Zolanie Tete of South Africa to fight for the title within 90 days.
This was announced by Sean Gibbons, president of Manny Pacquiao Promotions which manages Casimero, and his fighter will grab the opportunity to become another Filipino world champion.
Gibbons said that Senator Manny Pacquiao and his MPP team will make a significant offer together with Premier Boxing Champions to realize the fight in the United States possibly in November this year. He added that Pacquiao is committed to create the best scenarios for his MPP fighters to level the playing field in order to win their fights.
Casimero said he would prepare thoroughly for Tete who was scheduled to fight Nonito Donaire in the World Boxing Super Series semifinal bout last April but withdrew due to an injured right shoulder. He added that Tete is a very dangerous opponent because he has power and a very long reach.
Tete stands 5-foot 9 inches, taller than Casimero by 5 inches. He has a record of 28-3 with 21 KOs. He holds an 11-second stoppage of fellow South African Siboniso Gonya which is the shortest time for a world title fight which took place in 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Tete hasn?t fought since defeating Mikhail Aloyan last October in the World Boxing Super Series. The UK based South African southpaw made his bantamweight debut on 2016. On his third fight at the weight, Tete defeated Filipino "King" Arthur Villanueva. Tete won a lopsided unanimous decision dropping Villanueva in round 11.
?Now we tell Zolani Tete, you better get that full belt because Casimero is coming for it,? said Gibbons, as quoted by RingTV.
"Quadro Alas" Casimero demolished Mexican opponent Cesar Ramirez and clinched a 10th-round knockout victory to defend his WBO interim bantamweight crown Saturday night at the San Andres Sports Civic Center, Manila.
Casimero floored Ramirez twice in the early rounds before connecting a solid left uppercut followed up with a thundering right hook that landed on the jaw, flew Ramirez?s mouthpiece before the Mexican dropped with his back to the canvas. The referee did not count and immediately stopped the fight at 2:23 of the 10th round.
Casimero's trainer Nonoy Neri told his fighter that he could absorb the Mexican's blows and ordered to penetrate him more to land as many punches as possible.
Casimero's record improved to 28-4 with 19 KOs, but the most significant aspect of the victory was the opportunity to become a mandatory challenger to Tete, the reigning WBO bantamweight champion and the former IBF junior bantamweight champion.
Ramirez, a former WBC FECOMBOX super bamtamweight champion, dropped his record to an 18-4 with 11 KOs as he was knocked down in the third and seventh rounds. He also went down in the fifth round in what looked like a slip, but he was given a mandatory 10-count by the referee.
The Mexican recovered and battered Casimero in the fifth round and the succeeding rounds when the Filipino champ appeared to lost steam. Casimero had to go through the agony of two extra hours of sweating to make the limit of the bantamweight division of 118 pounds. While Ramirez easily weighed 117.6 pounds in his first try.
The Filipino's resilience withstood the onslaught as he retaliated and pummelled Ramirez with solid punches as the Mexican succumbed to weariness which Casimero took advantage.
Casimero decided to go home to Ormoc after his win, rest for two weeks, then proceed to Davao to train with coach Nonoy Neri.
According to Casimero, the plan is for him to spend the last month of his training for Tete at Wild Card Gym in Hollywood.
Casimero is a former two-division world champion having won the IBF flyweight world title and IBF junior flyweight world title and was a former WBO light flyweight interim champion.
His four losses were dealt by Mexico's Ramon Garcia Hirales by split decision, South Africa's Moruti Mthalane by 5th round TKO, Thailand's Amnat Ruenroeng by unanimous decision and by countryman Jonas Sultan by unanimous decision.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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