MORETTI: IT WILL BE CASIMERO OR OUBAALI FOR INOUE'S NEXT FIGHT
By Dong Secuya
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 03 Dec 2019
TOKYO -- Top Rank vice-president Carl Moretti whose outfit promotes Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue, told PhilBoxing that "it will be purely a business decision as to who Inoue will fight next."
"It will definitely be a unification fight for Inoue's next fight," Moretti, who is in Japan to attend the ongoing WBO Convention held at the iconic Tokyo Dome Hotel here, said. "But whether it will be against Casimero or Oubaali remains to be seen. We will decide on who Inoue fights next based purely on what kind of business his opponent brings to the table."
Inoue currently holds the IBF and WBA bantamweight titles by virtue of his classic unification battle victory against Filipino star and former WBA champion Nonito Donaire Jnr last Nov. 7 in Saitama, just north of Tokyo.
Johnriel Casimero became the hottest bantamweight on the block when he dethroned long time WBO champion Zolani Tete of South Africa via 3rd round demolition last Saturday in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Nordine Oubaali, the French WBC bantamweight champion who is undefeated in 17 fights, fought on the Inoue-Donaire undercard last month against Inoue's younger brother Takuma who Oubaali soundly defeated by 12 round unanimous decision.
Moretti added that Inoue could fight last week of March or early April next year as the Japanese star needed enough time to have his wounds from the Donaire fight heal thoroughly before climbing back to the ring.
It appears however that Casimero has the inside track to get the Inoue fight as MP Promotions Sean Gibbons is expected to arrive in Tokyo shortly to negotiate with Moretti as well as talk to WBO president Francisco 'Paco' Valcarcel who is himself pushing for the Casimero-Inoue unification fight.
Top photo: L-R: Top Rank president Bob Arum, WBO president Paco Valcarcel and Top Rank vice-president for boxing operations Carl Moretti.
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