CASIMERO IS NOT AFRAID OF THE MONSTER
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 08 Feb 2020
"This is the best two bantamweights in the world… fighting in the prime of their careers, " international matchmaker Sean Gibbons was quoted in an impromptu press conference for WBO champion Johnriel Casimero in Manila. “We couldn’t make it to Japan (due to) visa problems,” explained Gibbons, president of Manny Pacquiao Promotions, reasoning out why his boxer was absent during the scheduled presser with WBA and IBF champion Naoya Inoue in Japan.
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“I’m not afraid of anyone,” Casimero said. “I feel like I’m the hardest hitter at 118 pounds. Inoue has this shock punch that he throws and I should be very careful, but I believe that I hit harder than him." Curiously, the Ormoc City fighter, who has travelled to box in nine countries outside the country, namely, United Kingdom, United States, Mexico, China, Thailand, Panama, Argentina, South Africa, and Nicaragua, will fight in Las Vegas for the first time. His only bout in the United States was a 12-round KO win over Ricardo Espinoza in April last year in Carson, California.
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Inoue, who has fought in only two countries outside Japan, boxed in the United States and scored a 6th round knockout of Antonio Nieves in September 2017 also in Carson. His only other foreign trip was in Glasgow, Scotland in a two-round demolition of the then-undefeated IBF bantamweight champion Emmanuel Rodriguez last May in the World Boxing Super Series semifinal.
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The unbeaten 27-year-old Japanese was originally mandated to face other Filipino, the top contender Michael Dasmarinas, but was able to make a deal instead with Casimero in a more lucrative fight. “See you Inoue,” challenged Casimero.“You are The Monster. But me, I am the real monster!”
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Shakur Stevenson, the 22-year-old sensation and former Olympian will defend his WBO featherweight world title belt for the first time on Saturday, March 14, against challenger Miguel “Escorpión” Marriaga at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden. Marriaga (29-3, 25 KOs) was beaten in his previous three world title quests against Vasiliy Lomachenko, Oscar Valdez and Nicholas Walters. However he was on a three-bout knockout winning streak. He won over Adones Aguelo of Maasin City, Philippines by unanimous decision in March 2016.
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Stevenson (13-0, 7 KOs) of Newark, New Jersey was the first male boxer from the 2016 Rio Olympics to win a professional world title. Last October, he triumphed over Joet Gonzalez by unanimous decision to win the vacant WBO featherweight world title. The victory over Gonzalez concluded a great year for the Olympic silver medalist, who also defeated challenger Christopher “Pitufo” Diaz on the undercard of the Terence Crawford-Amir Khan main event.
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Deontay Wilder weighed in only 212½ pounds in his first fight against Tyson Fury. The weight was Wilder's lightest since his professional debut in November 2008 when he tipped in at 207¼ pounds. By the time the WBC heavyweight champion fought Fury on December 2018, the 6-feet-7 Wilder came only at approximately 209 pounds, according to Wilder himself and his co-trainer and co-manager Jay Deas.
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Fury, who stands at 6-feet-9, officially was heavier than Wilder by 44 pounds during their first match which was a 12-round split draw at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Deas estimates that Wilder has been lighter than his opponents in 35 of his 43 professional fights, that's why he doesn’t believe Fury’s weight will be an advantage during their February 22 bout at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
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Tyson Fury’s new trainer Sugar Hill will make sure his fighter won’t leave it up to the judges to decide the outcome of his rematch with Deontay Wilder on February 22 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. “That was a risk that Tyson took in the first fight in not stepping on the gas and trying to win on points,” said Sugar Hill in IFL TV regarding Fury’s first fight with Wilder. “He doesn’t want that again. I don’t want it. I wasn’t raised that way. Emanuel [Steward] always taught me, ‘Get the knockout.’"
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Sugar Hill added that that’s the only 100 percent way he knows he won the fight by taking it out of the hands of the judges. He explained that" Tyson did enough to win the fight, even though he was knocked down twice." He said was not mad at the decision because he was always taught, "Don’t leave it in the hands of the judges."
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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