SPORTS SHORTS 113: JOHNRIEL CASIMERO FACES GUILLERMO RIGONDEAUX IN A UNIFICATION FIGHT ON AUGUST 14
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 25 Apr 2021
Johnriel Casimero swore to knock out two-time Olympic champion Guillermo Rigondeaux when they collide on August 14 at a still to be determined location in the United States. MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons announced the Casimero-Rigondeaux fight, saying Casimero will start his US training camp on June 1.
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“Johnriel Casimero will be fighting a two-time world champion, a former two-time Olympic gold medalist and an all-time greatest amateur fighter,” said Gibbons, invoking the deadly Cuban Rigondeaux who won gold medals at the 2000 Sydney and the 2004 Athens Olympics as a bantamweight. “It’s a tremendous fight,” he said.
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Gibbons said Casimero (30-4 with 21 KOs) will avenge the loss of then world champion Nonito Donaire Jr. hopefully by dealing Rigondeaux the second defeat of his career.
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“He is going to do the fight fans a favor and give revenge for Nonito Donaire’s loss. He is going to knock out Rigondeaux dead,” Gibbons was quoted by Business Mirror.
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Gibbons is hoping Casimero would be zealously preparing in his hometown at present. “I hope he is training now, and not wait until June 1. We are not worried about Casimero though because he knows what he’s doing,” Gibbons added.
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Casimero will train under famous strength and conditioning coach Angel "Memo" Heredia. Rigondeaux won a unanimous decision over Donaire in April 2013, on a very tactical fight to grab the WBO and WBA super bantamweight titles in New York City.
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Casimero had six straight knockout wins since 2018, including his recent third round technical knockout win over Duke Micah last September 26 in Connecticut, giving a warning on “El Jackal” Rigondeaux.
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Casimero hopes to win amazingly to get another shot at a unification bout with pound-for-pound rated fighter, the unbeaten Japanese champion Naoya Inoue, who he was supposed to clash in April last year but was cancelled due to the pandemic.
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It would be the most significant fight for Rigondeaux since his loss against to Vasyl Lomachenko of Ukraine on December 2017. Rigondeaux won the vacant World Boxing Association regular bantamweight title last February against Venezuelan Liborio Solís by split decision.
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Rigondeaux held the WBA (Regular) bantamweight title since February 2020 and the unified WBA (Super), WBO, and The Ring super bantamweight titles from 2013 to 2017.
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Lomachenko defeated Rigondeaux for the WBO super featherweight championship on December 9, 2017 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
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Lomachenko and Rigondeaux are regarded as two of the best amateurs in history, with each boxer winning two Olympic gold medals. It was the first time double Olympic gold medal winners fought professionally and Lomachenko won by TKO when Rigondeaux quit after the 6th round due to an alleged left hand injury.
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After the defeat against Lomachenko, the 40-year-old veteran defeated two Mexican fighters Giovanni Delgado by 1st round KO and Julio Ceja by 8th round TKO.
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But none of these opponents were of the same level as Casimero. who has been champion in three divisions. The boxer known as "Quadro Alas" was the WBO bantamweight champion since November 2019 and the IBF junior-flyweight titlist from 2012 to 2013 and the IBF flyweight title holder in 2016.
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Johnriel Casimero was born on February 13, 1990 in Ormoc City, Leyte. His moniker is Quadro Alas is which means Four Aces.
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Casimero became the fourth Filipino fighter to win world titles in at least three weight classes after stopping South African Zolani Tete in the 3rd round on November 30, 2019 in Birmingham, England to win the WBO bantamweight title. He joined Manny Pacquiao, Nonito Donaire Jr., and Donnie Nietes in the elite list.
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Casimero sent Tete down to the canvas for the first time with a right hook. Then Casimero finished him off with a thundering left hook on the head that crashed Tete into the ropes. This prompted referee Steve Gray to stop the fight.
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Casimero is a traveller and has fought in ten different countries namely Nicaragua, Mexico, South Africa, Argentina, Panama, Thailand, China, United Kingdom, United States, and the Philippines. Fourteen of his 34 fights were done outside the country.
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Rigondeaux, now 40-years old, born in Santiago de Cuba, has 20 wins, 13 of these by KO, with only one loss to Lomachenko and one no contest with Moises Flores of Mexico.
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Casimero lost to South African Moruti Mthalane by 5th round TKO, to Mexican Ramón García Hirales by split decision, to Thailand's Amnat Ruenroeng by unanimous decision and to compatriot Jonas Sultan by unanimous decision.
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Coach Norman Black said of 7-3 center Kai Sotto. "I'm not sure whether he is ready for the NBA at this moment. I think he still has to improve more," Black said in the Power and Play over Radyo Singko.
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"I think he has to become a little bit more powerful around the basketball. It is either he has to become more powerful around the basketball or he has to really perfect his three-point shot."
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Joel Casamayor of Cuba won the 1992 Barcelona Olympic gold medal in the bantamweight class. He became professional world champion in the WBA super featherweight (2000-2002) and WBC lightweight (2006-2007) divisions.
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Cassius Clay of USA won the 1960 Rome Olympic gold medal in light heavyweight class. He became professional world champion in the undisputed heavyweight (1964-1964), WBC heavyweight (1964-1967), undisputed heavyweight (1967-1967), undisputed heavyweight (1974-1978), and WBA heavyweight (1978-1979) divisions.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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