Morris East Happy With WBO Ruling on Ward Johnriel Casimero's Dubai Case
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 25 Dec 2021
Casimero doing the mitts with East.
Former FilAm world titlist now Las, Vegas based boxing manager and trainer-consultant Morris Santillan East, has expressed satisfaction with the recent ruling of the World Boxing Organization (WBO) still recognizing his ward Johnriel Casimero as its world bantamweight champion despite his failure to make a scheduled title defense in Dubai, UAE due to medical emergency.
Casimero went down with viral gastritis and was rushed to the hospital thereby failing to attend the official weigh in of his scheduled December 11, 2021 title defense in Dubai against Paul Butler of the UK which was also cancelled.
East who remains as Casimero's legal manager till February 2022, said that the ruling which also reconfirmed Butler as mandatory challenger and Probellum's right to promote and stage the title fight between the two "will enable Johnriel to properly defend his title inside the ring" at a new date and venue to be determined by Probellum.
Satisfied with the Casimero camp's compliance to its earlier show cause order through duly-issued medical certifications from authorities at the American Hospital in Dubai where Johnriel was confined for five days, the WBO has given Probellum 15 days to decide on proceeding with the fight.
However, the WBO ruled that in the event Casimero again fails to attend even the official weigh in for any reason in the rescheduled title defense, he will be stripped and his title will be declared vacant. Same goes for Butler of his mandatory challenger status.
East said though the ruling may appear stricter with Casimero who was hospitalised for viral gastritis forcing the title bout cancellation, "the WBO decision was fair for all concerned".
When he went to the US after being upset by Jonas Sultan in 2018, Casimero entered to a four-year Exclusive Global Fight Management Contract with East. Shortly after, Johnriel got a crack and won the WBO interim world bantamweight title in Mexico against Espinoza Franco.
But Casimero inexplicably left Morris and went back to the Philippines and fought under different managers and promoters, including MP Promotion forcing East to file a legal suit in Las Vegas.
Later in 2019, Casimero won the WBO regular title via 3rd round knockout of South Africa's Zolani Tete in the UK. Since then, he has defended the title successfully twice stopping Duke Micah of Ghana and outpointing Cuban great Guillermo Rigondeux, both in the USA.
After a lengthy contentious legal battle in Las Vegas, the parties agreed to an out of court settlement where East remains as Casimero's legal manager until February 2022 and therefore has the right to his lawful share of his fight purse per the original exclusive management contract they entered into in 2018.
In the exercise of this legal right, East could also file contract interference case against other parties outside of MP under whom Casimero fought while the exclusive global management contract is still in force.
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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