GAB Welcomes, Supports Casimero Comeback; Vicelles vs Suganob IBF Title Elim, Good or Bad?
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 20 Oct 2022
The Games and Amusements Board through GAB Boxing Division Chief Jackie Lou Cacho Ornido welcomes and supports defrocked WBO bantamweight champion Johnriel Casimero's long awaited return to the ring as a super bantamweight in an announced 10 round non title bout against Japan's surging Ryo Akaho on December 3 in South Korea.
Ornido said it is understandable that Casimero has decided to move up in weight as he was having trouble keeping the 118 lbs bantamweight maximum weight limit, the main reason he failed to meet his WBO mandatory title defense versus Paul Butler the two past occasions, prompting the WBO to strip him of his world title.
"It was already a challenge for him to make 118 so that fight will take place at 122," Ornido said.
Ornido said the bout is going to be a good fight as both Casimero and Akaho are hard hitters but it is quite assuring that the contest will be held in a neutral ground.
"We hope to claim another victory overseas and eventually produce another world champion. We, at GAB, are ready to extend support to Casimero's ring return," Ornido assures.
In another development, two rated Filipino fighters Mark Vicelles and Regie Suganob have been ordered by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) to clash in a title eliminator before the end of the year to determine the mandatory challenger to newly crowned IBF world light flyweight champion Sevi Notshinga of South Africa.
Vicelles and Suganob are both still undefeated and are highly rated by the IBF. Their handlers have also been ordered to negotiate and come to an agreement for the holding of the mandated world title eliminator not later than November 3 or the IBF itself will conduct a purse bidding.
It appears that both the Vicelles and the Suganob camps are willing to comply hence an announcement may be issued soon.
This is not the first time that the IBF has ordered an all Filipino world title eliminator with Casimero and Jonas Sultan fighting in 2017 for the right to challenge then reigning IBF world super flyweight titlist Jerwin Ancajas with Sultan pulling off an upset.
While the fight between Vicelles and Suganob is generally welcomed as it is a good break, some knowledgeable quarters see a downside to it.
For one, they contend, we do not have that many world rated and world class fighters at light flyweight unlike in say, the minimumweight or bantamweight divisions. It would have been better had one or the other is pitted against a foreigner in the title eliminator thereby ensuring that we still have a reserve for other title opportunities in case of win or defeat.
Incidentally, Vicelles and Suganob could indeed be our best bets at 108 lbs due to the fact that they are still unbeaten and based on their performance as of yet.
Since the likes of Brian Viloria, Johnriel Casimero and Donnie Nietes moved up to the higher weights after reigning as world champions during their tenure at light flyweight in the past decades, the Philippines has not been that strong in the weight class.
The last Filipino world champion in the division was Milan Melindo who won the IBF interim world belt in 2016 and later the regular title in 2017 by shock 2nd round knockout of multi titled Japanese Akira Yaegasi but was unseated in 2018 by Roichi Taguchi. He has since challenged twice for the WBA and later WBC crowns but failed on both tries.
Other Filipino fighters have vied for the world championships at 108 lbs in the recent years like Jonathan Taconing, Randy Petalcorin and Edward Heno but all fell short.
Some of these fighters are still around and world rated but are no longer considered as world beaters in the division dominated for years now by the Japanese pair of Hiroto Kyoguchi and Kenshiro Teraji who own the WBA, WBC and Ring Magazine titles.
South African Notshinga won the vacant IBF title by outpointing Mexican Hector Flores recently. Notshinga previously defeated another Filipino Christian Araneta to gain the title crack.
The IBF crown was vacated by Nicaragua's Felix Alvarado who incidentally won the previous vacant title by stopping yet another Filipino fighter Randy Petalcorin in Manila in 2018.
The current WBO world titlist is Mexico's Elwin Soto who has already turned back the challenge of Edward Heno sometime back.
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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