What's Next for Quadro Alas Casimero?
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 22 Dec 2022
What's next for Johnriel "Quadro Alas "Casimero after his confirmed 2nd round knockout victory over Japan's Ryu Akaho in South Korea is, well, entirely up to his two Japanese promoters.
Now it can be told that his two Japanese promoters were as interested as the Casimero camp and the protesting Games and Amusements Board (GAB) themselves in having the Korea Boxing Members Commission or KBM overturn the earlier No Contest ruling of the Japanese referee into a knockout victory for Casimero as their continuation as Johnriel's promoters is preconditioned on him winning this comeback fight. Could it be the reason Akaho himself admitted that he quit the fight on pretext of the alleged Casimero wayward punch to the back of his head?
Casimero's victory over the world rated Akaho could also bring him back to the official lists of contenders of the four major world boxing sanctioning bodies WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO where he is currently not in the top 15 either at 118 or 122. Johnriel though is rated #3 by Boxrec at super bantamweight.
Anyway, now that Casimero, under their wings, would be fighting in Japan henceforth unless juicy overseas fights offers come along and that the Akaho episode is behind them, it is not far-fetched to expect the Japanese to set Casimero up for more stern test fights in the island nation.
It is not the first time that Japanese promoters are adopting marquee Filipino or foreign fighters to fight in their home soil. Back in the 90s, they adopted eventual two divisions world champion Luisito Espinosa. Earlier they adopted former Soviets Yuri Arbachakov and Oleg Nazarov who also became world titlists. Later they had Jorge "Nino de Oro" Linares and even for a while Nicaraguan boxing great Roman Chocolatito Gonzalez.
Most of these adopted foreign fighters likewise were pitted against the top Japanese fighters of the time so it is only to be expected that Casimero would be paired against top Japanese boxers going forward. Unlike in the 80s through early 2000s, Japan now has a bumper crop of world beater professional boxers especially at the lower weight classes.
Of course, Filipino boxing fans especially bloggers and netizens are pushing for Casimero to fight either undisputed world bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue or unified super bantamweight titlist Stephen Fulton but those fights are iffy at best at this point.
For one, it depends on what Inoue and Fulton decide to do next.
If Naoya decides to stay at 118, Casimero may have to move back down to the bantamweights for a chance. But then again, Naoya has mandatory defenses to fulfill including against new Filipino bantamweight hero Vincent Astrolabio at IBF.
If Naoya moves up to 122, naturally his main priority would be a fight versus Fulton for his titles if Fulton decides to come back to super bantamweight regardless of the result of his mandated fight versus Figueroa for the vacant WBC featherweight crown early next year. Naoya's priority would be to fight whoever for the titles Fulton would leave behind should the American stylist opted to move up to 126.
But why would Johnriel continue to chase after Naoya when potentially he could vie for any of the world titles The Japanese Monster would leave behind?
It goes without saying though that Quadro Alas Casimero has to keep on winning to keep his options open either at 118 or 122.
But that is not a given as he would be surely fighting against the best that Japan could offer outside of Naoya Inoue in front of a potentially hostile crowd.
Prospectively, Casimero could be ranged against any of these three top Japanese fighters at 118-122 lbs, namely former IBF super bantamweight titlist Ryosuke Iwasa who in 2019 stopped Marlon Tapales, Naoya's brother Takuma Inoue who recently stopped Jake Bornea and the young and fast rising still undefeated Yoshiki Takei who TKOd Pete Apolinar for the OPBF crown and recently halted Australian Bruno Tarimo in the undercards of the Inoue vs Butler fight.
All three tower over Casimero and are solid punchers just like him.
Iwasa though a little past his prime could still be dangerous as he is out to come back from a failed title try versus Uzbek unified world super bantamweight champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev.
Takuma already has a loss in a failed WBC bantamweight title attempt versus then champion Nordine Oubaali whom Nonito Donaire Jr later deposed as titlist. Bit he is also very dangerous especially between 118 and 122.
Takei is still very young and perhaps a little raw with less than ten fights under his belt but most of his wins are by knockout which suggests his mean punching power.
Whoever Johnriel Casimero meets in his next fights in Japan, he has to prepare very well and be very careful and not succumb to bloggers induced self confidence.
We wish Quadro Alas well this coming 2023.
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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