Fighting in Japan Best Option Now for Aspiring, Promising Filipino Boxers
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 16 Oct 2023
Johnriel Casimero.
Among Filipino boxers fighting abroad, Johnriel Casimero could be in the best ever position right now fighting in Japan under a Japanese promotion.
With the once lucrative US boxing market for Asian, particularly Filipino fighters going dry as American promoters and boxing public are going back to their penchants for marquee fights in the heavier divisions, fighting in Japan is the best option left.
Traditionally, American fight enthusiasts are not fond of the lower divisions, i.e. from 105 lbs minimumweight through 122 lbs junior featherweights and these are the weight classes that most top Asian fighters fight at and usually excel in.
In the past decades; this bias was intermittently altered, the last through the US ring exploits of Manny Pacquiao who captured US fans fancy thru his legendary rivalries against the superb Mexican trio of Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez. However, we know that Pacquiao had to move up to the lightweights and later the welterweights to pursue bigger money fights as Bob Arum and the US fans demanded. And he rousingly succeeded But Pacquiao has since retired from boxing.
Bob Arum has recently tried and is still trying to replicate that Pacquiao exploit with his prized ward Naoya Inoue but his initial attempt to win over the undivided support of US fans was frustrated by the pandemic and his own torpedoing of what was supposedly the Japanese Monster's grand US reintroduction fight in 2020 against then Filipino IBF champion Johnriel Casimero with three major belts at stake: WBA, WBO and IBF plus Ring Magazine lineal recognition.
Inoue fought Australian Jason Moloney in title defense instead and for reduced purse as the fight was held under then very strict pandemic restrictions Although Inoue won impressively by 7th round knockout, he and his main Japanese promoter Teikken was deeply disappointed with what happened in the US.
Since then Inoue has gone back to Japan and decided to fight his major bouts in his own country. Very nationalistic as other Japanese fighters now before him and very conscious of his own contribution to the post pandemic revival and eventual flourishing of boxing in Japan, Inoue figures to maintain that posture in the years to come.
His fights with UK's Paul Butler for the undisputed world bantamweight crown as well as the unified WBC and WBO super bantamweight titles versus Stephen Fulton which could very well been in the US, were both staged in Japan. His fight for the undisputed championship at 122 lbs against Filipino champion Marlon Tapales has been set for December, also in Japan.
Significantly, Japan has regained its old billing as pro boxing capital and powerhouse nation with seven Nippon fighters led by Monster Inoue currently as world champions holding as many as a dozen major boxing belts. Japanese fighters in addition, hold several regional and international titles as the Japan Boxing Commission has recognized the other world boxing bodies aside from WBA and WBC and has been sanctioning bouts even for their minor belts.
Of course, there are disadvantages as there are advantages, primarily bigger or comparable purse in fighting in Japan and under Japanese promoters. But there had been non Japanese fighters adopted by Japan or taken under the wings of Japanese promoters who had experienced resounding success in their careers. Fine examples included Luisito Espinosa and more recently Jorge Linares and Roman Chocolatito Gonzalez.
Johnriel Casimero who is now under a promotion owned by former world champion Masayuki Ito could join this group if he plays his cards right.
Japan has also shed its once ugly image as hometown decision capital. This has been attested by visiting foreign fighters including Filipinos winning bouts or at least getting their fair shakes against Japanese foes.
Casimero himself experienced this as he had an earlier no contest bout against Ryu Akaho overturned to a TKO win and although his recent fight versus Yukinori Oguni was declared a 4h round technical draw, he was leading on scorecards of two Japanese judges.
I hope that the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) under chairman Atty Richard Clarin and boxing division chief Jackie Lou Ornido will help successfully steer our fighters through this Japan pivot.
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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