Can Casimero Catch Calderon?
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 20 Feb 2010
When I interviewed Johnriel Casimero before he left the country to face Cesar Canchila of Colombia for the vacant WBO interim junior flyweight title, he said that his dream opponent was the undefeated WBO jr. flyweight champion Ivan Calderon of Puerto Rico.
Canchila was not a pushover and Casimero was not looking past him.In the January 2009 issue of Ring magazine he was ranked number 79 among the top 100 best fighters in the world. Canchila previously won the WBA interim title by unanimous decision against Giovanni Segura of Mexico in 2008 but lost to Segura in a rematch by 4th round TKO in March 2009. Casimero scored multiple knockdowns against Canchila on his way to an 11th round TKO win last December 19, 2009 in Managua, Nicaragua. Casimero?s victory also landed him the number seven spot at the start of the year on Ring magazine?s 108 lb. division rankings.
I had a chance to talk to Casimero?s trainer, Pingping Tepura last weekend and he said Johnriel was back training in the gym but had to go home to Leyte for his February 13th birthday. Casimero actually lives inside the premises of the IPI Gym in Mandaue City,Cebu.
Despite previously winning Philippine and WBO Asia-Pacific titles, the 20 year old Casimero (14W- 0 L, 8 KO?s) was a relative unknown before he signed up with Sampson Lewkowicz. But Casimero doesn?t want to be just an ?interim? or a champion in waiting. He wants to be the real thing. But beating a long reigning two time champ and one of the best pure boxers in the world will be a very demanding task.
Calderon (33 W ? 0 L- 1D, 6 KO?s) won the WBO minimumweight title in 2003 and made 11 successful defenses before moving up and winning the WBO jr. flyweight title and defended it successfully five times.
It was his last two defenses against Rodel Mayol which had a lot of Filipino contenders in the 105 to 108 lb weight range wishing for a shot against the Puerto Rican champion.
Their first fight in June 2009 ended in a split technical draw and in their rematch last September 2009, Calderon won a 7th round technical decision against Mayol when Calderon was once again unable to continue due to an accidental clash of heads with two judges scoring it 68-65 for Calderon and one judge had it 68-65 for Mayol for a technical decision win for the champion.
Calderon is very small at five feet but is a very slippery customer. He can?t punch but his speed and skills are at a very high level. Even as a 35 year old, no one has been able to catch him.
Promoter Sammy Gello-ani has informed through e-mail that negotiations are ongoing for this intriguing match-up between two undefeated fighters.
Luis Batista-Salas, Chairman of the Championship Committee of the World Boxing Organization said that the parties have twenty days to negotiate an agreement. If not a purse bid will be ordered with a minimum of 80,000 dollars. He also cited Section 19 (d) of the WBO Rules and Regulations of World Championship Contests:
?The Championship Committee may order an Interim Championship bout when the Champion is incapacitated, inactive or when a Champion is moving out of his division to fight for another championship? If an Interim Championship is held due to a Champion?s inactivity, the Champion must defend his title against the Interim Champion within 120 days of the Interim Championship or the Interim Champion shall become Champion.?
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