TEAM CASIMERO FLIES BACK SHAKEN BUT NOT STIRRED
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 14 Feb 2012
Newly-crowned International Boxing Federation (IBF) light-flyweight champion Johnriel Casimero and his party will fly back home three days after crowning himself the 108-pound titleholder via a riotous 10th round technical knockout victory over local boy Luis Lazarte at Club Unidos in Mar del Plata, Argentina. Casimero, who turns 22 Monday, and his camp, headed by business manager Sammy Gello-ani, were attacked by irate Argentine fans before the decision of his title conquest was announced.
?None of us was really hurt seriously,? Gell-ani told Malaya Business Insight in an overseas telephone interview midnight Sunday from Hotel Primacy in Buenos Aires where Team Casimero stayed before and after the scheduled 12-round title bout.
?Johnriel, Cris and myself only suffered concussions as a result of the flying chairs and blows hit us,? Gello-ani said in Tagalog. ?Outside of those injuries, we will be returning home intact.We will be there Tuesday afternoon, on or about 3 o?clock safe and healthy as we left Manila.?
Gello-ani said his team stake a midnight flight Sunday (Monday morning in Manila) to Sao Paolo, Brazil then to Manila at dawn.
?No problem. I would just want to inform our ?Kababayans? back home that we?re alright and there?s nothing to worry about. Of course, when you saw it on tv, it looked like a very serious matter. The riot lasted for more than half-an-hour. And we were escorted by security out of the stadium and on to our hotel,? Gello-ani related.
?Everybody we met in the hotel and on the streets were very apologetic for what happened. They were asking for pardon, in fact,? he assured.
Casimero suffered concussions after being hit by a chair thrown by the unruly crowd believed to be members of Lazarte?s truck driver?s union. He along with Gello-ani, trainer Christopher Tepura and American cornerman Sean Gibbons of Top Rank received kicks and punches from those able to climb the ring at the height of the attack. A fan wearing a vest with the words ?Camioneros-Peronista? was seen throwing punches at Gello-ani in the head. Security personnel inside the stadium were outnumbered by fans who couldn?t believe their idol had been beaten by the unheralded Filipino.
U.S-based co-promoter Sampson Lewkowicz, reported though that Gibbons ended up with two broken ribs as a result of the attacks.
"I sent my good dear friend, Sean Gibbons, there for the fight, but I feel so guilty that he has two broken ribs because he was attacked," Lekowicz told Lem Satterfield of Ring Magazine.
Gello-ani said Lazarte himself and Argentine promoter Osvaldo Rivero went to Casimero?s dressing room after the fight and apologized for the incident.
?It was just a case of the fans felt aggrieved by their idol?s loss, which they cannot accept. It happens often really, but the Argentine friends of Lazarte in the union just went overboard,? Casimero?s manager pointed out.
Lazarte, who dropped to 49-11-2, 18 KOs, was in desperation mode, trying to fend off the attacks of Casimero, who dropped him to the canvass for third time, when referee Eddie Claudio stepped in to stop the bout in the 10th. Shortly afterward fans began throwing bottles and chairs into the ring. Lewkowicz said he plans to file a formal complaint with the IBF.
?We?ll fight in Argentina again but never in Mar del Plata,? Gello-ani, for his part vowed.
(Contr. Editor's note - Last info given by SGG promotions to philboxing - they will be in Cebu in the afternoon of Feb.14)
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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