By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Japan Boxing Commission (JBC) officially slapped Filipino boxing star John Riel Casimero with a one-year ban after failing to make weight in his recent super bantamweight fight against American Saul Sanchez.
Casimero was overweight by a kilo during the weigh-in of the 122lbs fight and was given by the JBC a two-hour window to reduce.
Despite the two-hour extension, Casimero still went over the limit and had his final recorded weight at 123lbs, a pound higher than the required super bantamweight heaviness.
The JBC stood firm in its decision and stated its ground rules whenever a fighter sets foot in Japan, with the bout happening at the Yokohama Budokan in Yokohama, Japan.
Casimero’s pre-fight blunder didn’t stop him from pulling off a spectacular performance in his comeback fight after knocking out the American challenger in the opening round.
Sanchez made a big mistake after agreeing to trade blows with the more powerful Casimero and received an early count from the referee when he stumbled a couple of times due to the Filipino’s haymakers.
Sensing that Sanchez quickly felt his power, Casimero didn’t think twice and went for the kill, stalking the American pug while firing vicious left hooks that landed at will.
Midway through the round, Casimero floored Sanchez for the first time after hitting a well-timed left hook counter.
However, Sanchez courageously stood up and continued, but Casimero sent the final fatal barrage that forced the match referee to stop the fight.
Without no doubt, Casimero still has the power he usually had and is hoping to attract more title fights following his knockout win on Japanese soil.
Casimero improved his professional record to 34 wins, 23 knockouts, and four losses while Sanchez fell to 21 wins, 12 knockouts, and four defeats.
