By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
After four months, Johnriel Casimero’s quest for boxing greatness continues.
Fresh off a unanimous decision victory over Namibian foe Filipus Nghitumbwa to claim the World Boxing Organization (WBO) global super bantamweight title, Casimero will again fight in the same division, this time against Japanese challenger Yukinori Oguni on October 12, 2023.
The bout will take place at the famous Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, under a 10-round 122-lbs match condition.
This is a big fight for the three-division world champion and is a big stepping stone for his dream match against Naoya “Monster” Inoue who recently unified the bantamweight division after a knockout victory over Stephen Fulton a month ago.
Despite the recent controversies that hindered Casimero’s negotiations with Inoue over the past year, the 34-year-old Filipino pug is eager to get back on track and redeem himself in the scene.
One year ago, Casimero was stripped off his bantamweight belt after he violated a weight-cut rule heading into his second arranged fight against English boxer Paul Butler.
The WBO found out that Casimero used the sauna for weight-cutting purposes, a strictly prohibited way of losing pounds by the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoC).
WBO made their decision official after posting the actual written document of Casimero’s penalty which included their grounds and reasons why they chose to strip him of his belt.
In the eight-page document, the WBO shared the detailed timeline of Casimero’s violations which was signed and noted by Chairman and president Luis Batista Salas.
Casimero then made his ring return last December 3, 2022, against Ryo Akaho of Japan and knocked him out in the second round.
The power puncher then racked up his second-straight win when he out-pointed Nghitumbwa held at the Okada Manila Grand Ballroom in Parañaque.
If Casimero is able to cruise past Oguni, he will then be looking to challenge Inoue again for a bantamweight mega-fight which was supposed to happen two years ago.
Can Casimero deliver against another Japanese and score his third-straight victory?
