The IBF Light Flyweight champion John Riel Casimero (17-2, 10) has had a very interesting career so far and despite only being 23 he has probably has more stories than many seasoned veterans. He's fought around the world, "caused" a riot by beating a controversial Argentinian and become a genuinely solid (though criminally under-rated) fighter. This weekend sees Casimero on the road again as he fights for the first time in Panama defending his title against the once beaten Luis Alberto Rios (18-1-1, 13).
Casimero debuted way back in 2007 as a fresh faced 17 year old and in a little over a year he had already claimed a notable title winning the Philippines Boxing Federation Flyweight title and upsetting the experienced Rodel Quilaton. That was just Casimero's 10th professional bout. Just months later Casimero would capture the WBO Asia Pacific Light Flyweight title title and prove himself to be one of the most exciting teenagers in the sport.
Aged just 19 Casimero left his native Philippines for the first time and traveled to Nicaragua to fight seasoned Colombian Cesar Canchila (who had been the first man to beat Giovanni Segura just 17 months earlier) in a bout for the interim WBO Light Flyweight title. Many had written off the relatively unknown Casimero who shocked many fan of the lower divisions by stopping Canchila in 11 rounds to take the title back home. Sadly Casimero's title reign was short lived as he would the belt in his next bout via split decision to Mexican Ramon Garcia Hirales.
Casimero's road journey continued in his next bout as he traveled to South Africa and faced the genuinely excellent Moruti Mthalane in an IBF Flyweight title bout. Mthalane was too big, too talented and too strong for the brave Casimero who was stopped in the fifth round.
After 3 fights away from home Casimero swiftly dispatched with Roemart Sentillas in the Philippines before arguably scoring his biggest win in Argentina where he stopped the very unlikable Luis Alberto Lazarte for the interim IBF Light Flyweight title. Sadly that bout is better remembered for the disgusting scenes that followed the bout rather than the victory for Casimero, who was later pelted with items as the crowd almost tried to kill him in one of the most horrific scenes seen in boxing in the past decade.
Since claiming the IBF Light Flyweight title Casimero has made a solitary defense of the belt, defeating Pedro Guevara in Mexico by split decision (in a bout that saw Guevara on the canvas numerous times with them often being ruled as "slips").
In terms of Casimero in the ring he's fearless, he's fast, accurate and a very under-rated fighter. I wouldn't put him in with Roman Gonzalez or Kazuto Ioka but against anyone else in the division he would at very least hold his own. He's only really been beaten once and that was by Mthalane who I'm a huge admirer off and in that bout everything was against Casimero, including weight and the crowd (and it showed as he was honesty swatted around by Mthalane). At Light Flyweight he's a genuine nightmare for anyone and he keeps his power late having stopped both Canchila (TKO11) and Lazarte (TKO10) late.
Going into this bout relatively little is known of Luis Alberto Rios. The 23 year old Panamanian challenger has, like Casimero, been a professional since 2007 and been in pretty much the same number of fights, though all of his have been at home in fact almost all of them have taken place in Panama City.
Despite fighting just in Panama Rios has faced several better known fighters. These have seen him scoring victories over Edwin Diaz, Walter Tello (who faces Alberto Rossel in Peru also this weekend), local journeyman Carlos Melo, former world title contender Luis Carrillo and most recently Felipe Salguero, also a world title contender. What is notable from those fights is that Rios has a solid punch on him having taken out Salguero (TKO11), Carillo (TKO5), Tello (TKO4).
It's not all good news for Rios though. He has been stopped himself (against Luis Carrillo) and was held to a draw with Carlos Melo in a rematch. He was dropped last time out against Salguero and if I'm being honest Salguero is no Casimero and this is what swings me in to feeling that Casimero should be able to hurt and stop Rios.
Prediction-Casimero TKO9
No comments:
Post a Comment