CEBU CITY, Philippines—World Boxing Organization (WBO) world bantamweight champion Johnriel Casimero drew the ire of the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) for his alleged violation of the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) that resulted to his cancelled fight in Liverpool, England on April 22, 2022.
On Wednesday, April 20, 2022, GAB Chairman Abraham “Baham” Mitra instructed the agency’s boxing and other contact sports division to conduct an independent investigation about Casimero’s controversy in England.
The flamboyant world champion allegedly used the sauna to cut weight within the fight week, which is a grave violation of BBBofC’s medical guidelines.
The 33-year-old Casimero (31W-4L, 21KOs) was going to defend his title against mandatory challenger Paul Butler (33W-2L, 15KOs) at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England. Casimero was instead replaced by fellow Filipino and WBO Inter-Continental bantamweight champion Jonas Sultan (18W-5L, 11KOs) for the interim world title that will be promoted by boxing outfit Probellum.
This is the second time Casimero botched his world title defense. Last December, he was forced to withdraw from his fight against Butler in Dubai, UAE after he suffered viral gastritis and was hospitalized for a day.
“As the country’s pro boxing regulatory agency, we strongly condemn and discourage the commission of any illegal acts or violation of boxing rules. We will surely look into this and summon Mr. Casimero and his team to shed light on the issue,” Mitra said.
The WBO issued Casimero a “Show-Cause” order to explain why he should not be stripped of the world title.
/bmjo
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