Casimero gets another crack at world crown

Johnriel Casimero will have a shot at becoming a world champion again. But it won’t be easy

The former IBF world light flyweight champion Casimero will be facing the reigning unbeaten champion Amnat Ruenroeng of Thailand.

Though the date has yet to be finalized, the fight will be certainly held in Thailand, according to a report of boxingscene.com.

Casimero became the mandatory challenger of Ruenroeng (15-0, 5KOs) after he pulled off a second-round knockout win over Mexican Armando Hidalgo in their title eliminator showdown in Mexico last December.

Ruenroeng is coming off a big win against Chinese boxing superstar Zou Shi Ming in Macau, China.

Sammy Gello-ani, who co-promotes Casimero along with well-known international promoter and matchmaker Sampson Lewkowicz, will soon announce the date for the huge fight.

Casimero was stripped of his IBF world light flyweight title for being overweight in his title defense against unheralded Colombian boxer Mauricio Fuentes whom he defeated via a first-round knockout last May here.

The 25-year-old Casimero, who sports a record of 21W-2L with 13 knockouts, has been idle for seven months. He has been training for the last two months in Las Vegas, Nevada with close friend and former world champion Marvin Sonsona.

Ruenroeng, an Olympian, is the same boxer who defeated Rocky “Road Warrior” Fuentes of the famed ALA Boxing Gym last year in Thailand.

Christopher “Pingping” Tepora, Casimero’s former trainer, advised the boxer to make the most of the opportunity given to him.

“Now that he was given another chance, he must show a good fight. I trust his trainer in Las Vegas. Jun Agrabio is known to handle boxers well,” said Tepora in Cebuano.

“He has to focus on his training because it’s a rare opportunity to fight for a world title. He must train well and avoid a repeat of the previous incident where he was overweight,” Tepora added.

Tepora believes Casimero is capable of knocking out Ruenroeng.

“I think he can knock Ruenroeng out. He is more powerful while Ruenroeng relies only on his speed. He must pressure his opponent a lot,” added Tepora.

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