WORLD Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight champion Johnriel Casimero is out to prove that he’s an elite talent in his weight division as he looks to dispose of two-division world champion Guillermo Rigondeaux Sunday, Aug, 15, 2021 (PH time), at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
Casimero wants to knock out Rigondeaux and move on to face the division’s top fighters in fellow Filipino Nonito Donaire Jr. and Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue.
“I’ve stopped my last six opponents and Rigondeaux is next. If I finish Rigondeaux, then maybe Donaire or Inoue will be next,” said Casimero.
Casimero destroyed his last six opponents, five since moving up to bantamweight.
He won the interim WBO belt with a 12th round knockout of Ricardo Espinoza Franco in 2019 in Carson and followed it up with a 10th round knockout of Cesar Juarez in his first title defense in the Philippines.
Casimero fought Zolani Tete for the regular WBO bantamweight belt in Birmingham, England, and shocked the veteran Tete by stopping him in just three rounds.
The 32-year-old Casimero then made his first title defense as the regular champion against an unbeaten prospect in Duke Micah in Uncasville in 2020. Micah suffered the same fate as Tete and was stopped in just three rounds.
Even though Rigondeaux is already 40 years old, he believes that he still has a lot left in his tank.
“All these jokers always talk a lot about making me retire, but they have to do it in the ring. Let’s see what you do on Saturday. I’m still right here,” he said.
Since suffering his first career defeat, at the age of 37, in the hands of Ukranian superstar Vasyl Lomachenko in 2017, Rigondeaux won his next three contests.
He knocked out Giovanni Delgado in just one round, scored an eighth-round technical knockout of former world champion Julio Ceja and a split decision victory over Liborio Solis to win the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) bantamweight belt.
Casimero was right on the dot at 118 pounds, while Rigondeaux, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, weighed in half a pound lighter at 117 ½ pounds.
Casimero, a three-division world champion, is 30-4 with 21 knockouts, while Rigondeaux is 20-1 with 13 knockouts.
In the undercard, one-time world title challenger Jonas Sultan (16-5, 10 KOs) trades leathers with Sharone Carter (12-4, 3 KOs) in an eight-round bout.
Sultan will be fighting on US soil for the second time in his career. He last saw action in the US against International Boxing Federation (IBF) super flyweight king Jerwin Sultan in an all-Filipino world title fight in 2018.