Casimero Plotting 2024 Return Against Pound-for-Pound King Inoue

Quitano @quitano Thu, Feb 01 2024

It would be fair to describe John Riel Casimero’s Japanese debut as something of a disappointment.

His October contest with Yukinori Oguni was highly anticipated and expected to be a technical affair, but the action came to an unfortunate end in the fourth round when an accidental clash of heads left Oguni unable to continue and a draw was determined as the final result.

After a few months off, Casimero is ready to return to the ring. But he’s not doing things by halves: he’s called out Oguni’s Japanese countryman – and pound-for-pound king – Naoya Inoue.

Revenge or Repeat

Casimero is a proud fighting man from the Philippines, so there will definitely be a feeling of revenge in the air if he can secure a date with destiny against Inoue – the Japanese star, the undisputed super-bantamweight champion, has twice defeated Casimero’s countryman, Nonito Donaire, effectively ending the Filipino’s career with a harsh knockout back in 2022. Boxing is one of the most popular sports in the Philippines, where many fans grew up on a diet of Manny Pacquiao masterclasses.

He is rumoured to be plotting a rematch with Floyd Mayweather in 2024, which allied to Casimero’s return and some other bright stars emerging from the country, will ensure the popularity of boxing betting in the Philippines remains strong. Bettors can wager on who they think will win a bout, or even take a deep dive into the odds to predict whether the victor will prevail by KO, TKO or on points.

How the betting public would view a Casimero vs Inoue bout remains to be seen, although the Filipino would surely go into it as an underdog against the 30-year-old, who is ranked second in the pound-for-pound rankings by The Ring magazine.

Casimero, the former WBO champion at 118lb, has only fought twice at the higher super-bantamweight limit, with Inoue the naturally bigger man with longer reach.

But if we’ve learned anything from the storied history of Filipino boxing, their proud fighters rarely shirk a challenge.

Tipping the Scales

Another fighter from the Philippines on the move, weight class wise, is Mark Magsayo.

He was crowned the WBC featherweight champion in 2022 after outpointing Gary Russell Jr in New Jersey, but a couple of harsh defeats after clinching the gold left the 28-year-old pondering his future in the sport.

Magsayo returned anew at the tail-end of 2023, stepping up to super-featherweight and blasting out Isaac Avelar inside three rounds.

That victory secured the 28-year-old a top-ten ranking with both the WBA and WBC, which potentially opens the door to a huge fight or two in 2024 and, possibly, even a world title shot next year.

Hector Garcia, who lost his WBA gold to Lamont Roach last year, could be one potential opponent, while there’s also the potential for a money-spinning bout in Great Britain or Ireland against Jono Carroll or Leigh Wood, who himself has moved up from featherweight.

With relative youth on his side, Magsayo is comfortable in the heavier weight class and has plenty of options as he plots his route to the top of the division. Could the man known as ‘Magnifico’ become the next world champion boxer from the Philippines?

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