Casimero stakes belt against Ghanaian Micah
WORLD Boxing Organization ( WBO) bantamweight champion John Riel Casimero stakes his belt on Sunday against an Olympian from Ghana who kept under wraps his preparation for the showdown set at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut in the US.
Casimero, the 31- year- old pride of Ormoc City, faces London 2012 veteran Duke Micah in the fight organized by Showtime and Premier Boxing Champions.
“There could be something about him [Micah], his defeaning silence could mean he’s either a good fighter or I’ll send him to sleep come fight night,” Casimero told the Businessmirror on Friday.
Duke was peculiarly silent during the fight’s news conference on Wednesday, providing a tinge of mystery over how the Ghanaian would perform on Saturday.
But Casimero oozes with confidence over his opponent who he describe as “amateurish.”
Casimero (29- 4 won- lost with 20 knockouts) warned the unbeaten Micah (24- 0 with 19 knockouts) to brace himself for a world- class confrontation and be ready to be at the receiving end of his frustration of missing a chance at going after Japanese Naoya Inoue’s hide.
The Filipino champion was originally penned for a fight with Inoue (19- 0 record with 16 knockouts), the International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Association bantamweight, but their April 25 bout at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas was ran over by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Instead of going ahead of the unification bout, Inoue’s promotions outfit Top Rank opted for Australia’s Jason Moloney in November.
“Be prepared Micah, catch my frustrations through my fists,” Casimero said. “I am much better now after staying here in the US training since February. I really feel good than ever.”
Casimero is under the tutelage of former world champion Clarence “Bones” Adams and Stephen Lunas and has been under the watch of international matchmaker Sean Gibbons and his older brother, Jayson Casimero.
“As long as Casimero gets warmed up,
I think Micah won’t last and the fight won’t go the distance,” said Gibbons, also Manny Pacquiao’s MP Promotions president.
The three- division champion Casimero has been facing, and beating African opponents of late. Last November, he dethroned South African Zolani Tete via third round technical knockout in Birmingham, England.
“Casimero is a good boxer, but I’m a different fighter than I’ve been in the past. I’ve never been more ready for a fight than I am for this one,” Micah, known as the “Baby Faced Terminator,” told Casimero in the fight news conference.