By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Johnriel Casimero is back.
After an impressive second-round technical knockout on Japanese veteran Ryo Akaho last December 2022, the Filipino boxing superstar will be returning to the ring on May 13, 2023, to challenge Fillipus Nghitumbwa from Namibia, the current title-holder of the World Boxing Organization (WBO) Global super bantamweight division.
The bout was made official after Casimero signed the fight contract under the Treasure Boxing Promotion headed by promoter and former world champion Masayuki Ito of Japan.
Casimero, who had a convincing super bantamweight debut against Akaho, will look to extend his winning streak and snatch the WBO Global title away from the Namibian tactician.
Nghitumbwa is an entirely different animal from Akaho who loves to engage in slugfests, the thing that Casimero desires the most as a pressure fighter.
The current champion is a rising star in the 122-pound division and only lost once in 13 bouts with 11 impressive knockouts.
On the other hand, Casimero, the tagged nemesis of former bantamweight king Naoya Inoue, is holding a record of 32 wins, 22 knockouts, and four losses.
Casimero nearly lost his chance of improving his boxing ranking after his initial results against Akaho became a no-contest decision.
A stunning turn of events shocked the Casimero camp after Akaho complained that he was hit at the back of his head which stopped the fight momentarily in the second round.
Akaho was seen grimacing in pain while holding the back of his head which forced the referee to call the fight an official no-contest.
However, a month after the fight, the Korean Boxing Member (KBM) Commission released an official statement regarding the elevation of the fight result to a victory given to Casimero.
The move done by the KBM Commission came after the Games and Amusement Board (GAB) issued a formal complaint.
If Casimero outclasses Nghitumbwa in the bout scheduled to take place at the Okada Manila Hotel and Casino in Parañaque City, this will put him back at the top of the boxing ranks after getting stripped off his previous bantamweight title due to violating a weight-cut rule heading into his second arranged fight against English boxer Paul Butler.
