| |
|
MORETTI: IT WILL BE CASIMERO OR OUBAALI FOR INOUE'S NEXT FIGHT
By Dong Secuya PhilBoxing.com Tue, 03 Dec 2019

TOKYO -- Top Rank vice-president Carl Moretti whose outfit promotes Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue, told PhilBoxing that "it will be purely a business decision as to who Inoue will fight next."
"It will definitely be a unification fight for Inoue's next fight," Moretti, who is in Japan to attend the ongoing WBO Convention held at the iconic Tokyo Dome Hotel here, said. "But whether it will be against Casimero or Oubaali remains to be seen. We will decide on who Inoue fights next based purely on what kind of business his opponent brings to the table."
Inoue currently holds the IBF and WBA bantamweight titles by virtue of his classic unification battle victory against Filipino star and former WBA champion Nonito Donaire Jnr last Nov. 7 in Saitama, just north of Tokyo.
Johnriel Casimero became the hottest bantamweight on the block when he dethroned long time WBO champion Zolani Tete of South Africa via 3rd round demolition last Saturday in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Nordine Oubaali, the French WBC bantamweight champion who is undefeated in 17 fights, fought on the Inoue-Donaire undercard last month against Inoue's younger brother Takuma who Oubaali soundly defeated by 12 round unanimous decision.
Moretti added that Inoue could fight last week of March or early April next year as the Japanese star needed enough time to have his wounds from the Donaire fight heal thoroughly before climbing back to the ring.
It appears however that Casimero has the inside track to get the Inoue fight as MP Promotions Sean Gibbons is expected to arrive in Tokyo shortly to negotiate with Moretti as well as talk to WBO president Francisco 'Paco' Valcarcel who is himself pushing for the Casimero-Inoue unification fight.
Top photo: L-R: Top Rank president Bob Arum, WBO president Paco Valcarcel and Top Rank vice-president for boxing operations Carl Moretti.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Dong Secuya.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 17 MARCH 2026: Collazo Stops Haro; Fundora KO Ruiz; Barboza Outpoints Sims; Cacace UD Dickens By Eric Armit, , Wed, 18 Mar 2026Tapales Near Peak Form Ahead of April 3 Tokyo Showdown with Oguni , Wed, 18 Mar 2026MILLER AND PERO CLASH IN HEAVYWEIGHT SHOWDOWN IN LAS VEGAS ON APRIL 25 , Wed, 18 Mar 2026Middleweight Championship Battle Between (C) Khamzat Chimaev and (#3) Sean Strickland Headlines UFC® 328 at Prudential Center Live on Paramount+ , Wed, 18 Mar 2026Sampson Lewkowicz & TM Boxing Sign Undefeated Mexican Prospect José Ángel Guerrero to Co-Promotional Deal , Wed, 18 Mar 202612-Time World Champion & Hall of Famer James Toney Confirmed for Ninth Annual Box Fan Expo, During Cinco De Mayo Weekend, Saturday May 2, in Las Vegas , Wed, 18 Mar 2026Five stitches for Donaire’s cut By Joaquin Henson, , Tue, 17 Mar 2026Roberto Gomez Training Camp Notes , Tue, 17 Mar 2026Esneth Domingo Trains at the Wildcard Gym in Los Angeles Ahead of His US Debut , Tue, 17 Mar 2026Tatay Digong Birthday Run on March 28 By Lito delos Reyes, , Tue, 17 Mar 202612-0 prospect Marco Romero to headline This Friday in Independence, Missouri , Tue, 17 Mar 2026700 athletes on March 21-22 at UM By Lito delos Reyes, , Tue, 17 Mar 2026United States Earns Four Gold Medals on Final Day of 2026 World Boxing Futures Cup , Mon, 16 Mar 2026Mexico wins 2 bronze medals at World Boxing Futures Cup in Bangkok By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Mon, 16 Mar 2026Arnold Barboza Jr. Shines in Welterweight Debut, Defeats Kenneth Sims Jr. to Claim Wbo Global Welterweight Title , Sun, 15 Mar 2026WBC top contender Canoy returns to Davao with Unanimous Decision Victory , Sun, 15 Mar 2026John Randall Peralta: The Future of the Philippine Chess By Marlon Bernardino, , Sun, 15 Mar 2026Alvin “Felemon” Dologuin Claims Win in Brico Santig’s Show in Thailand (PHOTOS) , Sun, 15 Mar 2026Donaire's Yokohama Showdown: Can our Filipino Flash Outshine the Rising Sun? (WEIGH-IN PHOTOS) By Carlos Costa, , Sun, 15 Mar 2026USA Boxing Youth High Performance Team Wins Five of Eight Bouts on Day Six , Sun, 15 Mar 2026Shai Gilgeous-Alexander surpasses Chamberlain's record of 127 consecutive NBA games with 20 points or more By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Sun, 15 Mar 2026World-Ranked Light Heavyweight Najee Lopez Stops Mexican Terminator Manuel Gallego in Eight Classic Rounds in Main Event of ProBoxTV’s ‘The Contender Series’ , Sat, 14 Mar 2026Weigh-in from Highland Boxing in Bangkok, Thailand; Dologuin in Action (WEIGH-IN PHOTOS) , Sat, 14 Mar 2026Oval rules 35th CityHeights slugfest By Lito delos Reyes, , Sat, 14 Mar 2026Sims vs. Barboza and Dickens vs. Cacace Headline Doubleheader on DAZN By Chris Carlson, , Sat, 14 Mar 2026 |

|
|
|
|
|