A few notes from around the boxing world:
Last June, Filipino flyweight Johnriel Casimero (22-3, 14 KOs), a former junior flyweight titleholder, lost a decision in Thailand challenging Amnat Ruenroeng for his world title. After exacting revenge and claiming the 112-pound belt by fourth-round knockout on May 25 in Beijing, Casimero?s team proclaimed him ready for the best opponent in the division: recognized champion and pound-for-pound king Roman ?Chocolatito? Gonzalez (45-0, 38 KOs). ?Next, we want to unify against Chocolatito,? said Sampson Lewkowicz, Casimero?s promoter. ?Tell him we are ready any time. They say no one wants to fight Gonzalez. We do! Johnriel is right here and ready to unify the championships. My phone is always on. Let’s make it happen.” ▪
The WBC, which recently aligned itself with the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association to take the lead on drug testing for the organization, announced that it has formed a ?clean boxing program emergency committee,? which will meet this month to continue the process of determining how to handle the situation with Alexander Povetkin, the heavyweight mandatory challenger whose failed drug test in April for the banned substance meldonium caused his May 21 shot at word titleholder Deontay Wilder to be called off. Wilder, meantime, was granted permission to take an optional defense this summer. ▪
Showtime, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary of televising boxing this year, has been dipping into its extensive library each month to show many of the most famous fights and fighters it has aired. This month is dedicated to perhaps the most famous fighter to grace its airwaves: Mike Tyson. The Hall of Fame former heavyweight champion was under contract to Showtime for years and the network will air past Tyson fights each Thursday this month on Showtime Extreme (10 ET/PT) beginning this week with replays of his rarely seen two-fight series with Donovan ?Razor? Ruddock. The rest of the schedule: June 9 (Peter McNeeley, Frank Bruno II, Bruce Seldon), June 16 (Frans Botha, Julius Francis, Lou Savarese), June 23 (Brian Nielsen, Clifford Etienne) and on June 30 all 10 bouts will be replayed in celebration of Tyson?s 50th birthday, which is June 30.
