Johnriel Casimero finds himself pitted against Duke Micah after his bantamweight unification bout against Naoya Inoue fell through
Johnriel Casimero now has somebody to vent his anger on – Duke Micah.
After his unification showdown with Naoya Inoue fell through, Casimero found himself pitted against Micah instead.
Micah who? He is an unbeaten 2012 London Olympian from Ghana with a knockout rate even higher than Casimero.
The 27-year-old Ghanaian stopped 19 of his 24 victims for a knockout rate of nearly 80%.
With 20 knockouts in 29 victories against 4 losses, Casimero has a knockout rate of 60.61%.
Casimero, who has been training in the United States since late February, was supposed to dangle his World Boxing Organization bantamweight crown against Inoue, the International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Association titlist, on April 26. But the bout got moved due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Rather than return to the Philippines, Casimero opted to wait for Inoue in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, Top Rank big boss Bob Arum changed his mind and decided to pit his ward, Inoue, against Jason Moloney in a bout yet to be finalized as the Japanese “Monster” remains at home due to travel restrictions.
This development forced MP (Manny Pacquiao) Promotions president Sean Gibbons to look for an alternative opponent.
The Casimero-Micah bout is scheduled September 26 at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. Promoted by Premier Boxing Champions, it will be on Showtime pay-per-view.
At 5-foot-7, Micah will enjoy a three-inch height and reach advantage over Casimero, a three-division world champion.
Micah started his pro career with 13 straight knockouts, although he has stopped only 2 of his last 5 opponents.
Casimero has knocked out his last 5, including the touted Zolani Tete, a former two-division world champion.
Like Casimero, Micah doesn’t fear anybody in the ring and likes to trade punches.
It will hardly be surprising therefore if the fight for Casimero’s belt doesn’t go the full 12 rounds. – Rappler.com
