The camp of John Riel Casimero insists the proposed December two-belt bantamweight showdown with Nonito Donaire hangs in the balance.
“There is no contract,” Casimero’s official representative Sean Gibbons told Daily Tribune Sunday when asked about the supposed document that Donaire’s team had claimed to have forwarded to them.
“What contact? I know of just one contact. The contact for the fight on 14 August (that they supposedly didn’t honor),” Gibbons said.
Gibbons was obviously referring to the document that the two camps agreed on and was later reneged when Donaire withdrew, leaving Casimero with no option but to take on Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux instead.
Even Casimero, who is now vacationing in Ormoc City, Leyte, maintains he hasn’t laid his eyes on the document Donaire was talking about but is looking forward to his arrival in the US soon.
Casimero, the reigning World Boxing Organization champion, swears he is not the type to run away from a fight.
Donaire’s wife and chief handler Rachel said they have been waiting for weeks for Casimero to sign his name above the dotted line.
Having last fought in May when he dethroned Nordine Oubaali as World Boxing Council titleholder, Donaire has been dropping by the gym regularly in anticipation of a big fight towards the end of the year.
Casimero, meanwhile, is busy attending to personal matters in his province and likewise lending a helping hand to the needy.
However, Casimero has to get ready for the trip back to America as per conditioning coach Memo Heredia’s advice.
“If he wants to win (against Donaire), he has to begin training early,” said Heredia, whose latest success story was Cuban Yordenis Ugas.
