Philippines, 06 Jun 2025
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


SPORTS SHORTS 5: RIGONDEAUX WANTS TO FIGHT CASIMERO WHO ACCEPTS THE CHALLENGE


PhilBoxing.com





Two-time Olympic gold medal winner Guillermo Rigondeaux challenged WBO bantamweight champion Johnriel Casimero on a possible unification match on March or April next year. It would be the most significant fight for Rigondeaux since his loss to Vasyl Lomachenko of Ukraine in December 2017. Rigondeaux won the vacant World Boxing Association regular bantamweight title last February against Venezuelan Liborio Solís by spilt decision.

* * *

Rigondeaux held the WBA (Regular) bantamweight title since February 2020 and the unified WBA (Super), WBO, and Ring magazine super-bantamweight titles between 2013 and 2017. Lomachenko defeated Rigondeaux for the WBO super featherweight championship on December 9, 2017 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Lomachenko and Rigondeaux are regarded as two of the best amateurs in history, with each boxer winning two Olympic gold medals. It was the first time double Olympic gold medal winners fought professionally and Lomachenko won by TKO when Rigondeaux quit after the 6th round due to an alleged left hand injury.

* * *

After the defeat against Lomachenko, the 40-year-old veteran defeated two Mexican fighters Giovanni Delgado by 1st round KO and Julio Ceja by 8th round TKO, but none of these opponents were of the same level as Casimero who has been champion in three divisions. The boxer known as "Quadro Alas" was the WBO bantamweight champion since November 2019 and the IBF junior-flyweight titlist from 2012 to 2013 and the IBF flyweight title holder in 2016.

* * *

"[Casimero is] the one I want. It's the perfect one for my desire to unify titles. I have the World Boxing Association and he owns the World Boxing Organization. So I have to go over him to take his title and keep adding wins over champions," Rigondeaux told George Ebro as quoted by Boxing Scene. "He's a veteran and I respect him as a champion, but I have [respect] for everyone and I know how to adapt to the opponent, whoever it is, when the bell rings."

* * *

"Tara tol! Walang takbuhan! Basagan lang ng mukha (Let's go, bro! No running! Just destroying each other's face)!" Casimero said on social media as quoted by Roy Luarca of Rappler. The 30-year-old Ormoc City, Leyte native is known as a fearless fighter who won't backout from facing any deadly opponent. He was scheduled to face the dreaded "Monster" from Japan Naoya Inoue last April but was cancelled due to the pandemic.

* * *

Rigondeaux, now 40-years old, born in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba has 20 wins, 13 of these by KO, with only one loss to Lomachenko and one no contest with Moises Flores of Mexico. Casimero, on the other hand, has 30 wins, with 21 KO victories and 4 losses. He lost to South African Moruti Mthalane by 5th round TKO, to Mexican Ramón García Hirales by split decision, to Thailand's Amnat Ruenroeng by unanimous decision and to compatriot Jonas Sultan by unanimous decision.

* * *

LeBron James moved past Oscar Robertson as No. 2 all-time Christmas Day scorer after finishing with 22 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists on the Los Angeles Lakers win over the Dallas Mavericks, 138-115 at the Staples Center. Robertson scored a total of 377 points on 12 Christmas Day games with four triple doubles. James now has 383 on 15 Yuletide games. Kobe Bryant is still the top Christmas scorer with 395 in 16 games.

* * *

Celebrated Mexican trainer Ignacio "Nacho" Beristain boldly predicted that Saul "Canelo" Álvarez would be able to knock out Gennadiy Golovkin in case they would fight a third time in a much sought trilogy. He has seen Canelo vastly improved during the recent beating of undefeated super middleweight Callum Smith. “This time Canelo did convince me,” Nacho told ESPN Deportes. “I really liked the way he got past his opponent's guard, it wasn't easy, the other fighter is always good with the jab and in this fight it was very difficult for him to land the jab, which is one of his best shots."

* * *

Nacho said that if Canelo would execute his hook to the liver better, he would finish off his opponents even sooner. He believes that killer punch would finish off Canelo's opponents. "It gave me the impression that if he had thrown [that punch] a little more at his opponent he would have made them stop the fight, but his performance was close to perfection," said Beristain as quoted by Miguel Rivera of Boxing Scene.

* * *

Kai Sotto could not play with Gilas Pilipinas on the third window of the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers due to his commitments with G League team Ignite. The NBA G League will play a bubble tournament in February with 17 teams already showing interest, according to Jonathan Givony of Draft Express. If the schedule pushes through, then Sotto will not be participating in Gilas Pilipinas' games in Clark. Sotto will suit up in his first season in the developmental league, where he will join his team with some of the top American high school stars and NBA veterans in Ignite. Gilas is scheduled to battle South Korea on February 18, Indonesia on February 20, and South Korea again on February 22 in their tough final Group A assignments.


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.


Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • Indiana, Haliburton Do It Again, Pacers Shock OKC on the Road, 111-110
    By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Fri, 06 Jun 2025
  • STAR BOXING PRESENTS SPECIAL PRESS CONFERENCE-MONDAY
    , Fri, 06 Jun 2025
  • Undefeated Super Bantamweight Chavez Barrientes Returns June 7th Against Sharone Carter on Most Valuable Prospects 13 Card
    , Fri, 06 Jun 2025
  • Vasiliy Lomachenko Announces Retirement: A Glorious Chapter Closes in Boxing History
    By Dong Secuya, , Fri, 06 Jun 2025
  • “HALL OF FAME FIGHT NIGHT” OFFICIAL WEIGHTS AND QUOTES
    , Fri, 06 Jun 2025
  • Press Conference Notes: Keyshawn Davis Returns Home for Inaugural World Title Defense at Norfolk’s Scope Arena
    , Fri, 06 Jun 2025
  • DAZN PRESENTS NEW NO DAYS OFF EPISODE HIGHLIGHTING REIGNING UNIFIED SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION FRANCHÓN CREWS-DEZURN
    , Fri, 06 Jun 2025
  • ANTONIO VARGAS PENS CO-PROMOTIONAL DEAL WITH MATCHROOM AND BOXLAB
    , Fri, 06 Jun 2025
  • Antimaro, Jimenez to fight in Japan on June 7
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Thu, 05 Jun 2025
  • Keyshawn Davis vs. Edwin De Los Santos Fight Week Events to Stream LIVE on Top Rank’s Social Media Channels
    , Thu, 05 Jun 2025
  • “Prospects Collide” Full Card Announced
    , Thu, 05 Jun 2025
  • Correa Set for High-Stakes Bantamweight Showdown vs. Undefeated Michael Angeletti on ProBox TV
    , Thu, 05 Jun 2025
  • Kansas Athletic Commission overturns ‘No Contest’ to TKO win for undefeated Super middleweight prospect Marco Romero
    , Thu, 05 Jun 2025
  • 2nd JCI Senate Lipa Chess Festival set
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Thu, 05 Jun 2025
  • RING III: TICKETS ON SALE NOW FOR THRILLING JULY 12 NEW YORK DOUBLE HEADER FEATURING STEVENSON-ZEPEDA AND BERLANGA-SHEERAZ
    , Thu, 05 Jun 2025
  • Unbeaten Middleweight Sebastian Juarez Faces Power-Punching Shaquille Cameron on Most Valuable Prospects 13, Live on DAZN
    , Thu, 05 Jun 2025
  • IIEE National Chess Olympiad
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Thu, 05 Jun 2025
  • Round 12 with Mauricio Sulaimàn: Mental Health & Mental Wellness
    By Mauricio Sulaimán, , Wed, 04 Jun 2025
  • Inaugural AFBC Normalisation Committee meeting sets vision for strategic reforms and collaboration
    , Wed, 04 Jun 2025
  • PACQUIAO AT L.A. PRESSCON: "I'M BACK!"
    By Dong Secuya, , Wed, 04 Jun 2025
  • Preparation and Planning are Keys to Pacquiao’s Success
    By Ed de la Vega, DDS, , Wed, 04 Jun 2025
  • THURSDAY: Albert Ramirez-Michael Flannery Battle of Unbeatens to Stream LIVE in the U.S. on ESPN+
    , Wed, 04 Jun 2025
  • Is Martin next Manny?
    By Joaquin Henson, , Wed, 04 Jun 2025
  • AMMO LANDS IBF WORLD TITLE FINAL ELIMINATOR AGAINST OLIHA ON BAM-CAFU SHOW
    , Wed, 04 Jun 2025
  • Bree Howling Ready to Shine in Battle of Undefeated Bantamweights on Most Valuable Prospects 13 June 7th
    , Wed, 04 Jun 2025




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2025 philboxing.com.