IBF Flyweight champion Johnriel Casimero is listed in his Boxrec and Wiki records as an orthodox boxe. It is interesting to note that the 26-year-old native of Ormoc City, Philippines has actually knocked out his last three opponents with his left hand.
In his tenth round knockout win over Charlie Edwards last Saturday at the O2 Arena in London, Casimero used his left hand to finish the British challenger. When he won his IBF Flyweight title against Amnat Ruenroeng in a rematch last May 25 at the Diamond Court in Beijing, Casimero used his left hook to the body of Ruenroeng, sending the unbeaten Thai fighter reeling in pain to the canvas for a fourth round TKO win. In 2014, Casimero used his left hand to score a knock down over Mauricio Fuentes followed by left and right combos for a short second round knockout win. There had been instances in the early part of his career when Casimero depended on the power of his left hand to score a knockout or a knockdown leading to a KO win. It is possible his most recent opponents are not aware of Casimero’s lethal left hand or they would have devised ways to counter or avoid it. In the usual build-up to the fight as part of its promotion, boxing analysts and critics usually talk about fighter’s strength and weaknesses but Casimero’s handlers have been successful in suppressing the information by not discussing it in public. In his next title defense, Casimero’s trainer is expected to focus on how best he can make use of his left hand which is his little known secret weapon. Before his knockout win over Charlie Edwards last Saturday, Casimero was coming off a fourth round knockout win over Amnat Ruenroeng to bag the IBF Flyweight title. Casimero has been angling a lucrative fight against Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, who snatched Carlos Cuadras’ WBC Super Flyweight title last Saturday with a unanimous decision win.
