John Riel Casimero won’t hesitate to pull the plug on Paul Butler’s bid when they square off in Dubai on 11 December.
The reason?
“I will finish the fight early so I can watch Nonito Donaire’s fight live,” Casimero, the World Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight champion said in Filipino.
Both Casimero and Donaire are fighting on the same day but given the time difference, their fights will happen several hours apart.
Donaire, the World Boxing Council titleholder, meets unbeaten Miami-based Filipino puncher Raymart Gaballo at the Dignity Health Sports Center in Carson, California.
Casimero, heavily favored to repulse Butler, is currently training at City Boxing in San Diego, California.
In the event Casimero gets rid of Butler, the brash Leyte native will pursue a showdown with either Naoya Inoue or Donaire.
But everything would all depend on the outcome of their fights. Inoue is likewise set to see action a few days after Casimero and Donaire’s bouts.
Personally, Casimero wants to fight and beat Donaire first so he will have two belts when he locks horns with Inoue, who holds the World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation 118-lb belts.
They were supposed to face off last August but Donaire withdrew one week after their mouth-watering matchup was officially announced, citing several contractual agreements violated by Casimero.
Instead, Casimero wound up meeting and defeating Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux by split decision.
