IT WAS never an issue of stamina for Johnreil Casimero. If there ever was a cause of concern for one of our few remaining world champions, I thought it would be his spotty defense betraying him or his impatience causing him to make mistakes.
But stamina Casimero had lots of and I knew that if Mexican challenger Felipe Salguerowould try to take him to the championship rounds and attempt to drown him in deeper waters, Casimero would not fade and wilt but finish strong.
And that?s what he did exactly, as he finished off the determined Salguero in the 11th round.
THE FIGHT. Both fighters had their momentsearly in the fight with Casimero boxing well behind a lashing jab and Salguero landing some big hooks.
Salguero was determined to target Casimero?s body early and didn?t mind the counter artillery coming his way. However, Casimero was the more accurate fighter, and by the middle rounds, Salguero was cut.
Casimero slowed down in the middle rounds with Salguero constantly pushing the pace and it seemed like Salguero?s commitment to the body had paid off dividends.
But at the two-minute mark of the eighth round, Casimero landed a beautiful counter left hook, and down went Salguero.
He didn?t seem hurt and after the ref administered the count, he charged after Casimero like nothing happened. However, that knockdown would turn out to be the momentum shifter as Casimero?s confidence was bolstered by the knowledge that he could take out his opponent with a single blow.
In the ninth round, Salguero seemed bent on shrugging off that knockdown as he continued to be the aggressor. However, his zeal and dogged determination made him quite predictable on offense, and Casimero made him pay dearly as he ran onto a vicious uppercut.
Salguero got up at five and Casimero continued to batter him. To his credit, Salguero never stopped trying, but the end came for him in the eleventh round after a particularly brutal barrage that had him out on his feet at the 1:34 mark.
THOUGHTS. This was Casimero?s third successful defense of his IBF junior flyweight crown. Now ranked No. 6 by The Ring magazine, ?Quadro Alas? is poised to become our country?s next big superstar, after Manny Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire.
Donaire is up against Vic Darchinyan in a rematch next week, while Pacquiao will seek to reclaim the throne as the fighter?s flagship fighter with a victory over Rios on Nov. 24.
Casimero seems to be a master of the basics of the fight game fought at a higher level. He doesn?t seem to be particularly fast or exceptionally powerful but he does possess a dangerous hybrid of both attributes that he utilizes particularly well to complement his superb technique.
MACAU. Speaking of Macau, we just got word that our application for accreditation has been approved for that fight, and so the Last Round is going to Macau.
This will be my first time to cover a Manny Pacquiao fight live, and so I?m pretty amped about it. Follow me at Twitter (@thelastround) as I will be tweeting live updates, news, random thoughts.
TRAINING. Both fighters? preparations appear to be spot on. Pacquiao has stated that he has approached training camp like he was a 20-year-old fighter.
The Rios camp has made much of the fact that their fighter is now more comfortable fighting at 147 lbs since he doesn?t have to worry about cutting weight and they can focus on fight strategy.
This will be a key factor in the fight, as Rios is perceived to be a one dimensional fighter who will be easy fodder for the sharpshooting Pacman. The question is whether Rios has the physical tools to implement that strategy against a resurgent Pacquiao.
Another issue hovering on our minds is how much Pacquiao has recovered from that knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez. The choice of Rios-a brutal dangerous puncher- as the comeback opponent immediately after is a message that Pacquiao is serious about regaining his lofty status as the sport?s best fighter.
LAST ROUND.Is on our SHS-B 89?s titular batchhead, the indefatigable Marcelino Co, as he celebrates his birthday this week.
