Gerry Peñalosa praises John Riel Casimero: 'He is not all talk, he proves himself inside the ring'

Retired two-division champion Gerry Peñalosa sees no problem and even supports John Riel Casimero's brash persona in and out of the ring.

The Filipino WBO world bantamweight champion is scheduled to face his countryman WBC world bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire on August 14 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

Often criticized by some fans for his bravado, Peñalosa believes that Casimero is doing a good job promoting himself and his fights.

"Promoters like Casimero because he is a trash talker. This is professional [boxing], you need to entertain so people would watch. Aside from being a trash talker, he is also a brawler and a show-off. It works for him," Penalosa told GMA News Online.

"Because of that, he was noticed not just in the Philippines but also in America. It gave him attention. He was able to build a fanbase for being a trash talker especially in the US where it is normal to talk trash. That is good for him."

Peñalosa has spent his time managing pugs and promoting fights after he retired from professional boxing. If he had it his way, he says that he would even push his fighters to promote fights the same way as Casimero.

"As a promoter, I want it like that, even I would tell him to do that," he said.

"As long as it is not excessive and you do not degrade your opponent as a person. If you do that to sell a fight, that is good. Other than that it gives him the confidence to prove to himself that he is not all talk. That is what American fans want."

He sees the historic unification bout between the two as a 50-50 fight. Though it is hard for Peñalosa to predict a winner, he guarantees that Casimero is capable of backing his talk atop the ring.

"The good thing about him, he proves himself inside the ring. He trains hard and makes sacrifices. He is a brawler who likes to exchange."

—MGP, GMA News