Naoya Inoue up next for Casimero if he wins upcoming fight

Three-division champion John Riel Casimero would be in for the biggest and most lucrative fight of his boxing career should he triumph in his upcoming world title defense, said veteran sports analyst and broadcaster Quinito Henson.

Casimero, 32, is set to defend his WBO world bantamweight title against mandatory challenger Paul Butler on December 11 in a yet-to-be-announced venue. Should he win his next fight, the Filipino pug from Ormoc City will head to Japan to face Naoya Inoue, says Henson.

"The big news is [MP Promotions President] Sean Gibbons confirmed that he is in talks with Japanese promoter Akihiko Honda. If Casimero beats the scale and beats Paul Butler, this is guaranteed," Henson said.

"If Casimero makes the weight in his fight against Butler, he beats Butler hands down. If that happens, Sean Gibbons says April is his fight against Inoue in Japan. That will be a huge step up because Casimero is only getting $75,000 for this fight against Butler in Dubai."

While the respected Filipino sports analyst said that Casimero is more than likely to beat Butler, the challenge right now is to make the bantamweight limit of 118 pounds.

"I understand that Casimero is having difficulty bringing down his weight," Henson said.

"He is no longer working with Memo Heredia, who has done a good job in making his weight. I am hoping for the best that Casimero makes the weight, goes to fight Butler, and wins. That fight against Inoue is going to a blockbuster in April in Japan."

—MGP, GMA News