Without world title, Casimero is unlikely to get fight with Inoue—analyst

Veteran boxing analyst Ed Tolentino believes it is highly unlikely for former WBO world bantamweight champion John Riel Casimero to win the Naoya Inoue sweepstakes.

Casimero and Inoue were supposed to fight in April 2020 but the bout was called off at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Japanese star, meanwhile, defeated Nonito Donaire Jr. last week via technical knockout and currently holds the WBC, WBA and IBF world bantamweight titles.

Casimero has called out Inoue anew in his recent vlogs, but Tolentino does not see the fight coming to fruition especially after he was stripped of his 118-pound world title for failing to defend the belt twice against then mandatory challenger Paul Butler.

"If Casimero still holds the WBO title, definitely. But right now Inoue's priority is Paul Butler, the current WBO world bantamweight champion," Tolentino said.

"That is his opponent to become the undisputed bantamweight champion. That is how important a world title is, that is a bargaining chip. Without a world title, nobody will notice you. It is that important."

Casimero was supposed to defend his then world title to Butler in April but was taken out of the fight after he violated a British Boxing Board of Control policy that prohibits fighters from using a sauna before the fight.

Casimero was then replaced by his fellow Filipino Jonas Sultan, who fought and lost to Butler in a fight for the WBO interim bantamweight title. The sanctioning body then decided to elevate Butler to a full-pledged champion after careful deliberation.

"Butler did not legitimately win the title but he is now being mentioned because he has the world title. I regret this for Casimero, he would have given a better fight than Donaire because he is in his prime," Tolentino said.

—MGP, GMA News