Analyst believes Casimero needs to 'put house in order' to get career back on track

Former three-division champion John Riel Casimero may have to reconstruct his inner circle if he wants to get his career back on track, according to veteran boxing analyst Atty. Ed Tolentino.

Casimero, 31-4 with 21 knockouts as a pro, has not seen action for a year. He last fought against ex-world champion Guillermo Rigondeaux in August 2021 where he emerged victorious by way of split decision.

“I regret what happened to Casimero. Opportunities do not knock every day and he allowed those to pass by. He had been inactive for more than a year,” Tolentino told Sparring Sessions LIVE.

“What does it mean? Not only is he rusty, but his world ranking would go down because of his inactivity. It is important that he gets back into the ring even for a tune-up because it would be very tough for Casimero to demand an immediate world title shot.”

At odds with his former handlers at Manny Pacquiao’s MP Promotions, Casimero’s career troubles started when two of his scheduled mandatory defenses against the now WBO world bantamweight champion Paul Butler were canceled.

The pair was initially scheduled to fight in December but the bout was called off when Casimero was taken to a hospital for gastritis on the day of the weigh-in.

Months later, The Filipino was forcibly withdrawn out of the fight after he violated a British Boxing Board of Control that prohibits fighters from using a sauna to cut weight.

He was later stripped of the WBO title.

According to Tolentino, it is about time for the prizefighter to tap the services of a professional team.

“He has to put his house in order. It's easy to say that he wants a fight, but does he have the right people to get his career back on track?” Tolentino said.

“Get the right team back because he needs a lot of good representation to get back in title contention. Get your house in order before you launch a comeback.”

—JMB, GMA News