John Riel Casimero slapped with one year suspension in Japan

Former three-division champion John Riel Casimero has been suspended by the Japan Boxing Commission (JBC) for one year after failing to make the 122-pound super bantamweight limit in his ten-round bout against Saul Sanchez this past weekend.

Casimero, 35, was initially overweight by 1 kilo when he first tipped the scale during the official weigh-in last Saturday. He was given two hours to make weight, only to return at 123 pounds.

The fight went on as scheduled and Casimero dispatched his Mexican foe in one round. He is, however, suspended to fight in Japan again for a year according to an email sent to this writer by the JBC.

"We [at] JBC have already suspended Casimero for one year due to his overweight. This is our JBC rule, so he is not available to fight in Japan for one year," JBC official Tsuyoshi Yasukochi said in the email.

Casimero, 34-4-1 with 23 knockouts as a boxer, was promoted by Japanese outfit Treasure Boxing Promotion and had his last two fights in Japan against Yukinori Oguni and Saul Sanchez which ended in a technical draw and technical knockout respectively.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News