Three-division world champion John Riel Casimero wants to create some noise by seeing action in the territory of Naoya Inoue.
Casimero is slated to clash with former world champion Yukinori Oguni on 12 August at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo.
If victorious against Oguni, Casimero’s team feels the camp of Inoue would be forced to defend against the Filipino next year, assuming of course Inoue becomes the undisputed world super-bantamweight.
Actually, Casimero and Inoue were penciled to slug it out in April 2020 but Covid got in the way.
Casimero has fought twice at super-bantamweight, beating Japanese Ryo Akaho in Korea last year and Namibian Filipus Nghitumbwa a few months ago, and dangles a 33-4 mark with 22 knockouts.
Oguni, who hasn’t fought in over a year, holds a 26-2 card with eight knockouts.
Last time Casimero fought an opponent of note, he beat Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux in Carson, California, in August 2021.
The Philippines only has one reigning world champion at the moment.
Marlon Tapales, holder of the World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation 122-lb belts, is being groomed to face Inoue sometime in December.
