Casimero intensifies training for title defense

IBF jr. flyweight world champion Johnriel Casimero is now in the midst of intense preparations for his March 16 title defense in Panama against Luis Alberto ‘Pan Blanco’ Rios.

Casimero, who fights out of the Omega Gym of Cebu City, has started sparring and has been visiting the ALA Gym to look for more sparring partners.

“I sparred with Marjun Yap but I have not yet sparred with Donnie Nietes,” Casimero told CDN yesterday at the Omega Gym before his afternoon training session.

“I need to look for quality sparring partners aside from my Omega gym stablemates. There are good boxers at the ALA gym who can approximate Rios’ fighting style,” Casimero disclosed.

The 22-year-old Casimero (17W-2L, 10 KOs) said that he has studied fight films of Rios. “It will be difficult but he can be beaten. He is a fast, pressure fighter and throws a lot of punches.”

The 22-year-old Rios (18W-1L-1D, 13 KOs) earned the right to be the mandatory challenger to Casimero after stopping Mexican Felipe Salguero in eleven rounds last October. He got the nickname ‘Pan Blanco’ or white bread because all the members of his family are darker than him.

Casimero said that he will be leaving for Panama on March 10. He is confident that he will not have any problems making the division weight limit of 108 lbs.

The fight will be Casimero’s second defense of his title. Last August, he won a split decision in Mexico against the erstwhile unbeaten Pedro Guevara.

Meanwhile, Nietes is also training rigidly as he defends his WBO lt.flyweight world title on March 2 here in Cebu City against Mexico’s Moises Fuentes making March an exciting month for Cebu boxing fans.

Casimero vs. Rios will be fought at the Megapolis Convention Center in Panama City.