By Chris Williams: IBF/WBA bantamweight champion Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue said on Thursday on social media that he’s hoping to fight WBO champ John Riel Casimero this year. Inoue (21-0, 18 KOs) is tired of all the mouthing off from Casimero (31-4, 21 KOs), and he wants to shut him up and put him in his last.
Casimero was doing a lot of trash-talking last week before and after his controversial 12 round split decision win over Gullermo Rigondeaux last Saturday night, saying that he believes Inoue and WBC 118-lb champion Nonito Donaire are “scared” of him.
“When the match with Casimero is finalized, I want to beat (him to the ground) within the rules of boxing.
“Therefore, please manage the doping standards as you do with weight management for the match. I’m hoping it happens this year,” said Naoya Inoue on Twitter.
With the way Inoue is talking, he wants to fight Casimero next rather than rematch Donaire. If that fight happens, Inoue will need to make sure he scores a knockout just in case we get the scoring we saw for the Casimero vs. Rigondeaux fight.
Inoue, 28, is ready to show the 32-year-old Casimero that he’s totally unafraid of him, and he wants to make sure the drug testing and weight management are in place before he fights him.
Unfortunately, Casimero will be coming into the fight with Inoue, if it’s made, off the back of a dreadful performance against the talented Rigondeaux (20-2, 13 KOs) last Saturday night at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
Casimero couldn’t cut off the ring on Rigondeaux and failed to land more than a small number of shots in each round. It’s not that Casimero wasn’t trying to land.
His timing and accuracy were horrible, and he resembled a rank amateur. In contrast, Rigondeaux was superb, throwing accurate punches and looking masterful.
This writer had Rigondeaux winning by a landslide 11 rounds to 1 score, but you can argue that he deserved to win all 12.
Casimero should have been docked a point for a rabbit punch in the first round and for hitting Rigondeaux after he slipped to the canvas. The judges scored it 117-111, 116-112 for Casimero, and 115-113 for Rigondeaux,
Boxing fans would prefer to see Inoue face Donaire in a rematch rather than seeing the ‘Monster’ fight Casimero next. If Casimero had looked good against Rigondeaux, there would have been some interest in a fight between him and Inoue, but that didn’t happen.
“Inoue has power, but I’m strong,” said Casimero to Fighthub. “If I fight Inoue, I know how to manage him. Not worried [about Inoue’s power].
“I always call out Inoue, but Inoue is scared like Donaire. If he signs the contract, let’s do it. Now, I know Inoue and Donaire are scared. I don’t know what happened,” said Casimero.
“I think Casimero and Inoue,” said Pacquiao when asked about which fight he wants to see from Casiermo next. “That’s a good one. I can promote that.”