Casimero calls out Inoue anew, says knockout of Nery proves his point

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Former three-division world champion John Riel “Quadro Alas” Casimero renewed his call for a fight against undisputed Japanese champion Naoya “Monster” Inoue following his stoppage victory over Mexican Luis Nery on Saturday, June 6, in Aichi, Japan.

In a post on his Facebook page, “Quadro Alas, It’s My Boy,” Casimero wrote, “Ngayon alam nyo na kung bakit takot sa akin si Naoya Inoue,” accompanied by a photo of him standing over a knocked-down Nery during their bout.

(“Now you know why Naoya Inoue is afraid of me.”)

Casimero turned in an impressive performance against the former two-division world champion, knocking Nery down three times before securing a fourth-round stoppage. A left hook in the fourth round proved decisive, ending the contest.

The victory marked a strong rebound for Casimero, who was coming off a loss to Japanese boxer Tom Mizokoshi in Kyrgyzstan last December.

The 37-year-old Filipino improved his record to 36–5–1 and extended his current winning streak to two fights. Nery, meanwhile, fell to 37–3 and saw his own two-fight winning streak come to an end.

READ: Casimero returns to Japan with fifth-round TKO

Significant victory for Casimero

Speaking to Japanese media in an interview recorded by his trainer and brother Jason Casimero, the Filipino veteran said his victory over Nery carried added significance because of the Mexican’s previous bout against Inoue.

Nery challenged Inoue for the undisputed super bantamweight championship in 2024 in Tokyo, where he lost via sixth-round technical knockout. Casimero noted that he stopped Nery two rounds earlier and said the result strengthened his belief that he can compete with Inoue, whom he has repeatedly called out in recent years.

“Sabi ko kasi, kung sa isip ko, kung mapabagsak ko si Nery, para ko na ring tinalo si Inoue kasi pareho sila ng lakas. Mas mabilis lang si Naoya. Para na rin akong nanalo kay Inoue,” said Casimero.

(“I told myself, in my head, if I knocked down Nery, it’s also like I’ve beaten Inoue, because they’re both strong. Naoya is just faster. It’s just like I won against Inoue.”)

Despite his comments regarding Inoue, Casimero praised Nery and acknowledged the challenge presented by the Mexican contender.

“Isa siyang world-class boxer, magaling at may lakas. Hindi biro ang kakayahan niya kaya sa aming team, binutihan na talaga namin yung ensayo namin kasi hindi biro yung si Nery,” he said.

(“He is a world-class boxer, good and strong. His skills are no joke. That’s why my team put me under rigorous training because Nery is no joke.”)

“Pinag-aralan talaga namin at hindi namin minadali. Alam namin na pag tinamaan namin, may posibilidad talaga na bumagsak siya. Pero pag bumalik siya sa harap sa akin, hindi namin minadali kasi may lakas pa siya.”

(“We studied [Nery] and didn’t take shortcuts. We know that if I hit him, there’s a possibility he’d go down. But if he comes back in front of me, I won’t rush in since he still has power.”)

READ: Casimero asks Bob Arum for Naoya Inoue fight

Nery was overweight

Casimero also revealed that he had the option of not proceeding with the fight after Nery came in overweight. However, he said he preferred to face the Mexican in the ring rather than secure a victory by default.

“Yung pagka-overweight niya, puwede naman akong hindi lumaban sa kanya eh. Pero hindi ko kailangan yung panalo na hindi lumaban. Ayaw ko eh. Yung hinahabol ko yung record ko eh na pinabagsak ko si Nery. Hindi ko hangad na panalo lang. Gusto ko yung magharap kami at mapatunayan ko sa buong mundo na kaya ko siyang pabagsakin,” he added.

(“He was overweight, so I had a choice not to fight him. But I don’t want a win without fighting for it. I don’t want it. What I am after is the record of putting Nery down. I am not just aiming for the win. I want us to fight and prove to the world that I could knock him out.”)

The Casimero-Nery bout was originally scheduled for mid-April in Kyrgyzstan but was postponed and moved to a later date because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Japanese promoter Koki Kameda later expressed admiration for Casimero’s performance following the victory.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.

Your subscription has been successful.

Read Next

Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.