Can Guillermo Rigondeaux spoil John Riel Casimero vs. Donaire?
John Riel Casimero puts up his WBO bantamweight title against Guillermo Rigondeaux and his WBA belt on Aug. 14. Can Rigo spoil Casimero’s plans?
Originally, WBO bantamweight champion John Riel Casimero was supposed to fight Guillermo Rigondeaux. Then, plans flipped to WBC champion Nonito Donaire. Harsh words flipped it back to Rigondeaux, who’s looking to spoil any future matchup between Casimero and Donaire.
Casimero vs. Rigondeaux on Aug. 14 from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, is an intriguing matchup, but it lacks the bad blood and drama that developed between Casimero’s and Donaire’s camps during negotiations for their canceled bout.
Donaire’s wife and manager Rachel Donaire got into a social media war with Casimero’s manager Sean Gibbons. She accused Casimero and his teams of playing games with the drug testing protocols, and Team Casimero shot back with personal insults.
Donaire walked away from the fight citing insults made to his wife being crude, unprofessional, and a dealbreaker.
Thus, WBA “regular” champion Rigondeaux re-entered the picture. A future fight with four-division world champion Donaire is the ultimate prize for Casimero. Donaire is a legend and a big draw, but the 40-year-old Rigondeaux could extinguish the possibility of that fight happening.
Casimero is eight years younger than Rigondeaux and viewed as the harder puncher, but there’s not a big separation between their knockout numbers. With a KO rating of 61 percent, Casimero is only ahead of Rigondeaux by two percent.
The winner of John Riel Casimero vs. Guillermo Rigondeaux could meet Nonito Donaire next
“He’s [Casimero] going to feel my power,” Rigondeaux said during a recent media video call. “Everyone is talking about his power, and I feel like my power is being underestimated. I can’t wait to get in the ring on August 14 and show everyone what I’m capable of.”
During that same call, Casimero made a big prediction about his fight with Rigondeaux.
“When I beat Rigondeaux on August 14, he’s going to retire. He’s finished. Finito!” said Casimero.
Rigondeaux had something to say about that prediction.
“He says he’s going to retire me, so it’s on now. We’ll see if he’s able to back up that talk on August 14.”
Rigondeaux continued, “Casimero is a good opponent. Every opponent that I face believes that they can beat me, but the pressure is on them to back that up. I can only control what I bring, and I know I’m going to be ready.”
Rigondeaux is old for a boxer but hasn’t lost since 2017. Like Donaire, Rigondeaux is extending his boxing career by fighting at a lower division which helps give him a size and power advantage over opponents. Rigondeaux is 3 inches taller with a 3-inch reach advantage over Casimero.
Casimero has developed a reputation as a slugger, while the southpaw Rigondeaux is a technical boxer. Before turning professional, he displayed those skills by winning two gold medals at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics while fighting for Cuba.
Casimero has wins over strong boxers like Zolani Tete, Duke Micah, and Amnat Ruenroeng, but Rigondeaux is on a different level. A loss to Rigondeaux could destroy Casimero’s hopes at a big payday against Donaire.
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