By NICK GIONGCO
Filipino world boxing champion John Riel Casimero is getting a helping hand from Cuba as he gets ready for the fight of his life.
Since setting up camp in sunny Miami almost two weeks ago, Casimero has been receiving pointers from Cuban strategists who also handle majority of the Cuban emigres now in the US.
Miami is the destination-of-choice of Cuban athletes seeking asylum owing to its proximity to the island nation.
Casimero, holder of the World Boxing Organization title, is scheduled to face Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue of Japan, the ruler of the World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation 118-lb titles, in a unification bantamweight brawl on April 25 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
“He’s going to be in amazing shape,” said Casimero’s chief handler Sean Gibbons, who tapped strength coach Memo Heredia anew to help in conditioning the Filipino puncher.
Bob Arum’s Top Rank is staging the scheduled 12-rounder and last week, the Hall of Fame promoter came out with the official streamer for the show that featured just a photo of Inoue, being depicted as Godzilla and devoid of anything related to Casimero except his printed name.
“That was some disrespect to Casimero,” said Gibbons, who promised to get back with a smashing showing by his fighter.
“When we do the rematch, we’ll do the same,” added Gibbons, who sees Casimero handing Inoue a bad beating.
