BY NICK GIONGCO
The next stage of John Riel Casimero’s training for his unification bantamweight title fight with Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue on April 25 has already been laid out.
“John Riel is arriving here in Las Vegas on March 15,” Casimero’s chief handler Sean Gibbons said yesterday from Sin City.
Since early this month, Casimero has been training under the watchful eyes of Cuban trainers in Miami, Florida.
Casimero is bringing his World Boxing Organization crown to the fight at the Mandalay Bay while Inoue, the big favorite, is taking the World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation straps in what is being predicted as a slambang showdown of hard-hitters.
When Casimero relocates from Florida to the deserts of Las Vegas, he will be joined by conditioning coach Memo Heredia and his core team that includes Nonoy Neri, a member of Manny Pacquiao’s entourage.
Meanwhile, Inoue, also in the thick of preparations in Yokohama, is likely to depart Japan for the US sometime in the third week of March.
Promoted by Bob Arum’s Top Rank Inc., the Inoue-Casimero clash will produce a winner who will boast of three belts.
Other than the WBO, WBA and IBF, the only other bantamweight titlist is from the World Boxing Council, which lists Nordine Oubaali of France as its champion in the 118-lb class.
Casimero (29-4 with 21 KOs) and Inoue (19-0 with 16 KOs) both share the sentiment of unifying all four belts.
