By NICK GIONGCO
Homesick and frustrated, world boxing champion John Riel Casimero is now looking for ways on how to book a return flight to the Philippines.
Training in the US since the second week of February, Casimero said on Friday that Top Rank has been unable to assure him of a confirmed date to fight Japanese Naoya Inoue.
Casimero and Inoue were supposed to fight on April 26 but the coronavirus pandemic compelled Bob Arum’s promotional outfit to scrap the event as the entire world plunged into lockdown.
“Wala naman sila maibigay na date,” said Casimero in a video call from his rented Las Vegas home.
“Uuwi na lang muna ako at doon sa amin mag-training at saka na ako babalik ditto,” said Casimero, the reigning World Boxing Organization bantamweight titlist.
The problem is Casimero resides in Ormoc in Leyte where he plans to set up camp while waiting for word to go back to America.
Arum has been regularly staging activity fights at the MGM Grand the last two weeks and is eyeing to hold bigger fights in the coming months.
Ormoc is one of the cities in Central Visayas alongside Cebu City where the number of COVID-19 cases is rising to disturbing levels.
MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons feels it’s not a good idea to abandon his Las Vegas training camp.
Gibbons is aware of the situation in Ormoc.
Memo Heredia, the conditioning coach credited for Juan Manuel Marquez’s one-punch knockout of Manny Pacquiao in 2012, is also persuading Casimero not to proceed.
Heredia is likewise with Casimero in Las Vegas.
But it appears Casimero is determined to buy a ticket and be reunited with his family.
“Mag-iingat na lang tayo pagdating sa Pilipinas,” he added.
Nonoy Neri, who serves as his chief trainer and an able assistant over at Pacquiao’s team, has beaten Casimero to the punch.
Neri is scheduled to fly to Manila after getting a ticket.
The latest word is that Casimero might be given a September or October schedule.
But Casimero there is no stopping him from going home.
As they say, home is where the heart is.
