By NICK GIONGCO
John Riel Casimero will not risk going back to the Philippines after all.
After much thought, Casimero has decided to remain in his rented Las Vegas home and patiently wait for a fight to be booked.
Casimero was supposed to battle Japanese star Naoya Inoue last April 26 but the worldwide lockdown cancelled the fight.
Top Rank is having a hard time setting a new date since Inoue is in Japan.
Instead, Casimero might just fight somebody else in September so his five-month long training doesn’t go down the drain.
MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons is working double time to arrange a fight for Casimero, whose last fight was in November last year in Birmingham.
Going back to Ormoc City in Leyte was what Casimero considered as there was no clear sign that he has a fight down the road.
But the hassle of flying back to the Philippines may have helped Casimero to reconsider since he has to undergo testing upon arrival and stay in a quarantine facility.
Ormoc Mayor Richard Gomez said last week Casimero has to follow safety protocols just like everyone else who return to the city.
With travel restrictions changing from time to time, Casimero runs the risk of not being allowed to head back to the US.
Gibbons said Team Casimero is looking elsewhere for a foe and the name of American Rau’shee Warren has been mentioned.
Warren, a southpaw with a 17-3 record with 14 KOs, is a 2007 world championships gold medalist and bronze medal winner in 2005 and 2011.
