The Japanese fans are probably not cool with Johneriel Casimero calling their living legend a turtle. But still, Casimero is the main attraction here. He is actually promoted by a Japanese since bolting out of MP Promotions. Oguni is just a stay-busy fight but we're hoping Casimero delivers a good performance to bolster his reputation. Though Oguni was a former world champion, he quit fighting for 3 years already and then went for a return last year which ended in a draw against a mediocre opponent. At present, Oguni has been inactive for over a year now and he is fighting an active 3-division champion so this should be an easy win for Casimero.
Some are bashing Casimero's level of opponent but I'm just happy that he is making himself active. I am confident he will get his title shot next year so he better stay active and fit.
It's great to see Casimero keeping himself busy with his second fight this year. Hopefully, there's another one in store before the year concludes. While I wasn't aware that his opponent is a former champion, a glance at his record doesn't make it seem as impressive as Casimero's. Let's wait and see. I'm hoping Casimero will persist in calling out Inoue during post-fight interviews. Of course, this assumes he emerges victorious in this contest; otherwise, challenging Inoue would seem premature if he can't defeat Oguni.
Yes, at least Casimero is staying active rather than just waiting for a big fight that might make him rusty if it takes so long. Yukinori Oguni became the champion a long time ago. In 2016 he outboxed then-dangerous KO artist Yonatan Pena and took the IBF belt. Too bad though as he lost it in his first title defense.
A December return for Casimero is still possible but only if he makes an easy work on Oguni. But if Casimero sustains some cuts and spends a lot of energy in this fight then he needs at least a month of rest plus two months to train so that makes him only available in January of next year. Hopefully, we'll see Casimero winning easily because this is only a tune-up fight for him.
I guess that will suffice instead of not having some fights this year to keep him warm while waiting for the big fight that he wanted. But I couldn't help but think why Oguni and not someone else in the Top 5 of WBC rankings because that is what he needed and not a tune-up fight-like just to stay active. This will surely not please people because Oguni is not that famous even if he was once an IBF champion.
Regardless, I'm also hoping just like you guys, that Casimero can finish this fight without having serious damages on his side so that he can have another fight somewhere in December or early January.
Johnreil Casimero is actually bashed a lot these days and one of the reasons behind it is the choice of his next opponent. This is only the second fight of Yukinori Oguni in 4 years and his last fight which was more than a year already ended in a draw against a mediocre opponent.
Prior to picking Oguni, there were two or three ranked fighters who challenged Casimero. One of them is former 118 champion Luis Nery who is ranked WBC #1, WBO #2, and IBF #7. Casimero at the moment is ranked WBO #3 and WBC #8. Maybe Casimero's team thinks that this type of fight deserves a belt which makes this a high risk with low reward. Besides, Nery is banned in Japan after being caught using illegal substances. And I doubt Casimero agrees to travel to Mexico which is also very risky IMO.
With regards to Casimero choosing a top 5 in the WBC rankings, I believe the target is becoming the WBO mandatory where he is more recognized just in case he is not getting the winner of Inoue-Tapales. WBO #1 Sam Goodman is already the IBF mandatory while Nery the WBO #2 has also won a WBC eliminator already so these guys are waiting for their shots at the titles. And it also means that Casimero is unofficially the real WBO #1 unless someone below overtakes his ranking. The WBA did not rank Casimero in their top 10 and it already mandated former champions Akhmadaliev and Kameda to fight with the winner being the mandatory.