John Riel Casimero praises Namibian foe for giving him a good fight

Former three-division world champion John Riel Casimero praised Fillipus Nghitumbwa for his performance following his win over the latter to capture the WBO global super bantamweight title last Saturday at Okada Manila in Paranaque.

Casimero, 33-4 with 22 knockouts as a professional boxer, unleashed every punch in the book to finish Nghitumbwa and scored a knockdown in round six, but the Namibian remained standing until the final bell. According to the Filipino, he did not expect his foe to be so tough.

"He took all my body shots and shook it off. As early as the first round I thought to myself, he is a durable guy. I tried to finish him early but did not want to be overconfident because he was prepared for the fight. I was surprised," Casimero said after the fight.

"A lot of people said that my opponent was going to be an easy fight, but we all saw how good he is and he was really prepared. I did my best and showcased that I can win the fight."

Casimero's latest win came at the expense of the WBO's no.10 rated 122-pounder in the world. The win could only mean good things for Casimero stating that he would let his handlers decide what is next for him but nevertheless mentioned Naoya Inoue.

"I will let my manager and promoter arrange my next fight, I will let them decide if it is going to be Naoya Inoue or Ra’eese Aleem. I hope to become a world champion again."

—JMB, GMA Integrated News