John Riel Casimero stops Luis Nery, says win was like beating Naoya Inoue

Filipino boxing star John Riel Casimero put on a vintage masterclass on Saturday, June 6, decimating former world title challenger Luis Nery before forcing an early stoppage in their super bantamweight showdown at the Aichi Sky Expo in Nagoya, Japan.

The finish came in the fourth round after Casimero connected with a thunderous left hook that sent the Mexican crashing to the canvas, leaving him unable to continue.

After the fight, the former three-division world champion wasted no time using his victory to take aim at his ultimate white whale — undisputed super bantamweight king Naoya Inoue.

“Alam ko na malakas si Nery, kaya yung panalo ko ngayon para ko na ring tinalo si [Naoya] Inoue,” Casimero said during his post-fight interview.

“'Yung tagumpay ko ngayon, alam n'yo na kung bakit takot sa akin si Naoya Inoue.”

(“I know Nery is strong, so with this victory, it’s like I already defeated Inoue. With my win tonight, now you know why Naoya Inoue is afraid of me.”)

Long before the fourth-round exclamation point, the bout was an absolute firefight.

"Quadro Alas" nearly ended the fight in Round 2 with a massive display of power, dropping Nery three separate times.

Showing his trademark grit, the Leyte native also had to recover from a brief moment of danger when Nery answered back with a knockdown of his own in that same chaotic second frame.

Casimero reestablished total control in the third, sending Nery back to the canvas yet again before closing the show for good in the fourth.

With the spectacular statement win, the 37-year-old Filipino firebrand improved his record to 36-5-1, securing his second consecutive victory. Meanwhile, Nery saw his own two-fight winning streak snapped, dropping to 37-3.

—JKC, GMA News