Casimero destroys American foe in 1st round

MANILA, Philippines -- Filipino boxer John Riel Casimero made quick work of Saul Sanchez, knocking the American out in the first round of their super-bantamweight bout in Yokohama, Japan Sunday (Manila time).

The 35-year-old Casimero, who fought overweight, showed his power early on as he rocked Sanchez with a right early on which knocked the latter down.

Smelling blood, the Filipino’s barrage continued. A quick left landed on Sanchez’s chin a few moments later, sending the 27-year-old to the canvas.

He was able to beat the county, but Casimero was just too strong as he kept on going.

“Quadro Alas” then kept the pressure on and connected repeatedly, forcing the referee to put a stop to the contest with 20 seconds remaining in the round.

Casimero rose to a win-loss-draw record of 34-4-1 with 23 knockouts. Sanchez dropped to 21-4.

He earlier failed to make weight, coming in a kilo over the limit. But the fight still pushed through.