MANILA, Philippines – MP Promotions President Sean Gibbons is confident that John Riel Casimero will be able to stand his ground against Naoya "The Monster" Inoue in their bantamweight title unification bout on April 25.
Undaunted by Inoue's perfect 19-0 record, Gibbons thinks his fighter Casimero will be the more aggressive one in a match that will unify the WBO, WBA and IBF bantamweight belts at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
"The champ (Casimero) is a quiet person outside the ring. But in the ring, if you want to meet the real monster, that's my friend here John Riel Casimero," Gibbons told the media at a press conference at Amelie Hotel in Manila Wednesday.
Casimero will put his WBO title on the line against the Japanese superstar, a belt he acquired after a shock third-round knockout over Zolani Tete in November.
While everyone had expected Tete to be Inoue's next foe for his WBA and IBF belts, the Filipino boxer threw a monkey wrench at the plan by scoring the stunning win.
"Bob Arum, Frank Warren pretty much had the contract signed for Zolani Tete to fight ‘The Monster,’ but... Casimero had other plans," Gibbons said.
Gibbons, who has been with Casimero since 2012, believes this fight will propel the 29-year-old to the boxing fame he deserves.
"In the Philippines, he is pretty well known... but on April 25th, I think everybody here in the Philippines will absolutely know who John Riel Casimero is," Gibbons said.
The showdown will be both Casimero and Inoue’s first bout in Las Vegas.
In what will be the biggest fight of his career, Casimero hopes to take three out of the possible four belts in his weight class — including the WBA title that Inoue had won from Casimero's compatriot Nonito Donaire last year.