Where will Casimero fight?

There’s still no certainty as to where WBO bantamweight champion JohnRiel Casimero will stake his crown in a mandatory defense against England’s Paul Butler but it should clear up after a purse bid is conducted at the WBO office in Puerto Rico today. “Hindi ko pa alam” was Casimero’s reply to a question on what’s the latest development regarding the fight.

MP Promotions head Sean Gibbons said Butler is represented by MTK Global, an event promotions company set up in 2012. “Let’s see what happens as they have a few spots if they win the bid,” said Gibbons. It’s likely Casimero will train with strength and conditioning coach Memo Heredia in Las Vegas regardless of where the fight is held. Casimero is now in Ormoc City awaiting news of the purse bid. His chief trainer Nonoy Neri said if the fight is in December, Casimero should start training as soon as possible.

It was MTK Global’s Lee Eaton who reached out to the WBO requesting a purse bid. The WBO actually announced a 20-day negotiation period for both parties to come to terms but Eaton cut it short by sending the request for a purse bid after five days, presumably realizing the futility of expecting an agreement. Butler has never fought outside the UK so it’s not likely he’ll relish the notion of facing Casimero in the US. Eaton will move heaven and earth to make sure the fight is in the UK.

For Casimero, fighting in England isn’t an issue. He’ll fight anywhere for the right price. Casimero has fought twice in England, once in London and once in Birmingham and won both bouts by knockout. The key is he must be in condition, physically and mentally, to bring out his best.

The minimum bid is $100,000 and Casimero’s stipulated share is 65 percent. Los Angeles promoter Tom Brown is bidding in Casimero’s behalf but will he offer more than what Eaton plans to bring to the table? Or will he fork a bid at all? Casimero had hoped to engage either WBC titlist Nonito Donaire Jr. or WBA/IBF champion Naoya Inoue in a unification showdown for his next outing but the WBO beat him to the draw, ordering a mandatory defense against Butler instead. But it should only postpone the inevitable. Casimero is expected to dispose of Butler and Donaire has also been mandated to defend against Reymart Gaballo. If Casimero and Donaire win, they’re likely to meet up in a blockbuster confrontation that’s been postponed once.

Last August, Casimero scored a split 12-round decision over Cuban marathoner Guillermo Rigondeaux to retain his crown at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson City. The fight was far from dignified as both fighters landed only a total of 91 punches, the lowest ever in a 12-rounder according to CompuBox. “In my 35 years of boxing, that was the most embarrassing fight I had ever seen,” said Gibbons. “It didn’t happen because of Casimero, it happened because of Rigondeaux. I don’t even know how the guy can walk around and say he was in a fight. It was horrible. I was speechless when I heard split decision. I almost fell out of the frickin’ ring.” If Butler runs like Rigondeaux, Casimero must be more than ready to cut the ring off and make a fight of it.