Flamboyant Casimero picks Donaire as next target

By Lynde Salgados
Correspondent

“BISDAK” pride Johnriel Casimero will now aim his sights to fellow Filipino Nonito Donaire Jr. as the next target after successfully defending his WBO bantamweight title against Cuban challenger Guillermo Rigondeaux yesterday, August 15 at the Dignity Health Sports Complex in Carson City, California (Philippine time).

“Three prominent boxers are on my list. But Rigondeaux is already finished. So Donaire will be next then the Japanese turtle Naoya Inoue will follow,” the flamboyant Casimero told the US press.

The 31-year-old Casimero, a native of Ormoc City, stalked Rigondeaux all night long. But the 40-year-old former conqueror of the three-division world champion Donaire just kept on running and running to last the distance in a split decision loss.

“It’s hard to knock him out (because) he won’t give a fight. He both ran and danced with me,” said Casimero.

While the Filipino nation celebrated another boxing glory at the heels of three Mindanaoans’ (Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam, Eumir Marcial) medal exploits (two silvers and a bronze) in the just-concluded Tokyo 2029 Olympics, some of Casimero’s ‘bisdak’ (bisayang dako) countrymen were not sold-out of his over cockiness and trash-talking.

Before his fight with the veteran challenger, Casimero told the press that if Rigondeaux is monikered as “The Jackal” in Cuba, in the Philippines he (Rigondeaux) would be merely considered as the “El Jakol.”

For his projected next two big fights, Casimero belittled Japan’s undefeated world champion Naoya Inoue, calling him “the Japanese turtle” before making a dirty finger sign categorically citing Donaire whom he had a spat for disrespecting Donaire’s wife Rachel in his social media posts.

“Pero showbiz atik-atik ra na’ng kay bai Johnriel. Buotan (ug) pakisama kaayo na nga amigo. He’ll always be our Quadro de Alas in the neighborhood. We’re very proud of him,” said Jonas Juntilla, his hometown’s neighbor in Hermida town, Ormoc City.