At A Glance
- The Filipino former three-division world champion lived true to his words and scored a fourth round stoppage against Mexican rival Luis Nery during their 124-pound catchweight showdown at the Aichi Sky Expo in Japan on Saturday, June 6.
John Riel Casimero declared that Luis Nery would be easy work.
The Filipino former three-division world champion lived true to his words and scored a fourth-round stoppage against Mexican rival Luis Nery during their 124-pound catchweight showdown at the Aichi Sky Expo in Japan on Saturday, June 6.
The hard-punching Casimero let loose his fists right on the opening bell, knocking down Nery thrice in the first round and then one each in the second and third before delivering the killing blow in the fourth to announce his return to boxing relevance.
To his credit, Nery repeatedly beat the count and attempted to battle back, but Casimero's relentless pressure and superior power eventually proved too much.
The end came in the fourth round when Casimero unleashed a crushing left hand that landed squarely on Nery's chin, leaving the Mexican visibly shaken.
Sensing the finish, the Filipino immediately followed up with another sharp left to the temple that sent Nery crashing to the canvas for the fifth and final time as the referee stopped the fight with 2:18 left in the round.
The emphatic victory improved Casimero's record to 36-5-1 with 25 knockouts while Nery, a former world champion who famously challenged Naoya Inoue for the undisputed super bantamweight title, fell to 37-3.
Hampered with issues particularly on his weight management through the past years, a more disciplined Casimero came into the bout and his power and speed was immediately visible after knocking down Nery 37 seconds into the fight.
He followed it up a minute after landing a right to the body and then left to the head as Nery found himself down for the count anew.
From there, it was clear that Casimero had the upper hand as he hopes to use the victory as springboard to a potential world title shot in the future