JOHN Riel Casimero ran rings around former champ and two-time Olympic medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux from Cuba and triumphed via split decision to retain his World Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight title.
Casimero, known by his moniker “Quadro Alas,” was all over Rigondeaux in pursuit of a stoppage, but the Cuban proved slippery.
Everyone at the Dignity Sports Park in Carson, California thought that the 40-year-old former champ was in no way going to engage the flamboyant three-weight Filipino champ in a slam-bang tussle to avoid a knockout.
The Cuban was obviously uninterested to fight for the entire 12 rounds, which clearly irritated the Pinoy champion.
Casimero has now booked a total of 35 fights with 31 wins, 21 of those by KO, with 4 losses.
(PHOTO CREDIT: badlefthook.com)