John Riel Casimero criticised Guillermo Rigondeaux after 'boring' fight
John Riel Casimero criticised Guillermo Rigondeaux: "I did my best to knock him out, but he was just running and not fighting."
Filipino John Riel Casimero (31-4, 21KOs) eked out a narrow victory over Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux (20-2, 13KOs) to record a career-best victory on Saturday night in California.
Casimero, 32 from Ormoc City, Philippines, successfully defended his WBO bantamweight championship for a second time by the narrowest of margins.
The fight started with a bang as 40-year-old Rigondeaux was felled, seemingly by a Casimero left hook, but the referee ruled it was only a slip.
From that moment Rigondeaux took very few risks and remained defensively strong, requiring Casimero to be the aggressor.
The Filipino's body attacks were ultimately rewarded by the judges above the Cuban's attempts to land counter-punches with his left hand (117-111, 116-112, 113-115).
Casimero has held the WBO strap since November 2019. The other champions in his division include Naoya Inoue (21-0, 18KOs), who holds the WBA 'Super' and IBF belts, and Nonito Donaire, who is WBC champ.
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