Champ hopes to meet Duterte

MANILA, Philippines - Fresh from halting English challenger Charlie Edwards in London over the weekend, IBF flyweight champion Johnriel Casimero said yesterday his dream is to meet President Duterte because he admires the way the Chief Executive rules with determination and political will.

“The President is my idol,” said Casimero who arrived from London last night. “He won by landslide and I also won by landslide. I hope somebody can take me to meet him.” Casimero pointed out that he knocked out Thailand’s Amnat Ruenroeng in Beijing last May 25, over two weeks after the elections and five days before Duterte was proclaimed.

Casimero, 26, said he dedicated his victory over Edwards to his late brother Gerald who died of heart failure at 17 in 2012. His brother, who was born with a hole in his heart, passed away the day before Casimero left for Buenos Aires to battle Luis Lazarte for the interim IBF lightflyweight crown. Casimero said he was devastated by his brother’s death but couldn’t stay for the wake because he had to earn money to pay for the funeral expenses by fighting Lazarte.  

Casimero, the second of four children, is the breadwinner of the family. His older brother Jason worked his corner against Edwards with chief trainer Jhun Agrabio. His only sister Sherylin is a policewoman. His father is a retired pier porter and his mother, a housewife, earns extra money as a manicurist. With his ring earnings, Casimero built a house for his parents in Ormoc and put up a piggery with three sows. His plan for the future is to own a boxing gym in Manila.

Casimero said he had no difficulty disposing of Edwards and his only problem was the cut he suffered due to an accidental headbutt in the fourth round. He later took three stitches to sew up the gash near the corner of his left eye. “Edwards has no power,” he said. “He’s still young, he has good footwork and boxing skills. But my advice for him is to develop power. To become a world champion, it’s not enough to have talent. Power is important. Personally, I didn’t like what he told the media after he lost. It was like he couldn’t accept defeat. Mayabang pa rin.”

What blew Casimero away was how the English fans embraced him after the win. “Bumaliktad silang lahat,” he chuckled. “Naging balimbing sila.” When he entered the ring, Casimero was greeted with boos from the partisan crowd at the O2 Arena. When he left the ring, he was cheered lustily. “The English people treated us with respect,” he said. “They welcomed us with open arms. I wanted to give the fans a good fight. If they want me to go back and fight again, I will.”

Casimero said his left hook, which he calls his Pokemon punch, put Edwards on the floor in the 10th round. “Our plan was to counter,” he said. “Edwards was the challenger so he couldn’t just run around. For him to take my title, he had to be aggressive. We wanted him to gamble and come in. I took my time. I didn’t run after him. I knew sooner or later, he would come in. My style is bakbakan, basagan ng mukha. I don’t like fighting from a distance.”

Casimero said he knew he was way ahead on points but didn’t want to take a chance on losing by a hometown decision. “I’m confident of my power,” he said. “Starting the seventh round, I went for the knockout. I told myself I wouldn’t let it go the distance. In the 10th round, I wanted to end it.”

Casimero said the opportunity came when they came close together. “It was either him or me getting hit,” he said. “But I can take his punch. Besides, I had my right hand up to block. I threw my Pokemon left hook and he went down. I thought he wouldn’t get up but he was in good condition. He trained hard for the fight. He’s tough and brave. I would’ve liked to score a clean knockout. That’s why I rate myself only 60 percent. If I was able to put him to sleep, I would be 100 percent.”

Edwards, 23, fell on his back but got up at the count of eight. Casimero, however, wouldn’t let him get off the hook. He pushed Edwards on the ropes and attacked furiously. A left uppercut turned Edwards’ legs rubbery, prompting referee Steve Gray to stop it at 1:57 of the 10th.

Casimero got a thrill when IBF and WBC middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin went up to him. Golovkin was on his way to the dressing room after he stopped Kell Brook in the fifth round of the main event. “Sarap ng feeling,” said Casimero. “Siya ang lumapit at siya ang unang nag-congratulate sa akin. ‘Di ko akalain. Isa siya sa mga idolo ko. Sabi niya, man, I’m a great champion at malakas daw ako. Sabi ko, siya ang great champion at siya ang malakas. Na-shock ako noong sinabi niya na pinanood niya ang laban ko sa TV sa dressing room bago siya lumaban kay Brook.”