WBO bantamweight champion John Riel Casimero defends his title against two-division world champion Guillermo Rigondeaux at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California this Saturday, August 14, which makes it Sunday, August 13 in the UK, Australia and the Philippines. The 12-round contest headlines the PBC boxing fight card live on Showtime.
Making his third appearance in the US, three-division world champion Casimero is looking to score a career-best victory and successfully defend his 118-pound title for the second time. Check out below what he had to say about his upcoming showdown, training camp and more:
Rigondeaux vs Casimero tickets
Rigondeaux vs Casimero tickets to witness all the action at Dignity Health Sports Park on Saturday, August 14 are on sale. Tickets can be purchased through Vivid Seats. Doors open at 4 pm PT.
On his current training camp:
“This has been a fantastic training camp. I’ve really been focusing on my conditioning so that I can keep my strength for all 12 rounds. This has been the best training I’ve had in a while, because for this fight I had a set date and plenty of time. For my last fight, the date was changed because of the pandemic and that was difficult to work through. But this camp has been very smooth.”
On training alongside his mentor and promoter Manny Pacquiao:
“Manny is my idol in this sport. It’s great for me to be able to watch how he trains every day. He helps me with some aspects of boxing, but most important is the motivation I get from watching him work.
John Riel Casimero vs Guillermo Rigondeaux tickets, live stream, schedule, card
On fighting in front of Southern California’s Filipino population and returning to fight at Dignity Health Sports Park:
“I always want to go out and do my best for the fans. There are going to be a lot of Filipinos there and I want more than anything to give them a great fight to watch. This is the same place where I won the interim title in 2019, so it will be very special to me to go defend my world title and put on a great performance in that ring once again.”
On what style he expects Rigondeaux to bring into the ring:
“I know that I can make this an easy fight for myself. I want him to have some guts and be the exciting fighter he’s shown recently. It will be better for the fans and it will really prove who is the best.”
On what message he wants to send to the rest of the division with a win:
“I want to show that I’m strong and can beat any tough opponent. A win over Rigondeaux will solidify me as one of, if not the best, fighter in the bantamweight division. My goal is to take care of business on Saturday night, then go after the scared Nonito Donaire.”
Get the full Rigondeaux vs Casimero fight card.
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