Ricardo Espinoza and John Riel Casimero.
MANILA — John Riel Casimero took the vacant World Boxing Organization interim bantamweight title after knocking out Ricardo Espinoza of Mexico at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, USA on Sunday (Philippine Time).
In a bout that was ordered by the WBO to be an interim title fight due to Zolani Tete's inactivity, Casimero stunned Espinoza, Tete's supposed mandatory challenger, with a 12th round technical knockout to win the interim belt.
With the fight being close after Round 11 despite his knockdown in Round 6, Casimero turned on the jets at the start of Round 12, rocking Espinoza with back-to-back left power punches that sent him down.
Despite Espinoza standing up, Casimero was unstoppable, once again wobbling his opponent, and the referee stopped the contest 44 seconds into the said round.
Casimero, who hailed from Ormoc City, is now 27-4 with 18 knockouts, while Espinoza dropped to 23-3, losing for the first time via a stoppage. (PNA)
