WBO decides Casimero remains champion, but must face Butler next
WBO decides Casimero remains champion, but must face Butler next
By Scott Shaffer
23/12/2021
By Scott Shaffer
23/12/2021
The WBO championship committee has ruled that John Riel Casimero (pictured) remains the WBO bantamweight champion. However his promoter, Probellum, has 15 days to state whether Casimero will reschedule his bout against mandatory contender Paul Butler. On December 9th, just two days before the fight, Casimero pulled out of a scheduled title defense vs. Butler claiming an illness had caused him to check himself into a Dubai hospital. Amid rumors that the hospital stay was a ruse to disguise Casimero's inability to make weight, the WBO ordered Casimero to provide medical proof of his condition or risk being stripped of his title.
In response to the WBO's show cause order, attorney Harrison Whitman submitted on Casimero's behalf medical documents dated December 9th, 2021 issued by Dr. Vishnu Priya Midhun of the Dr. Reena Begum Clinic in Dubai, indicating as the principal diagnosis vomiting, unspecified and as a secondary diagnosis, acute gastritis, dizziness and giddiness, other fatigue and epigastric pain. Also presented was a certification issued by Dr. Ahmed Khalifa, who, after examining Casimero, diagnosed him as moderate to severe form of dehydration with viral gastritis and and consequently declared unfit to box.
