JUST a few days after the unification title fight was announced, sparks already flew between the camps of world champions Johnriel Casimero and Nonito Donaire Jr.
Twitter was on fire Wednesday as people close to the two Filipino title holders tried to clear out oissues that apparently happened a few years ago involving the ‘Filipino Flash’ and ‘Quadro Alas.’
Rachel Donaire, wife, trainer and manager of the 38-year-old World Boxing Council (WBC) bantamweight champion, denied his husband refused to spar with Casimero a few years ago when the latter first arrived in the U.S.
As his husband’s manager, Rachel said it is she who sets up his training, sparring, and other activities related to boxing, and she couldn't recall even getting a call from Casimero or his camp about sparring with Donaire.
“So who did he ask? The mailman?” said Rachel in her tweet.
The controversy traced its roots to one of the Quadro Alas vlogs of Casimero, the World Boxing Organization (WBO) title holder, in a segment hosted by his brother Jayson.
In the episode streamed a day ago, Jayson, who had a short-lived boxing career, told a story about how Donaire allegedly turned down a request of his brother to spar.
“Nung nag-yayaya si Casimero na maka-sparring siya (Donaire), wala daw siya makukuha kay Quadro Alas sa sparring,” Jayson said in the vlog. “Kaya magandang laban talaga ito guys.”
The Casimero-Donaire Jr. title showdown was sealed over the weekend in Las Vegas in the first ever all-Filipino world unification championship set on August 14 in Carson, California.

Both Filipinos were on ringside to watch unified champion Naoya Inoue destroy Filipino Michael Dasmarinas in three rounds to retain his World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) crowns.
The winner of the Donaire-Casimero match is seeking to face the unbeaten Japanese fighter for the undisputed bantamweight championship of the world.
Casimero and Donaire were both cordial when they saw each other at ringside of the Theater inside the Virgin Hotels and gamely posed for photo ops and video cameras.
A few days later, shots were fired.
In the same vlog, Jayson Casimero claimed Donaire doesn’t speak Tagalog (Filipino) or Visayan in the U.S.
“Dati po sinabihan po siya ni Casimero, yung utol ko na kung puwede ba, nakalimutan ko na e, pero sabi kasi ni Donaire speak English daw,” said Johnriel’s brother.
Rachel said her husband speaks Filipino, but is really more at home talking Visayan language.
“If you have been following Nonito since 2007, every Filipino interview Nonito has, he speaks Tagalog, but is more comfortable in Visayan,” said Rachel, adding the five-time world division champion even did a Visayan movie (Palad ta ang Nagbuot).
“He’s also guested on Filipino shows as a character and spoke Tagalog,” she added.
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