IF not for the dreaded coronavirus, the country could have possibly produced a world flyweight boxing champion and a unified bantamweight titleholder four months ago.
On April 4, hard-punching prospect Giemel ‘Pistolero’ Magramo was supposed to face Japanese Junto Nakatani in Tokyo, Japan, for the vacant WBO flyweight (112 lbs.) championship. On the other hand, WBO bantamweight (118 lbs.) ruler John Riel ‘Quadro Alas’ Casimero had booked an April 25 date in Las Vegas with WBA-IBF counterpart Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue.
Alas, like a party-pooper, the coronavirus forced organizers to put the fights in the backburner.
The Magramo-Nakatani fight has actually been reset four times. The original April 4 schedule was moved to June, then July 4 and most recently August 1. It was subsequently announced that the August 1 fight date is also off the table and a new date is being worked out.
The resurgence of the coronavirus in Japan is to blame. The infections increased entering the month of August, forcing government officials to once again close its borders to foreigners. Magramo is thus barred from entering Japan and working as a professional boxer.
Magramo, 24-1 with 20 knockouts, is ranked No. 1 by the WBO in the flyweight class, with Nakatani (20-0, with 15 knockouts) coming in at No. 3. A pro since 2012, Magramo has lost only once, a decision to Pakistan’s Muhammad Waseem in 2016. Magramo is currently on a roll, having won his last seven paid contests by stoppage. For his part, the unbeaten Nakatani earned his shot at the vacant crown by stopping former world champ Milan Melindo in six rounds in October 2019.
Magramo-Nakatani makes for an intriguing matchup. Magramo is a pressure fighter who diligently works the body. The lanky Nakatani is a boxer-puncher who owns a solid left hook. Nakatani, however, looks soft in the breadbasket and it will be interesting to see if he will be able to withstand Magramo’s body assaults.
Magramo, 25, can only shake his head at the latest postponement. “Mag pa-condition po ulit ng panibago,” Magramo told this writer. “Pinataas ko po muna ng kaunti ang weight ko.”
Make no mistake though, Magramo-Nakatani is still in the cards and will push through the moment the situation in Japan improves.
While Magramo-Nakatani is certain to take place, the same cannot be said with the Casimero-Inoue unification bout. Early this week, Top Rank Promotions disclosed that talks are ongoing for a title defense by Inoue against Australian challenger Jason Moloney (21-1, 18 knockouts). Since Inoue is looking to just defend his WBA-IBF crowns, Filipino Michael Dasmarinas, the IBF’s mandatory challenger, should be next in line for the Japanese. The IBF actually ordered Inoue to defend the IBF hardware against Dasmarinas last December but the fight was put on hold because the unification fight between Inoue-Casimero packed more prestige and importance. Arrangements are likely to be made for Dasmarinas to step aside again and allow Inoue to defend against Moloney.
As can be deduced, Inoue and Top Rank appear to be veering away from the unification duel with Casimero. Pro boxing cards have resumed in the US but instead of reinstating the unification fight, Top Rank head honcho Bob Arum is tapping Inoue to just make another title defense.
Casimero, 29-4 with 20 knockouts, provided this writer with a simple explanation: “Takot kasi si Arum at ‘yung Monster, eh. Pinaghihintay pa nila kami. Hindi na nga ‘Monster’ ang tawag ko kay Inoue, bulate na.”
While Magramo remains focused on the Nakatani fight, Casimero is planning to move ahead and defend his WBO bantamweight crown.
Moloney was in Casimero’s hit list until Top Rank disclosed that it wants the Aussie for Inoue. With Moloney out, Mexican Pedro Guevara and American Rau’shee Warren have been mentioned as potential opponents for the Filipino. Guevarra, 36-3 with 21 knockouts, has won his last six fights and is no stranger to fighting Casimero as he lost only by split decision to the Filipino in their 2012 duel for the IBF light flyweight (108 lbs.) crown. Guevarra is good, but if Casimero plans to fight in the US American Warren is the best choice from a marketing standpoint. Cincinnati native Warren, 17-3 with 4 knockouts, was a former amateur standout who held the WBA (super) bantamweight title from 2016 to 2017. Last year, Warren fought for the vacant WBC bantamweight crown but dropped a decision to Nordine Oubaali.
It appears that Inoue and Casimero are going their separate ways, what with Inoue reportedly moving up in weight after his upcoming title defense. Then again, the unification duel can still be salvaged if both fighters come up with impressive victories in their next scheduled fights. It would be great to see Casimero and Inoue fight in one card in the US for the public to see the reasons why a fight between them should be saved.
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