CHICAGO - With a personality that's as colorful as the blonde streaks on his hair, John Riel Casimero was once at the top of the boxing world.
A three-time division champion, he ruled the junior flyweight, flyweight and bantamweight ranks with the might of a two-fisted fighter that wielded KO power in both hands.
At the peak of his popularity in 2021, he had scheduled bouts against two of the sport's biggest names in Nonito Donaire Jr and Naoya Inoue, both surefire inductees in the boxing Hall of Fame.
READ Unheralded Kameda spoils Casimero's ring return
Last Sunday, Casimero lost a unanimous decision to a fringe contender named Kyorosuke Kameda who has a weaker record (16 wins. 5 losses) and way more inferior credentials than the Filipino from Ormoc.
To add insult to injury, Casimero's latest misadventure was held at Bishkek Arena in far-flung Kyrgyzstan. The sporting venue holds a mere capacity crowd of 2,200, a far cry from the gigantic arenas in glitzy and glamorous Las Vegas..
The boxer who fancies himself as Quadro Alas or Four Aces has been beaten by the royal flush of boxing's cold reality that unless you're Floyd Mayweather, a fighter - no matter how great - needs an excellent management team.
LEAVING THE NEST.
And when Casimero left Manny Pacquiao Promotions last August 2021, his fall from grace wasn't just predictable, it became inevitable.
Since leaving the MP umbrella, John Riel has fought only six times with three wins against two losses and a draw. Six bouts in 1,057 days isn't exactly the definition of an active fighter.
Sadly, Casimero, who has 1.8 million followers on Facebook and 527,000 more on YouTube, has instigated more feuds on social media than he has on the ring over the last three years.
By constantly changing managers and promoters, the murderous 5-foot-2 puncher lost his stability. Gone, too, are the big-money paydays that allowed him to flaunt wads of dollars and designer clothing to his worshipping mob.
A good man with a kind spirit, MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons doesn't wish misfortune to anyone including his former ward. Although there's a lot of love lost between the two, the flamboyant American still showered John Riel with praise and kindness.
NO REGRETS.
"He was on a Hall-Fame run. Went to 10 or 11 different countries and won belts. He is an amazing fighter, top five Filipino ever," Gibbons told me in a telephone interview.
Gibbons didn't blame Casimero entirely for "ruining" his career. He blamed former manager Stephen Lunas and John Riel's brother and "life coach" Jayson Casimero for the series of seemingly interminable missteps.
"No regrets but I wished it could have ended differently," Gibbons said, adding that Casimero would have been in a more prosperous place had he stayed at MP Promotions.
Is Casimero still redeemable after an abject loss that noted promoter JC Manangquil described as "easy work" for Kameda?
The answer is "yes" according to lawyer and boxing savant Ed Tolentino. But for a resurrection to happen, Tolentino explained in an online interview that Casimero must get rid of his issues on making weight and that he needs to fight a Top 10 contender next.
Which is hard.
The best version of Casimero was at bantamweight. He's outgrown that division and looked slow and plodding last Saturday.
I have faith in John Riel, but at age 36 with discernible wear and tear and a history of alleged hard partying days, it gives my optimism some pause.
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