THE World Boxing Organization (WBO) has been asked to look into a vlog put up on YouTube by the camp of John Riel Casimero amid an investigation into his failure to defend his world bantamweight title against Paul Butler in Dubai.
Multiple sources bared US-based Problellum, which promoted the Dubai card as its firs-ever offering, pointed to an exchange between Casimero, his brother Jayson, and Stephen Lunas in their Quadro Alas YouTube channel.
Probellum found the content 'disturbing,' according to an email to the WBO, which is in the process of investigating whether Casimero should be stripped of his world bantamweight title belt following the controversial Dubai no-show.
Casimero, 31, arrived in Dubai from the US but never got to make the title defense after failing to show up for his weigh-in for the Butler fight.
He later blamed 'viral gastritis' for his no-show, denying that it had nothing to do with his struggle to make the 118 lb weight limit amid talk that Casimero arrived in Dubai no less than 7 lbs. over the limit.
The talk from Dubai was that Casimero ended up suffering from severe dehydration trying to shed so much weight is so short a time, which explained his no-show in the weigh-in. The fighter's camp also denied such allegations.
'Disturbing' exchange
However, an exchange beginning at the 10:15-minute mark of the vlog showed the Casimeros and Planas discussing the report of the doctor from the UAE Boxing Commission who checked on the Filipino fighter.
Probellum, sources said, the exchange has bearing on the investigation being conducted by the WBO executive committee, which will decide if Casimero should be stripped of the title he wrested from Zolani Tete in 2019.
The committee will also decide how far down the rankings Casimero will slide, if he is stripped of the title.
The Casimero camp has been issued a show cause order by the WBO, which gave the Filipino champion 10 days to explain why he shouldn't be destroned.
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