John Riel Casimero snatched the WBO Global Super bantamweight belt after scoring a unanimous decision win over Fillipus Nghitumbwa in their 12-round showdown on Saturday, May 13, at the Okada Manila Hotel and Casino in Parañaque City.
Judges Edward Ligas (Philippines) and Martino Redona (USA) both scored the bout at 116-110, while Yuji Fukuchi (Japan) had it 114-112—all for Casimero.
Casimero, the 34-year-old native of Ormoc, Leyte, improved to (33W-4L, 22KOs) as he emerged victorious in his first fight on Philippine soil since August 2019 when he defeated Mexico’s Cesar Ramirez with a 10th-round knockout.
The dethroned Namibian defending champion Nghitumbwa dropped to (12-2, 11KOs).
Casimero, who won three world titles in three different weight classes, scored a knockdown in the sixth round.
Nghitumbwa, however, showed he is tough nut to crack as he survived the knockdown as Casimero needed the whole 12 rounds before escaping with the win.
