Casimero, Oguni battle to a draw

The aim of John Riel Casimero to present himself as the most attractive opponent for Japanese pound-for-pound star Naoya Inoue hit a snag Thursday when his bout with Yukinori Oguni ended on a disappointing fourth-round technical draw at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo.

An accidental clash of heads opened a ghastly wound on the Japanese and the referee had to stop the fight on the orders of the ring physician.

By the time the fight was called to a halt, Casimero was leading on two of the three judges' scoresheets. But under the rules, the fight was declared a draw since the stoppage happened within four rounds.

Action was starting to pick up when the fight was stopped, leaving Casimero with no choice but to get another chance to convince everyone that he should be given a shot at Inoue.

However, Inoue will have to hurdle past another Filipino, southpaw Marlon Tapales on 26 December in Tokyo, for Casimero's wish to be granted.