Tough task for Casimero

It’a kind of sad to see Johnriel Casimero not being mentioned as a possible foe for Japanese pound-for-pound king Naoya Inoue.

For all his talent, the Filipino isn’t among the few Inoue’s handlers are mentioning as a possible opponent.

Casimero, fresh from blowing past Saul Sanchez of the United States in Yokohama, seems to be at a loss.

As Casimero awaits what’s down the line, Inoue’s itinerary looks solid.

Inoue has a scheduled 24 December defense of the undisputed world super-bantamweight titles against Australian Sam Goodman.

After that, Top Rank, the Las Vegas-based and Bob Arum-owned outfit, is looking at a slambang showdown involving Inoue and Japan’s second-best fighter, bantamweight king Junto Nakatani.

And so where does Casimero stand?

Banned for a year in Japan for coming in overweight against Sanchez, Casimero, though world-rated, seems to be on floating status.

Owing to his numerous weight misadventures, promoters are having second thoughts about signing him up for fear of seeing their shows get canceled at the last minute.

If only Casimero took his weight seriously the last time, things might have been different because he would have definitely escaped being slapped that 12-month suspension by the Japan Boxing Commission.

With Casimero not knowing what the future holds, we can only assume that he might end up fighting in the country to stay active and relevant.

Rated No. 7 by the World Boxing Council, Casimero is likewise nowhere near the top of the rankings of the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Organization (WBO).

The IBF rates him at No. 13 while the WBO lists him at No. 6, and not high enough for him to figure in a battle for one of the soon-to-be-vacated spots.

Ahead of Casimero are compatriots Marlon Tapales and Jammes Carl Martin, boxers who are aligned with the ever-influential and hardworking Sean Gibbons of MP Promotions and Viva Promotions.

Unless Inoue and Arum both undergo an Epiphany — which is highly unlikely — Casimero will have to wait for that all-important call to get his shot at a world crown.

Turning 36 this coming February, time is of the essence.