There is no doubt that three-division Johnriel Casimero is Philippine boxing’s premier puncher nowadays given that Manny Pacquiao’s future is hanging in the balance.

Casimero isn’t a world champion today, but the Leyte native is immensely popular that his latest victory — a savage 4th-round knockout of Mexico’s Luis Nery in Tokoname, Japan — was trending days after it happened.

Filipino fight fans are still replaying it days later like he just beat a mandatory challenger.

The 37-year-old, a three-division world champ and former IBF light-flyweight/flyweight titlist plus WBO bantamweight king, is still chasing a superfight with Japanese pound-for-pound king Naoya “Monster” Inoue. He insists the Nery demolition actually hurt his chances.

“This latest win of mine is the reason why Inoue doesn’t want to fight me,” Casimero said.

Inoue has brushed it off. The two already agreed to fight in Las Vegas in early 2020, but Covid scrapped it. Once things normalized, the bout was never revived.

Casimero says he’s moved on: “I am no longer thinking about him because no matter what I do, in the end, he doesn’t want to fight me. What can I do?”

But in reality, he’s still dying for Inoue. He’s convinced he’s the only man who can hand the “Monster” his first loss in 34 fights. More than that, he wants to prove he — not Inoue — belongs in the mythical pound-for-pound rankings.

Inoue has cleaned out his division. There’s no real threat left in Japan. Casimero is different. He can match Inoue’s power, isn’t afraid of going toe-to-toe and would be the first serious test for all four of Inoue’s belts. A win would mess up Inoue’s grand plans and put Casimero in line to succeed Pacquiao.

The parallels are obvious. Like Pacquiao, Casimero is a fearless punching machine who doesn’t run. He’s brash, quotable, and loved back home. The day after he flew in from Nagoya, he threw a feast and handed out cash to his community.

To many, his limited schooling and rough edges make him look like a thug. But everyone’s been watching his Nery knockout on repeat like it’s one of Pacquiao’s classics.

One thing’s clear: Casimero needs Inoue to break into true mainstream status. Beat him, and Quadro Alas holds an unbeatable hand.

But American Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, whose knockout of Mexican Antonio Vargas recently instantly made him the next viable challenger to Inoue, could secure that right and leave Casimero out in the cold anew.

If that happens, fight fans are going to miss out on a real classic because Casimero poses huge problems to anyone, including Inoue.

Inoue isn’t afraid to face him but he and his team know what a well-conditioned and motivated Casimero could inflict.

Why take on somebody like King Kong when you can deal with the Donkey Kongs of boxing?