Johnriel Casimero just can’t get enough of pound-for-pound king Naoya “Monster” Inoue.
In a bid to lure the Japanese star into an action-packed showdown next year, Casimero taunted Inoue by saying he has never fought somebody like him.
“Naoya Inoue wala kapang nakalaban na matigas (Naoya Inoue, you’ve never met someone who is tough),” said the Filipino three-division champion said on his social media account.
Though serving a one-year suspension for weight issues by the Japan Boxing Commission (JBC), Casimero is still hopeful that a match with Inoue for all the marbles at super-bantamweight be made to settle the issue once and for all who among them is the best man.
Casimero was slapped a 12-month ban by the JBC for coming in overweight against Saul Sanchez of the United States last 13 October in Yokohama. He went on to knock Sanchez out in less than a round.
Inoue, however, is booked to defend the World Boxing Council, World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation 122-lb jewels against Australian Sam Goodman on 24 November at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo.
While there is no certainty yet as to who will challenge him next in 2025 assuming he gets past Goodman, Inoue is being linked to an all-Japanese showdown with Junto Nakatani, who has expressed his desire to move up in weight in mid-2025.