Casimero leads boxing awardees

WORLD Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight champion Johnriel Casimero leads the list of eight boxers that will be feted in the upcoming 37th Sportswriters Association of Cebu (SAC)-San Miguel Beer (SMB) Cebu Sports Awards on Feb. 29, 2020, at the SM City Cebu Northwing.

Casimero, who honed and spent most of his boxing career in Cebu City, will be given a major award for his stellar performance in 2019.

The 31-year-old Casimero became a three-division world champion in 2019 by winning the WBO bantanweight belt. He won the interim version of the belt with a 12th round knockout over Ricardo Espinoza Franco on April 20, 2019, in Carson, California.

He successfully defended the interim title with a 10th round knockout of Cesar Ramirez in Manila on Aug. 24, 2019.

Casimero ended the year with a bang by stopping highly-touted Zolani Tete in three rounds on Nov. 30, 2019, in Birmingham, England to become the undisputed WBO bantamweight champion.

Casimero is scheduled to face what should be his stiffest foe to date in a unification fight with World Boxing Association (WBA) Super and International Boxing Federation (IBF) bantamweight titleholder Naoya Inoue on April 25, 2020, at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

Pro boxers Rey Caitom Jr., Joe Noynay, Carlo Demecillo, Mark Vicelles and Dave Peñalosa; while amateur pugs Pathricia Mae Sumalinog and Bienjemar Codoy will be given a citation each.

Caitom Jr., a native of Mandaue City, won both of his fights in 2019 and won the World Boxing Council (WBC) ABC Continental minimumweight belt.

Noynay won the vacant WBO Asia Pacific super featherweight belt and successfully defended it once in 2019.

Demecillo, who fights out of the Big Yellow Boxing Gym in Cebu, won all three of his fights in 2019 and captured the vacant WBO Asia Pacific Youth bantamweight belt.

Vicelles won both of his fights in 2019 and won the WBA Asia South light flyweight title.

Peñalosa, the son of two-division world champion Dodie Boy Peñalosa, won two of his three fights in 2019 and snagged the WBO Oriental featherweight strap.

Sumalinog and Codoy earned a citation each by winning a gold medal in the Palarong Pambansa. (EKA)

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