THREE-DIVISION world champion Johnriel Casimero and former world title challenger Vince Paras will see action in Japan on Oct. 13, 2024.
Casimero makes his much-anticipated return to the ring following a long layoff, facing former world title contender Saul Sanchez in the 10-round main event of a Treasure Boxing Promotion show at the Yokohama Budokan in Yokohama.
The 35-year-old Casimero last fought on Oct. 12, 2023, against Yukinori Oguni in Japan, a bout that ended in a technical draw.
This fight against Sanchez is crucial for Casimero’s future in the sport. He is still targeting a super fight with Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue, who holds all the belts in the super bantamweight division.
Casimero is currently ranked No. 5 super bantamweight by the World Boxing Organization (WBO), No. 8 by the World Boxing Council (WBC), and No. 11 by the International Boxing Federation (IBF).
The 27-year-old Sanchez failed in his bid for a world title earlier this year, losing to Jason Moloney in a WBO bantamweight title fight in Canada. He bounced back with a unanimous decision victory over Filipino veteran Arthur Villanueva last month in the US.
Sanchez is rated No. 8 by the WBO and No. 13 by the WBC as a bantamweight.
Casimero has a win-loss-draw record of 33-4-1 with 22 knockouts, while Sanchez is 21-3 with 12 knockouts.
Meanwhile, Paras faces two-division world champion Hiroto Kyoguchi in a trilogy bout. The 25-year-old Paras first fought Kyoguchi in 2018 in Japan, where the then IBF minimumweight champion Kyoguchi outclassed Paras by unanimous decision.
Their second meeting was a 10-rounder earlier this year, where Paras outgunned the 30-year-old Kyoguchi and won by unanimous decision in South Korea.
Both Paras and Kyoguchi are world-rated. Paras is ranked No. 7 by the WBO as a light flyweight, No. 4 by the World Boxing Association (WBA), No. 6 by the IBF, and No. 13 by the WBC as a flyweight.
Kyoguchi is rated No. 11 by the IBF, No. 14 by the WBA, and No. 17 by the WBC in the flyweight division.
Paras is 21-2-1 with 15 knockouts, while Kyoguchi is 18-2 with 12 knockouts. / EKA