WBO bantamweight champion John Riel Casimero has been officially accused of sexual abuse in his home country of the Philippines after the Women and Children Protection Desk filed a complaint against the titleholder on February 11. Casimero has been accused of inappropriately touching a 17-year-old while she was asleep in his hotel on June 7, 2021.
At the present time Casimero is scheduled to put his WBO world title on the line on April 22, in a defense against Paul Butler, and there has yet to be any firm word on how this may impact the fight going forward.
Casimero (31-4, 21 KOs) made his last appearance in August of 2021 when he beat Guillermo Rigondeaux in a fight that was far from a barn burner, which Rigondeaux made sure that it wasn’t.
We’ll provide additional details on the impact and ramification of Casimero’s legal situation as that becomes more clear.