Casimero could be stripped of WBO title, Butler fight appears off

It’s truly incredible how much drama John Riel Casimero can generate without actually stepping into the ring.

The British Boxing Board of Control revealed today that Casimero, who’s slated to defend his WBO bantamweight title against Paul Butler in Liverpool this Friday, violated BBBofC medical guidelines by using a sauna to cut weight “in close proximity” to the fight.

Thus, they “cannot permit him to compete,” and in response, the WBO has given his team 48 hours to “show cause” as to why he shouldn’t be stripped of his title.

This is far from unfamiliar territory for Casimero (31-4, 21 KO), whom BBBofC weight checks revealed dropped 10 pounds in the span of three days in the buildup to this fight. He got a similar “show cause” warning when he pulled out of a December meeting with Butler on weigh-in day, claiming viral gastritis; subsequent examination found both viral gastritis and “moderate to severe” dehydration.

Following that debacle, the WBO explicitly ruled that if Casimero was “unavailable to participate regardless the circumstances” in the rescheduled match, he’d be stripped. This looks a lot like he’s unavailable to participate.

There’s zero goodwill left for Casimero, who’s quickly become a lot more trouble than he’s worth. Should he rightfully be stripped, Butler could stay on the card against the resurgent Jonas Sultan, who’s reportedly been the backup plan for some time.