Staff Reporter
The much-anticipated super bantamweight clash between Fillipus Nghitumbwa and John Riel Casimero will go down as one of the most exciting fights that boxing fans have ever seen.
Despite a dominating performance by Nghitumbwa for most of the 12 rounds, a knockdown in the 6th round by Casimero changed the course of the match. Nghitumbwa, however, fought back fiercely, dominating every round until the 11th when the referee unfairly deducted a point for an accidental hit. Casimero was ultimately announced as the new WBO Global Champion.
Promoter and trainer Nestor Tobias expressed disappointment over the result, questioning the decision to deduct a point, which he felt was unfair and influenced by the referee’s nationality. Tobias went on to say that everyone who watched the fight knows who the real winner was, and that Casimero was properly beaten by a much better fighter than him. “I am still in shock that Energy actually lost to Casimero. Everyone in the arena, including the Filipinos, was stunned that it happened. Casimero won very few rounds, and Energy dominated all rounds except for round six where he scored a knockdown,” he said.
“The point deduction was shocking and in my view, it was done to prevent Energy from having a chance of winning. Unfortunately, the referee was from the Philippines, and I am confident that a neutral referee would not have deducted a point since Casimero did the same thing a moment before.
“We came to fight and win, but it wasn’t meant to be. Everyone who watched the fight knows who the real winner is, and it’s unfortunate that the best man lost tonight. Casimero knows that he was rightfully defeated by a far superior fighter.”
Despite the loss, Tobias said he was proud of Nghitumbwa’s performance and believes that this will lead to even bigger fights in the future. He thanked all the fans for their support and looked ahead to his next fight in Las Vegas.
“I am incredibly proud of Energy’s performance against a three-time division champion away from home. What a night of world-class boxing it was, and Energy should be proud of himself. With this performance, he will get even more significant fights, and he has nothing to be ashamed of,” said Tobias.