John Riel Casimero vs Paul Butler Preview April 22nd, 2022
WBO Bantamweight Champion John Riel Casimero of the Philippines takes on England’s Paul Butler in Liverpool this Friday, April 22nd. The 12-rounder will reportedly be aired live in the UK on Euro Sport 1 and was originally shceduled to take place back in December but Casimero pulled out due to illness. Casimero defended his title for the second time last August when he edged Guillemero Rigondeaux by split decision in one of the worst fights ever witnessed. Butler last fought in June when he beat Willibaldo Garcia via a 10-round split decision. Casimero won the crown in November, 2019 when he stopped Zolani Tete in the third round. His first defence was a third-round stoppage of Duke Micah last year.
Casimero vs Butler Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Paul Butler +1000
- John Riel Casimero -2000
My Pick
The 32-year-old Casimero climbs into the ring with a mark of 31-4 with 21 Kos. He’s gone 9-2 in world title fights with 6 Kos and is 6-3 with 4 Kos against former, current, and future world champions as he has also beaten Luis Alberto Lazarte, Pedro Guevara, Amnat Ruenroeng and Charlie Edwards and was defeated by Ramon Garcia Hirales, Moruti Mthalane and Amnat Ruenroeng with Mthalane being the only man to stop him, which he did in five rounds in 2011.
Casimero’s other pro loss came at the hands of Jonas Sultan by 12-round unanimous decision in 2017. He’s captured several regional and minor titles as a pro including the Philippines Boxing Federation Flyweight Title and the WBO Asia Pacific, Interim WBO and Interim IBF World Light Flyweight Titles. He’s also a former world champion as he previously held the IBF Light Flyweight Title from July 2012 to May 2014 and defended it three times as well as the IBF Flyweight Title from May to December 2016 which he defended once.
Casimero stands 5-feet-4-inches tall with a 64-inch reach. He’s got good power in his hands with a current knockout ratio of 60 per cent. He’s been stopped once, but also has a pretty reliable chin. He’s a solid and underrated pro who isn’t really that well known outside of Asia but has gone 12-3 with 7 Kos when boxing outside of his homeland. He made his pro debut in 2007 and has 234 rounds of experience under his belt.
The 33-year-old Butler climbs through the ropes with a record of 33-2 with 15 Kos and has boxed 242 rounds since making his pro debut in 2010. He enjoyed a fine amateur career before that and was the 2010 English ABA National Championship Elite Champion. His height and reach are both unlisted so we don’t really know how he stacks up size-wise against Casimero. He has average power in his fists though with a current knockout ratio of 42.9 per cent.
Butler’s first loss came at the hands of Zolani Tete when he was stopped in the eighth round in 2015 in a shot at the IBF Super Flyweight Title and was beaten again in 2018 when he dropped a unanimous decision to Emmanuel Rodriguez in a shot at the vacant IBF Bantamweight Crown. He was decked twice in the first round but also blew his chance at winning the belt by coming into the fight over weight.
Since turning pro, Butler has captured the BBBoC British, Commonwealth Boxing Council, WBO Inter-Continental, WBA Inter-Continental, and WBO International Super Flyweight Titles as well as the WBA Inter-Continental, WBO International, and WBA Continental Bantamweight Belts. Butler is 1-2 in world title fights as he beat Stuart Hall by split decision in 2014 for the IBF Bantamweight Title. He’s also beaten Miguel Gonzalez, Ruben Montoya and Yoan Boyeaux.
Prediction…
Casimero is a world class boxer while Butler never really reached that level even though he’s enjoyed a fine domestic and European career. Both have plenty of experience with Casimero having more power and natural aggression. Casimero definitely didn’t earn any new fans with his performance against Rigondeaux but now has a chance to show what he’s all about against Butler, who arguably doesn’t really deserve this title shot. I’m going with Casimero here.
Casimero’s aggressive style should be the difference.
Play Casimero -2000 @ BetOnline.ag
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John Riel Casimero betting • Paul Butler betting