Former WBO interim light flyweight champion Johnreil Casimero lost by a fifth round TKO in his IBF world title fight against champion Moruti “Baby Face” Mthalane at the Nasrec Indoor Arena in Johannesburg, South Africa yesterday. The Sunday Times of Johannesburg reported that Casimero “quit somewhat unexpectedly after taking a few blows to the head.”
South African referee Wally Snowball stopped the bout at 1:51 of the fifth when Casimero quit.
The fight was a war in the early rounds with both fighters exchanging flurries and Casimero using his quick footwork to good effect.
Casimero connected with a four-punch combination in the third round that tested the usually solid defense of Mthalane who, urged on by his hometown fans, slowly worked his way back behind an effective right uppercut.
Sensing that Casimero was tiring, Mthalane stepped up his aggressiveness and ultimately nailed Casimero with a left jab and a quick right to the Filipino’s jaw to force Casimero to back off and call it quits.
With the win Mthalane improved his record to 27-2 with 18 knockouts while Casimero suffered his second straight setback to drop to 14-2 with 8 knockouts.
Ronnie Nathanielsz, Inquirer.net
