CEBU CITY – Magkaibang reaksiyon, ngunit pareho nang layunin sina dating two-division world champion Johnriel Casimero at reigning IBF Inter-Continental super flyweight champ Jonas Sultan sa kanilang pagharap sa media para sa nakatakdang duwelo sa Sabado sa Waterfront Hotel and Casino.
Nakataya sa duwelo ang IBF world super flyweight title eliminator.
Main event sa fight card ang sagupaan nina Milan Melindo at Hekkie Budler para sa IBF world junior flyweight championship.
“I respect [Jonas] Sultan as a tough Filipino fighter,” pahayag ng 27-anyos na si Casimero. “But we’ll see what he does at the top of the ring [this Saturday] because we have prepared something for him.”
Tangan ni Casimero ang 24-3-0, 15KOs marka at nagawa niyang magtagumpay sa teritoryo ng karibal. Sa harap ng mga kababayan, kumpiyansa siya na higit pa ang kanyang magagawa.
“We have been positioning so we could fight [Chocolatito] Gonzalez. But he lost last weekend. He was not moving like he used to. We are going to target any of the winners,” sambit ni Casimero.
Kung makakalusot kay Sultan, nakalinya para sa kanya sina Thai star Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Mexico’s Juan Francisco Estrada at Japan’s Naoya Inoue.
“Initially I was surprised to learn that I would be fighting Casimero,” sambit ni Sultan. “But I am happy for this opportunity. I want to win this fight badly. I will give my all to win this fight on Saturday.”
Kipkip ni Sultan ang markang 13-3-0, 9KOs, kabilang ang TKO win kontra Tatsuya Ikemizu ng Japan, Makazole Tete ng South Africa at dating world champion Sonny Boy Jaro.
Ang mananalo sa Casimero-Sultan fight ay magiging No. 1 challenger kay Jerwin Ancajas, ang Filipino IBF super flyweight champion.
“If Johnriel wins [against Sultan], we’re going to see first all the options out there. We might not fight Jerwin.
Fighting Jamie Conlan instead is a possibility while waiting for our opportunity to fight the big names of the division,” pahayag ni Sammy Gello-ani, promoter/manager ni Casimero.