Reigning WBO World Bantamweight Champion John Riel Casimero and Jonas Sultan are ready for their respective bouts on Sunday (Manila time).
Both Filipino fighters made weight earlier in the day as Casimero (30-4, 21KO) will defend his belt against Guillermo Rigondeaux (20-1-1, 13KO) while Sultan (16-5, 10KO) faces Sharone Carter in the undercard.
Casimero checked in at the limit of 118 lbs. while challenger Rigondeuax weighed 117.5 lbs to make the title fight official.
On the other hand, Sultan weighed 119 pounds and Carter 118.2.
“This has been a fantastic training camp. I’ve really been focusing on my conditioning so that I can keep my strength for all 12 rounds,” said Casimero. “This has been the best training I’ve had in a while, because for this fight I had a set date and plenty of time.
“For my last fight, the date was changed because of the pandemic and that was difficult to work through. But this camp has been very smooth.”
Though facing a tough opponent in Carter, a late substitute for Jose Maria Cardenas in their eight-rounder, Sultan is unfazed.
“I’m in good condition and ready for battle,” he said.
“From what I saw (from video clips) Carter is tactical and is a slick fighter, but I will find a way to penetrate his defenses.”
According to Sultan, he also feels inspired due to the arrival of chief supporter Junnie Navarro and the message of support of Mike Venezuela, co-owners of Zamboanga Valientes MLV.
Sultan will be accompanied in the ring by Mexican trainer Jorge Capetillo, Brendan Gibbons, who serves as his promoter in the United States, and Navarro.
Likewise, Casimero will be putting on a show as he was able to train with his childhood hero in Manny Pacquiao.
“Manny is my idol in this sport. It’s great for me to be able to watch how he trains every day. He helps me with some aspects of boxing, but most important is the motivation I get from watching him work,” he said.
