Bantamweight Titlist John Riel Casimero Accused Of Sexual Assault

The bantamweight titleholder, John Riel Casimero has been facing trouble since a complaint of sexual abuse was filed against him on Feb 11.

The complaint reported that Casimero touched a 17-year-old girl inappropriately. According to the reports, the incident happened while she was sleeping in the hotel room on June 7, 2021.

The 33-year-old was charged with the Acts of Lasciviousness complaint along with a Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act complaint. They were filed with the prosecutor’s office.

The Filipino boxer’s manager, Egis Klimas, has not responded yet.

Casimero (31-4, 21 KOs) has a fight scheduled with Paul Butler on April 22 in England. This is a big contest for him as he will defend his WBO title against Butler.

The star boxer was originally set to fight Butler on December 11 in Dubai. However, the fight got canceled after Casimero failed to appear at the weigh-in because of his illness.

Casimero’s past two bouts were quite interesting and both were televised by Showtime. The fights included his most recent one that took place in the main event of PBC, which ended in a controversial decision over Guillermo Rigondeaux.

The boxer is currently ranked No. 3 by ESPN at 118 pounds.

Casimero missed another proposed summer 2021 matchup due to a doping test dispute. This fight was against the future Hall of Famer Nonito Donaire.