Photo: Quadro Alas/Facebook

By Shawn De Guzman

The swagger is back, so is the knockout power.

John Riel Casimero put together an explosive show and stopped Mexican rival Luis Nery in four rounds to regain boxing relevance during their 124-pound catchweight showdown at the Aichi Sky Expo in Japan on Saturday.

The 37-year-old former three-division world champion just proved he still has plenty of gas left in the tank, flooring Nery thrice in the opening round and then one each in the second and third before putting on the finishing touches in the fourth.

With Nery displaying toughness after standing through all of the four knockdowns, Casimero unloaded a booming left that landed flush to the Mexican’s chin causing his knees to buckle.

The Filipino pug saw it and immediately went for the kill with a swift left to the temple that once again floored Nery, only this time, the referee decided to stop the bout with still 2:18 left in the fourth.

With the win, Casimero improved to 36 wins with 25 knockouts against five losses and a draw while Nery, who once challenged Naoya Inoue for the undisputed super bantamweight crown, dropped to a 37-3 record.