Photo: Quadro Alas/Facebook

By Shawn De Guzman

John Riel Casimero made quite a statement when he defeated Mexican Luis Nery in just four rounds.

Not only that the Filipino fighter, who got into several controversies in the past, made weight but also floored Nery six times en route to the big win.

But who should Casimero take on next? Here’s some potential picks.

Naoya Inoue

Casimero has been vocal about his eagerness to face Inoue. And after the fight against Nery, he once again took a swipe against the Japanese superstar.

“Now you know why Inoue has been avoiding me,” said Casimero in his post-fight interview.

The only question is whether Inoue would take the bait especially with the looming super fight against fellow pound-for-pound fighter Bam Rodriquez.

Murodjon Akhmadaliev

There have been talks about Casimero’s camp eyeing a potential match against the former unified champion if talks of an Inoue fight do not push through.

Photo by Melina Pizano/Getty Images

A win against Akhmadaliev, who like Nery, once challenged Inoue and remains one of the big names in the super bantamweight division, would further boost the stock of Casimero and make the potential fight against Inoue all the more enticing.

David Picasso

The Mexican contender didn’t like how Casimero acted against Nery and so he challenged the Filipino to a fight. Like Nery, Picasso also fought against Naoya Inoue and should give Casimero enough gauge on how he would fare against Inoue.

Carl Jammes Martin

Only few want a Filipino to battle another Filipino in the international boxing stage. But if Casimero is to go up the ladder in the bantamweight rankings, a fight against the undefeated Martin would be a good choice. 

For one, Martin now holds the World Boxing Organization (WBO) No.1 spot and if Casimero beats him, he could be a mandatory challenger to Inoue’s unified belts.