Without stepping into the ring, Filipino boxing champion John Riel Casimero lost the WBO bantamweight title.
The World Boxing Organization (WBO) announced that the executive committee voted unanimously to strip Casimero of his belt after his fight against Paul Butler of the United Kingdom got aborted anew.
The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) stopped the match between Casimero and Butler scheduled on April 22 in Liverpool, England after gathering evidence that the 32-year-old Leyte native allegedly violated the medical guidelines of the sports body by using a sauna 'in close proximity to the fight.
Prior to the incident, the WBO has already threatened to strip Casimero of his belt after the boxer pulled out of his fight against Butler last December in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates due to medical reasons.
"It is not the first instance that Casimero has triggered this Committee’s intervention," the WBO Championship Committee said in a resolution dated Tuesday, May 3.
"As indicated in the statement of facts, just a day prior to his scheduled mandatory title defense obligation against Butler in Dubai, UAE, Casimero withdrew from the fight citing medical reasons. His withdrawal and subsequent postponement of his mandatory title defense were exclusively attributed to Casimero," the document further read.
Meanwhile, the WBO decided to elevate Butler, who won and became the interim bantamweight champion after defeating Filipino boxer Jonas Sultan last April 22, to 'full champion' status.
The WBO also recommended declaring Casimero as the no. 1 contender for the world bantamweight title.
"The WBO World Championship Committee recommends to the WBO Ratings Committee that John Riel Casimero be rated at the number one (1) position in the WBO Bantamweight Ratings and subject to complying with the applicable rating criteria," read the May 3 resolution.
