FLAMBOYANT boxer John Riel Casimero needed just one round to send his American opponent to dreamland, but the emphatic victory came with a price.

The Japan Boxing Commission (JBC) is suspending Casimero for six months for being overweight in his fight against Saul Sanchez on Sunday, October 13, in Yokohama, Japan.

The development was reported by veteran international boxing judge Edward Ligas.

“The JBC penalizes boxers who fail to make the weight even in a non-title fight,” said Ligas.

Casimero, a former three-division world champion, was a kilo heavier going into the fight after tipping the scales at 55.3 kilograms.

For being overweight, Casimero wore thicker gloves but that didn’t stop him from showcasing his brute force in knocking out Sanchez.

Casimero first floored Sanchez with a body shot.

The American fighter stood up but moments later, Casimero connected on a solid left that sent his opponent to the canvas anew.

Sanchez stood again only to be met by a flurry of punches, prompting the referee to step in and stop the fight at the 2:41 mark of the first round.

After settling for a draw in his last fight against Yukinori Oguni in October 2023, Casimero returned to the win column and hiked his record to 34W-4L-1D with 23 knockouts.

Suffering his first knockout loss since 2021, Sanchez, a former world title challenger, fell to 21W-4L with 12 KO victories.(CCM)

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• #Japanese Boxing Commission
• #Saul Sanchez
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