John Riel Casimero vs. Paul Butler cancelled - new opponent revealed

John Riel Casimero was set to defend his WBO Bantamweight Title against Paul Butler on Friday, April 22, in Liverpool, England. However, Casimero was barred from participating in the bout by the British Boxing Board of Control this week.

John Riel Casimero most recently faced Guillermo Rigondeaux in August 2021, defeating the Cuban legend via a split decision. The fight was a close contest which involved much taunting on the part of both boxers.

Check out the highlights of John Riel Casimero vs. Guillermo Rigondeaux here:

After arriving in England to prepare for the fight, Casimero posted a video of himself in a sauna. He was subsequently barred from the contest for a medical violation, as the BBBofC does not allow fighters to drain weight using saunas before fights.

It has been reported that Jonas Sultan, the current WBO Inter-continental Bantamweight Champion, will replace Casimero as Butler's opponent. Sultan, who is also Filipino, most recently fought in October 2021. He has a record of 18-5-0 with 11 knockouts. He defeated Casimero by unanimous decision in 2017.

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Jonas Sultan replaces John Riel Casimero

After successfully defending his WBO title against Guillermo Rigondeaux in 2021, John Riel Casimero set his sights on Naoya Inoue or Nonito Donaire. However, he agreed to fight Paul Butler in December of the same year. The bout was rescheduled to 2022 after Casimero had medical difficulties.

Paul Butler is a former IBF Bantamweight Champion. He made his pro debut in 2010 and has a record of 33-2-0 with 15 knockouts. He has twice defeated Stuart Hall but lost a bout to Emmanuel Rodríguez in 2018. Rodríguez has faced tough bantamweights such as Naoya Inoue, Jason Moloney, and Gary Antonio Russell. Butler most recently faced Willibaldo Garcia in 2021, though he has only fought twice in the past two years.

Jonas Sultan has a record of 18-5-0 with 11 knockouts. He beat Casimero in 2017 and has also fought a number of well-respected Filipino fighters, including Sonny Boy Jaro and Jerwin Ancajas. His most recent fight was against Carlos Caraballo, who he put down four times before winning by unanimous decision. Sultan and Butler will fight for the vacant WBO Interim Bantamweight Title.