Former three-division world champion John Riel Casimero (35-5-1, 24 KOs) could be looking at a new lease on life in his boxing career. The 37-year-old knockout artist, popularly known as Quadro Alas, will climb back into the ring on April 18 against ex-two-division world champion Luis Nery (37-2, 28 KOs) in a junior featherweight clash.
Saikou x Lush Boxing is promoting the Casimero-Nery clash as part of a three-day boxing showcase in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. It is scheduled to take place at the Gazprom Sports Complex.
Luis Nery, John Riel Casimero Are Both Coming Off Wins
Both Nery and Casimero are riding some momentum as they both won their respective last fights.
Nery scored an eighth-round technical decision against Sathaporn Saart in October, also in Kyrgyzstan. The win came via unanimous decision after the fight was stopped in the eighth round due to an accidental headbutt. Casimero, on the other hand, stopped Tom Mizokoshi in the fifth round in their bout in Japan back in December.
Incidentally, the last time Casimero and Nery shared a fight card was in October 2025 when the latter bested Saart. Quadro Alas, however, wasn’t too lucky, losing to Kyonusuke Kameda via unanimous decision in their 10-round clash. That makes Kameda a common foe for Casimero and Nery, as the latter stopped the Japanese slugger in February 2025.
A Step Back to Relevance for John Riel Casimero
For the 37-year-old John Riel Casimero, the fight with Luis Nery represents both a most formidable challenge and an opportunity to shoot back to boxing relevance. The Filipino pugilist, for all his tough talk and bluster, hasn’t been relevant lately, mostly due to his own undoing: missing weight for fights, getting caught in extracurricular activities, and failing to impress in his fights.
But in December against Mizokoshi, Casimero reminded everyone of his vaunted power and seemed to hint that he’s still got an ace or two up his sleeve. And a win against Nery, who remains highly regarded even after a brutal loss to Naoya Inoue, could propel the Filipino back to contender status—or at least close to it.
If John Riel Casimero comes in well-prepared and at his best, there’s no reason he can’t pull out a huge win over Nery.
