Casimero established control almost immediately. Less than 30 seconds into the opening round, he connected with a crushing left hook that sent Nery to the canvas. The punishment continued as Casimero dropped Nery twice more in the round with sharp hooks, badly shaking the former two-division world champion.
Nery’s struggles were compounded by his failure to make weight. The Mexican came in at 127.4 pounds, nearly four pounds heavier than Casimero, who weighed in at 123.4 pounds.
Any hope of a comeback vanished in the second round when Casimero scored another takedown. Nery tried to press forward, but his defense failed him time and time again as Casimero landed clean counters and power shots.
The Filipino veteran added a fifth takedown late in the third round, again using his left hook to devastating effect. Nery was exhausted, hurt and unable to handle Casimero’s timing, accuracy and power.
The end came just 42 seconds into the fourth round. Casimero landed a right hand before hitting a left hook around Nery’s guard. The punch dropped Nery to the canvas for the sixth time, prompting referee Nobuto Ikehara to wave.
The victory improved Casimero’s record to 36-5-1 (25 KOs) and recorded one of the most impressive wins of his recent career.
Nery struggled from the opening round and never recovered after being dropped three times in the first three minutes of the fight.
He couldn’t handle Casimero’s pressure, variety of shots and relentless aggression.
After the fight, Casimero wasted little time setting his sights on the biggest name in the division.
The Filipino immediately renewed his call for a long-discussed showdown with undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue, a fight that has been discussed for years but never materialized.
Based on Saturday night’s performance, Casimero once again pushed his way into the conversation among the top fighters in the lower weight classes.
