“Inoue next,” Casimero said after stopping the former two-division world champion.
The victory improved the Filipino veteran’s record to 36-5-1 (25 KOs) and gave him one of the most notable wins of his recent career. Nery is a familiar name to boxing fans, having challenged Naoya Inoue for the undisputed super bantamweight championship in May 2024 before being stopped in six rounds.
While Casimero has reinserted himself into the conversation, several obstacles stand between him and a long-discussed showdown with Inoue.
The 37-year-old is not currently ranked in the top 15 by any of the four major sanctioning bodies at super bantamweight. He is also coming off a unanimous decision loss Kyonosuke Kameda in October 2025, a loss that damaged his position among contenders despite Kameda competing as a much bigger fighter.
Casimero and Inoue have a long history. The two were previously linked to a bout years ago when Casimero held a world title, but the bout never materialized.
The challenge for Casimero is that many fans are focused on other names when discussing Inoue’s future. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez is widely regarded as one of the most intriguing opponents available, while others would prefer to see Inoue move up to featherweight for fights against champions and contenders such as Rafael Espinoza, Angelo Leo, Brandon Figueroa or Bruce Carrington.
Casimero did his part by scoring an impressive knockout win over Nery. Whether that performance is enough to bring him into serious consideration for a fight with Inoue remains to be seen.
