By Cliff Rold
35-year old IBF Flyweight titlist Amnat Ruenroeng (16-0, 5 KO), 112, of Chonburi, Thailand, retained his title for the fourth time with a twelve-round decision over former IBF 108 lb. titlist and mandatory challenger Johnriel Casimero (21-3, 12 K), 112, of Cebu City, Philippines, at the Hua Mark Indoor Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Saturday.
It was one of the most unwatchable spectacles in recent recall, a foul fest largely initiated by Ruenroeng and allowed far too much leniency by what appeared an absent tee officiating performance from America’s Larry Doggett. Ruenroeng was credited with knockdowns in the second and seventh, and lost a point for fouling in the eleventh, but was allowed to get away with a wild variety of shoves, blatant holds, headlocks, and takedowns all night.
The first round was fairly typical of a Ruenroeng fight, the titlist working off his educated left while clinching and pushing off when a pressing Casimero got close. In the second, Ruenroeng went on the offensive, scoring a knockdown early and using superior speed and technique to repeatedly catch Casimero with quick counters.
Round three returned to awkward with Ruenroeng more than once tying Casimero up near the ropes and just holding him there while the referee watched and seemed unwilling to break the fighters. A loose shoelace halted the action as Ruenroeng’s corner taped his laces shut. Also in the third, and fourth, Ruenroeng got away with blatant hip tossing of Casimero to the floor and a left arm clinch across the throat of Casimero.
No points were taken. It got worse.
In the fifth, Ruenroeng pushed Casimero to the floor out of one clinch and then another resulted in Casimero being pinned on his haunches in the corner. While there, Ruenroeng threw a body shot and got away with it.
The alley fight, because it sure as hell wasn’t a boxing match, continued to devolve as the rounds went by. Ruenroeng was credited with a knockdown in the seventh but it was the foul tactics and Doggett’s refusal to take a point that stood out. Casimero was repeatedly tripped and forced to the floor, at one point wrapped around the neck and forced towards the canvas with only scant warning issued.
Ruenroeng finally lost a point in the eleventh, but it was far too late to impact the fight the way it would have earlier. Casimero had good spots in the tenth and eleventh but received a stern, lengthy warning after fighting fire with fire and landing a cup shot in the eleventh. Both men landed some good shots in the twelfth and they were easy to identify as most of the round maintained the ugly form of what had come before.
Ruenroeng was awarded the decision but scores were not read in English and the official verdict will be updated when available.
Casimero made three defenses of his title in the Jr. Flyweight division from 2012-14 before losing his title on the scales. This was his second failed attempt at a Flyweight belt after a knockout loss to then-IBF titlist Moruti Mthalane in 2011.
The card was available in the US via the website for Thai television station Mono 29.
Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene and a member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
