MANILA, Philippines — After a one-year hiatus, Filipino boxer Johnriel Casimero is all set for a ring return against American Saul Sanchez at the Yokohama Budokan in Japan on Sunday.

Treasure Boxing Promotion serves the bout as the main event of a three-fight card, where another Pinoy boxer in Vince Paras fights in the undercard against home bet Hiroto Kyoguchi for a rubber match.

Completing the card is the battle between Japanese Yukinori Oguni and Namibian Fillipus Nghitumbwa.

Casimero last saw action on October 12 last year when he settled for a draw against Oguni, who sustained a gash in the fourth round that prompted the referee to stop the fight.

Prior to that draw, Casimero, a former three-division world champ, was on an 8-fight win streak with the last of that run being a unanimous decision win over Nghitumbwa.

Now, 'Quadro Alas' tries to get his mojo back as he begins his uphill climb in the super bantamweight division (122 lbs.) where Japanese Naoya Inoue is the unified champion.

Casimero, who was stripped of his World Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight title in May 2022 for being unable to defend it twice due to back-to-back weigh-in debacles, is seventh in the World Boxing Council (WBC) super bantamweight rankings, 13th in International Boxing Federation (IBF), and sixth in WBO.

The 35-year-old fighter from Ormoc, Leyte sports a 33-4-1 win-loss-draw card.

Meanwhile, the 5-foot-5 Sanchez, who is an inch taller than Casimero, last fought in July this year against Arthur Villanueva, scoring a unanimous decision.

'The Beast' is rated in only one world boxing body which is the WBO but only for his former weight category in bantamweight (118 lbs).

The 27-year-old carries a 21-3 win-loss record.

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