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Casimero, Vargas and Mares in separate bouts on Dec. 13

Fighters Network
12
Dec

RING No. 1-ranked junior flyweight John Riel Casimero will face Mexico’s Armando Santos in an IBF flyweight title eliminator on Saturday that will air on FOX Deportes and Televisa from Sal├│n Las Palmas, Pesqueria, Nuevo Le├│n, Mexico, Golden Boy Promotions announced on Friday.

A 24-year-old from Cebu City, Philippines, Casimero (20-2, 12 knockouts) is coming off a first-round knockout victory over Mauricio Fuentes, Casimero’s sixth straight win in a run that has included four stoppages.

The win over Santos would have represented the fourth defense of the belt Casimero won by 10th round technical knockout over Luis Alberto Lazarte in February 2012 were it not for Casimero losing his title at the scales.

Casimero last suffered defeat by fifth-round knockout against Moruti Mthalane in March 2011.



Santos, 26, is 6-0-1 with three knockouts over the course of his past seven fights and was last in action for a draw with Javier Franco in August. Santos (14-3-1, 8 KOs) has not lost since June 2011 via unanimous decision against Carlos Cuadras.

The co-main event will match Mexican lightweights Francisco Vargas and Genaro Camargo.

Vargas, 29, was last in action for a third-round knockout of Juan Manuel Lopez in July that had followed unanimous decisions over Jerry Belmontes and Abner Cotto in December 2013 and March, respectively.

Camargo, 27, was stopped by Romulo Koasicha in the fifth round of his last fight in September, preventing a third consecutive win since falling by first-round knockout to ex-beltholder Hozumi Hasegawa in August 2013.

Also in action will be lightweight Robert Manzanarez against Hector Velazquez and junior lightweight Adan Mares opposite Miguel Angel Gonzalez Piedras.

Since falling by sixth-round technical knockout to Alejandro Barrera in November 2012, Manzanarez has reeled off seven consecutive stoppage wins, the last coming in the third round over Ricardo Castillo in August.

Velazquez, 39, lost for the third straight time in his last fight in September, falling by unanimous decision to Jose Roman.

Mares, 25, is the younger brother of three-division titleholder Abner Mares and is coming off a draw with Alfonso Torres in June.

Since losing by split decision to Jairo Hernandez in August 2013, Piedras, 24, has won three straight. His most recent victory was a 56-second knockout over Jonathan Chavez in October.

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