Report- Donaire-Casimero Fight Already Off Over Drug Testing

Hope you enjoyed the conversation about a possible August 14th Nonito Donaire-Jon Riel Casimero Unified Bantamweight Title fight, because just a week after being announced, it’s already not happening due to a dispute over drug testing.

Boxing insider Steve Kim reported first Saturday afternoon that he had learned that Donaire’s side had pulled out due to Caismero not wanting to participate in VADA pre-fight testing,

Sources say that the fight between Nonito Donaire and J. Casimero is off because of the off the lack of ''transparency and enrollment into the VADA drug testing program'' by Casimero. This fight was scheduled for Aug 14th… #boxing

— Steve Kim (@SteveKim323) June 26, 2021

The controversy had been brewing for days with Donaire’s wife Rachel repeatedly posting on Twitter that they had concerns about transparency with Casimero and him refusing to enter the VADA in the program.

Here’s one example of her firing back late Friday night at Casimero’s management about not turning in the VADA documentation and adding to the drug testing controversy,

Soooo .. VADA 24/7/365 has still NOT been turned in. Celebrate ur fake victory but @casimerojr u are still NOT VADA.

— Rachel Donaire (@Knockout_Queen) June 26, 2021

As we wrote last weekend, the newly crowned WBC Bantamweight champ Donaire had agreed to battle the WBO champ, Casimero on August 14th. That meant that 38 year old Donaire was being “subbed in” for Guillermo Rigondeaux for the Showtime Boxing/PBC main event that night.

Donaire 41-6, 27 KOs made history in California in May, when he became the oldest World Bantamweight Champ ever with a 4th round KO of previously unbeaten WBC champ, Nordine Oubaali. Donaire scored two knockdowns in the third round, with the second one coming controversially just after the bell.

Donaire dropped Oubaali again, less than a minute into the fourth round and referee Jack Reiss stopped the bout.

Donaire was in a hotly contested 12 round battle with Japan’s Naoya “The Monster” Inoue for the World Boxing Super Series finale’ in December of 2019. The Monster defeated the veteran by decision in a wild fight were both fighters were hurt and Inoue overcame a fractured eye orbital.

Inoue was victorious in his Top Rank Las Vegas main event last Saturday night with a third round KO of Michael Dasmarinas. And, now it seems that a Donaire rematch with the Monster could be possible for late  this year.

As for Casimero (30-4, 21 KOs), he became WBO champ with a third round KO of Zolani Tate in England in November 2019. He successfully defended his belt destroying previously unbeaten Duke Micah by second round KO on Showtime from their fight “bubble” at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut last September.

And it’s unclear if Casimero would he potentially go back the original fight with Rigondeaux on August 14th? We just know it won’t be Donaire for that date.