Casimero's challenger to be unbeaten Duke Micah

Over the weekend we saw Showtime announce that WBO Bantamweight champion John Riel Casimero (29-4, 20) would be in action on September 26th as part of their truly stacked shocked. At the time however Showtime didn't announce who Casimero's challenger was going to be.

On Sunday night it was revealed that the opponent would be unbeaten Ghanaian challenger Duke Micah (24-0, 19), who is ranked #11 in the latest WBO rankings.

For Casimero the bout will serve as his first defense of the WBO title that he won last year, when he upset Zolani Tete in the UK. The original plan for his first defense had been the much talked about unification bout with WBA and IBF  Bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue (19-0, 16) [井上 尚弥], though that bout fell apart due to the on going global situation.

The Micah the bout will be his first world title shot and the 28 year old comes in a very live under-dog. He's not only an unbeaten challenger but one who has often been over-looked. He began his professional career in Ghana but since then had travelled to both the UK and US for bouts. He has picked up a number of minor titles, such as the WBO Africa, Commonwealth and WBC International titles and is a solid challenger.

This bout really is part of a brilliant card and the first truly "stacked" card since boxing returned. It'll be a split PPV from Showtime that promises a lot, and this bout is a solid addition to the show, even if it's not quite the huge mega fight that Casimero Vs Inoue would have been.