John Riel Casimero doesn’t yet know when he will be able to return home.

As confident as he is of soon making it back to the Philippines, though, he is just as certain of whom he will next face.

The three-division and reigning bantamweight titlist has been stuck in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he was due to face Japan’s Naoya Inoue (19-0, 16KOs) in a highly anticipated unification bout. Their clash was scheduled to take place on April 25 live on ESPN from Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, which was still in play when Casimero arrived in town for the balance of his training camp in mid-March.

The sport as a whole has since come to a screeching halt due to the ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, with no clear sign of when it can resume. Once it does, this fight is very much back on the table.

“The goal is to still fight Inoue,” Casimero (29-4, 20KOs) told BoxingScene.com from his training headquarters in Las Vegas, where he has set up shop for his previous two bouts. “We are still Monster hunting!”

Meanwhile, the 31-year old from Ormoc City, Philippines—who is promoted by Manny Pacquiao’s MP Promotions—has been separated from his family since February, when he opened up training in Miami before moving the team to Vegas five weeks later. He has been away from his loved ones before, though always with the safety net of having the option to return home.

The ongoing health crisis has made international travel problematic. On the day Casimero arrived in Las Vegas, the Philippines reported a total of 140 positive COVID-19 test cases and 12 deaths related to the infectious disease. One day later, the Filipino government declared a nationwide State of Calamity, from which enhanced quarantine measures were implemented.

Just one month later, figures in the Philippines have escalated to 5,453 positive test cases and from 349 COVID-related deaths. That harsh reality has resonated with all citizens, thus easing the pain of Casimero’s forced time away from his loved ones.

“I have been away from my children before, it’s the sacrifice you have to make when training for a fight,” notes the Filipino slugger, who communicates with his family every day through social media. “My family is on lockdown as is the whole city.

“We can either choose to be sad or glad. We cannot change the situation; all we can do is roll with the punches.”

Casimero will remain in Vegas at least through April 30, at which time the Nevada government will determine whether or not it is safe to reopen the economy. Soon thereafter should come the decision on when he can expect to secure the biggest opportunity of his already memorable career.

“Hopefully everything will open up in the next (three to four months),” notes Casimero. “Then, we can reschedule the fight with The Monster.”

Casimero—a former junior flyweight and flyweight titlist—captured the World Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight title following a stunning three-round destruction of long-reigning titlist Zolani Tete last November in Birmingham. England.

The WBO, WBA and IBF bantamweight titles will all be at stake for the eventually rescheduled unification clash between Casimero and Inoue.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox