Celestino Caballero

Celestino "Pelenchin" Caballero is a professional boxer from Panama. He is the former unified junior featherweight champion holding the IBF and WBA "Super" titles. On October 14, 2011, Caballero defeated Jonathan Victor Barros by unanimous decision to become the reigning WBA (Regular) featherweight champion. Besides being a boxer, Caballero is also a Reggae singer. He is trained by Jeff Mayweather uncle of Floyd Mayweather Jr and brother to Roger and Floyd Sr.^[1]'

Amateur career

Caballero had 16 fights as an amateur boxer, in which he started boxing the age of 16.

Professional career

Caballero then began boxing professionally in 1998.

During a majority of the earliest stages his career, Caballero won himself these minor boxing championships: the Panamanian, WBA Fedecentro, WBA Fedelatin, WBO Latino, and NABA Super Bantamweight titles.^[2]

He had won the first four of his titles and had a record of 17-0 before losing by a third round knockout to José Rojas on May 16, 2003.^[2]

Seven months later, Caballero won the vacant NABA title by defeating Giovanni Andrade. The fight, which was held in Coconut Creek, Florida, was Caballero's first one outside of Panama. In his next fight, back in Panama, Caballero was knocked down in the tenth round and lost the title by unanimous decision to Ricardo Cordoba on May 25, 2004.^[2]

On February 17, 2005, Caballero fought the then unbeaten and would-be world champion Daniel Ponce de León in Hollywood, California. Caballero, who was a heavy underdog, won the bout by unanimous decision.

On October 15, 2005, Caballero defeated Yober Ortega by unanimous decision for the WBA Super Bantamweight interim championship. He defended the title on February 4, 2006 against Roberto Bonilla. After knocking down Bonilla in the third and fifth rounds, Caballero won via TKO in the seventh.

World titles

Caballero fought against WBA world Super Bantamweight champion Somsak Sithchatchawal in Sithchatchawal's native country of Thailand on October 4, 2006 in order to win the real WBA title. He won by TKO by knocking Sithchatchawal down three times in the third round—causing the referee to stop the bout. Caballero has defended the title five times with the last one being that he knocked out Elvis Meija in one round.

On November 21, 2008, Caballero knocked out the unbeaten IBF Super Bantamweight champion Steve Molitor in the 4th round at the Casino Rama, Ontario. With the victory, he added the IBF title with his WBA crown.^[3] Caballero won his first defense on both titles with a split decision win over Jeffery Mathebula on April 30, 2009. He defended the titles for second time on August 29 in the same year against Francisco Leal who conceded in the 8th round.

Caballero was stripped of his IBF title on February 5, 2010 for failing to have a defense against Takalani Ndlovu, his mandatory challenger in that sanctioning body, in a timely manner. On April 10, 2010, Caballero defeated Daud Yordan. After that fight Celestino expressed his high interest in fighting Cuban Gold Medalist Yuriorkis Gamboa but that fight failed to come off being unsuccessful in securing a fight at Featherweight. Celestino was able to schedule a fight with Junior Lightweight Jason Litzau at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on the opening bout of the HBO Televised undercard of Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Michael Katsidis on November 27. Subsequently, lost that fight via unanimous decision.

Celestino Caballero has dropped from Junior Lightweight to Featherwight division for a career-high against Jonathan Victor Barros, champion in property of the WBA version of this division, which fight is dated for June 18, 2011 and to take place at Mendoza, Argentina.

The WBC final Featherwight eliminator ordered by the World Boxing Council between Caballero and the Romanian Viorel Simion (16-0, 7KOs), with the winner landing a shot at current champion Daniel Ponce de León, will take place on a date in spring 2013.^[4][5]

Professional boxing record

36 Wins (23 knockouts), 5 Losses (1 knockout)[6]
Res.	Record	Opponent	Type	Rd., Time	Date	Location	Notes
		Viorel Simion			TBA	TBA	For WBC Featherweight title eliminator.
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss	36-5	Robinson Castellanos	SD	12	2013-04-20	Arena Roberto Duran, Panama City
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	36-4	Satoshi Hosono	UD	12	2011-12-31	Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium, Yokohama	Retained WBA (Regular) Featherweight title.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	35-4	Jonathan Barros	UD	12	2011-10-14	Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal	Won WBA (Regular) Featherweight title.
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss	34-4	Jonathan Barros	SD	12	2011-06-18	Polideportivo La Colonia, Junin, Mendoza	For WBA (Regular) Featherweight title.
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss	34-3	Jason Litzau	SD	10 (10)	2010-11-27	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	34-2	Daud Yordan	UD	12 (12)	2010-04-10	BankAtlantic Center, Sunrise, Florida
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	33-2	Francisco Leal	RTD	8 (12), 0:10	2009-08-29	Ciudad Deportiva, Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico	Retained WBA (Super) & IBF Super Bantamweight titles.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	32-2	Jeffrey Mathebula	SD	12	2009-04-30	Arena Roberto Duran, Panama City	Retained WBA (Super) & IBF Super Bantamweight titles.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	31-2	Steve Molitor	TKO	4 (12), 0:52	2008-11-21	Casino Rama, Rama, Ontario	Retained WBA (Super) & Won IBF Super Bantamweight titles.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	30-2	Elvis Mejia	TKO	1 (12), 2:51	2008-09-18	Centro de Convenciones Figali, Panama City	Retained WBA (Regular) Super Bantamweight title.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	29-2	Lorenzo Parra	RTD	11 (12), 3:00	2008-06-07	Centro Olimpico, San Juan de Los Morros	Retained WBA (Regular) Super Bantamweight title.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	28-2	Mauricio Pastrana	TKO	8 (12), 0:53	2007-12-01	Gimnasio Roberto Duran, Panama City	Retained WBA (Regular) Super Bantamweight title.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	27-2	Jorge Lacierva	UD	12	2007-08-04	Dodge Arena, Hidalgo, Texas	Retained WBA (Regular) Super Bantamweight title.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	26-2	Ricardo Castillo	DQ	9 (12), 2:02	2007-03-16	Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casin, Hollywood, Florida	Retained WBA (Regular) Super Bantamweight title.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	25-2	Somsak Sithchatchawal	TKO	3 (12), 1:48	2006-10-04	Ban Rai District	Won WBA (Regular) Super Bantamweight title.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	24-2	Roberto Bonilla	TKO	7 (12)	2006-02-04	Centro de Convenciones Figali, Panama City	Retained interim WBA Super Bantamweight title.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	23-2	Yober Ortega	UD	12	2005-10-15	Centro de Convenciones Figali, Panama City	Won interim WBA Super Bantamweight title.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	22-2	José Luis Valbuena	TKO	5 (12), 3:08	2005-05-05	Desert Diamond Casino, Tucson, Arizona
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	21-2	Daniel Ponce de León	UD	12	2005-02-17	The Avalon, Hollywood, Hollywood, California
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	20-2	Victor Peralta	TKO	5 (10)	2004-10-15	Coliseo Bernardo Caraballo, Cartagena
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss	19-2	Ricardo Cordoba	UD	12	2004-05-25	Centro de Convenciones Atlapa, Panama City

See also

• List of current world boxing champions
• List of WBA world champions
• Ring Magazine pound for pound

References

External links

• Official Celestino Caballero website
• Professional boxing record for Celestino Caballero from BoxRec