Celestino Caballero

Celestino Caballero (born June 21, 1976) is a Panamanian former professional boxer who competed from 1998 to 2014. He was a world champion in two weight classes, having held the unified WBA (Super) and IBF super bantamweight titles between 2006 and 2010, and the WBA (Regular) featherweight title from 2011 to 2012.

Celestino Caballero
Statistics
Nickname(s)
  • Pelenchín
  • Towering Inferno
Weight(s)
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Reach73 1⁄2 in (187 cm)
NationalityPanamanian
Born (1976-06-21) June 21, 1976
Colón, Panama
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights43
Wins37
Wins by KO24
Losses6

Professional career

Caballero began boxing professionally in 1998. During the majority of his early career, Caballero won a number of minor regional championships: the Panamanian, WBA Fedecentro, WBA Fedelatin, WBO Latino, and NABA Super Bantamweight titles.[1]

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.[1]

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.[1]

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.

WBA super bantamweight champion

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.[2] 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. Cabellero 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, should have taken place on a date in spring 2013.[3][4] The fight did not happen, however.

Professional boxing record
Professional record summary
43 fights 37 wins 6 losses
By knockout 24 1
By decision 11 5
By disqualification 2 0
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
43 Loss 37–6 Adrian Estrella UD 12 Oct 4, 2014 Centro de Usos Múltiples, Los Mochis, Mexico For WBC FECARBOX super featherweight title
42 Win 37–5 Jimmy Aburto TKO 2 (8), 1:41 Nov 30, 2013 Arena Panama Al Brown, Colón, Panama Won vacant WBC Latino featherweight title
41 Loss 36–5 Robinson Castellanos SD 12 Apr 20, 2013 Roberto Durán Arena, Panama City, Panama For WBC Silver featherweight title
40 Win 36–4 Satoshi Hosono UD 12 Dec 31, 2011 Cultural Gymnasium, Yokohama, Japan Retained WBA (Regular) featherweight title
39 Win 35–4 Jonathan Victor Barros UD 12 Oct 14, 2011 Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Argentina Won WBA (Regular) featherweight title
38 Loss 34–4 Jonathan Victor Barros SD 12 Jun 18, 2011 Polideportivo La Colonia, Junín, Argentina For WBA (Regular) featherweight title
37 Loss 34–3 Jason Litzau SD 10 Nov 27, 2010 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
36 Win 34–2 Daud Yordan UD 12 Apr 10, 2010 BankAtlantic Center, Sunrise, Florida, U.S.
35 Win 33–2 Francisco Leal RTD 7 (12), 3:00 Aug 29, 2009 Ciudad Deportiva, Mexicali, Mexico Retained WBA (Unified) and IBF super bantamweight titles
34 Win 32–2 Jeffrey Mathebula SD 12 Apr 30, 2009 Roberto Durán Arena, Panama City, Panama Retained WBA (Unified) and IBF super bantamweight titles
33 Win 31–2 Steve Molitor TKO 4 (12), 0:52 Nov 21, 2008 Casino, Rama, Ontario, Canada Won IBF and vacant WBA (Super) super bantamweight titles
32 Win 30–2 Elvis Mejia TKO 1 (12), 2:51 Sep 18, 2008 Figali Convention Center, Panama City, Panama Retained WBA super bantamweight title
31 Win 29–2 Lorenzo Parra RTD 11 (12), 3:00 Jun 7, 2008 Centro Olimpico, San Juan de los Morros, Venezuela Retained WBA super bantamweight title
30 Win 28–2 Mauricio Pastrana TKO 8 (12), 0:53 Dec 1, 2007 Roberto Durán Arena, Panama City, Panama Retained WBA super bantamweight title
29 Win 27–2 Jorge Lacierva UD 12 Aug 4, 2007 Dodge Arena, Hidalgo, Texas, U.S. Retained WBA super bantamweight title
28 Win 26–2 Ricardo Castillo DQ 9 (12), 2:02 Mar 16, 2007 Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S. Retained WBA super bantamweight title;
Castillo disqualified after his corner entered ring
27 Win 25–2 Somsak Sithchatchawal TKO 3 (12), 1:48 Oct 4, 2006 Wat, Ban Rai, Thailand Won WBA super bantamweight title
26 Win 24–2 Roberto Bonilla TKO 7 (12) Feb 4, 2006 Figali Convention Center, Panama City, Panama Retained WBA interim super bantamweight title
25 Win 23–2 Yober Ortega UD 12 Oct 15, 2005 Figali Convention Center, Panama City, Panama Won vacant WBA interim super bantamweight title
24 Win 22–2 José Luis Valbuena TKO 5 (12), 3:08 May 5, 2005 Desert Diamond Casino, Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
23 Win 21–2 Daniel Ponce de León UD 12 Feb 17, 2005 Avalon Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
22 Win 20–2 Victor Peralta TKO 5 (10) Oct 15, 2004 Coliseo Bernardo Caraballo, Cartagena, Colombia
21 Loss 19–2 Ricardo Cordoba UD 12 May 25, 2004 Atlapa Convention Centre, Panama City, Panama Lost WBA–NABA and Panamanian super bantamweight titles
20 Win 19–1 Giovanni Andrade DQ 10 (10) Dec 5, 2003 Seminole Casino, Coconut Creek, Florida, U.S. Won vacant WBA–NABA super bantamweight title
19 Win 18–1 Arcelio Ibarra TKO 3 (10), 2:18 Sep 20, 2003 Jardín Nuevas Glorias Soberanas, Panama City, Panama
18 Loss 17–1 Jose Rojas KO 3 (12), 2:59 May 16, 2003 Roberto Durán Arena, Panama City, Panama Lost WBA Fedelatin super bantamweight title
17 Win 17–0 Leonardo Gonzalez TKO 2 (12), 0:57 Feb 15, 2003 Roberto Durán Arena, Panama City, Panama Retained WBA Fedelatin and WBO Latino super bantamweight titles
16 Win 16–0 Jorge Monsalvo TKO 4 (12) Oct 31, 2002 Atlapa Convention Centre, Panama City, Panama Won vacant WBO Latino super bantamweight title
15 Win 15–0 Angel Valencia KO 3 (12), 1:45 Sep 21, 2002 Arena Panama Al Brown, Colón, Panama Retained Panamanian super bantamweight title;
Won vacant WBA Fedelatin super bantamweight title
14 Win 14–0 Andres Ciriaco UD 8 Jun 14, 2002 Arena Panama Al Brown, Colón, Panama
13 Win 13–0 Marcos Verbel KO 3 (12), 2:47 Nov 30, 2001 Riande Continental Hotel Bella Vista, Panama City, Panama Won vacant WBA Fedecentro super bantamweight title
12 Win 12–0 Euclides Espitia KO 4 (10), 2:14 Oct 5, 2001 Roberto Durán Arena, Panama City, Panama
11 Win 11–0 Armando Rojas TKO 7 (12) Aug 18, 2001 Arena Panama Al Brown, Colón, Panama Retained Panamanian super bantamweight title;
Won vacant WBA Fedecentro super bantamweight title
10 Win 10–0 Santos Marimon KO 6 (10), 0:32 Mar 17, 2001 Arena Panama Al Brown, Colón, Panama
9 Win 9–0 Antonio Jaramillo TKO 2 (10), 1:39 Feb 3, 2001 Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama
8 Win 8–0 Armando Cordoba UD 12 Jun 16, 2000 Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama Won Panamanian super bantamweight title
7 Win 7–0 Arquimedes Gonzalez KO 4 (8), 1:48 Apr 29, 2000 Gimnasio, Puerto Pilón, Panama
6 Win 6–0 Raul Alonso RTD 5 (8), 3:00 Mar 31, 2000 Jardin "El Rancho", Panama City, Panama
5 Win 5–0 Henry Francis UD 6 Feb 16, 2000 Magnum Eventus, Panama City, Panama
4 Win 4–0 Garibaldo Morris KO 1 (6), 3:00 Mar 3, 1999 Discoteca Congo, Panama City, Panama
3 Win 3–0 Leopoldo Arrocha TKO 3 (4), 2:39 Jan 20, 1999 Discoteca Congo, Panama City, Panama
2 Win 2–0 Arquimedes Gonzalez RTD 3 (4), 3:00 Dec 2, 1998 Discoteca Congo, Panama City, Panama
1 Win 1–0 Victor Perez UD 4 Nov 18, 1998 Discoteca Congo, Panama City, Panama Professional debut

References
  1. Boxrec. "Celestino Caballero". Boxrec Fighter Page. Retrieved January 26, 2008.
  2. Panama's Caballero snatches boxing's IBF title from Molitor Retrieved November 24, 2008. Archived December 1, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  3. Caballero-Simion WBC Featherweight Eliminator Looms Retrieved January 10, 2013. Archived February 15, 2013, at Archive.today
  4. Per Ake Persson, Caballero-Simion WBC Eliminator Heads To March January 3, 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
Sporting positions
Regional boxing titles
Preceded by
Armando Cordoba		 Panamanian
super bantamweight champion
June 16, 2000 – May 25, 2004		 Succeeded by
Ricardo Cordoba
Vacant
Title last held by
Humberto Soto		 WBA Fedecentro
super bantamweight champion
August 18, 2001 – October 2001
Vacated		 Vacant
Title next held by
Óscar Larios
Vacant
Title last held by
Óscar Larios		 WBA Fedecentro
super bantamweight champion
November 30, 2001 – September 21, 2002
Won Fedelatin title		 Vacant
Title next held by
Jose Rojas
Vacant
Title last held by
Anthony Martinez		 WBA Fedelatin
super bantamweight champion
September 21, 2002 – May 16, 2003		 Succeeded by
Jose Rojas
Vacant
Title last held by
Joan Guzmán		 WBO Latino
super bantamweight champion
October 31, 2002 – May 2003
Vacated		 Vacant
Title next held by
Oscar Rene Ponce
Vacant
Title last held by
Alejandro Barrera		 WBA–NABA
super bantamweight champion
December 5, 2003 – May 25, 2004		 Succeeded by
Ricardo Cordoba
Vacant
Title last held by
Jezreel Corrales		 WBC Latino
featherweight champion
November 30, 2013 – April 2014
Vacated		 Succeeded by
Sergio Romero
World boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Yober Ortega		 WBA super bantamweight champion
Interim title
October 15, 2005 – October 4, 2006
Won full title		 Vacant
Title next held by
Ricardo Cordoba
Preceded by
Somsak Sithchatchawal		 WBA super bantamweight champion
October 4, 2006 – November 21, 2008
Won Super title		 Succeeded by
Ricardo Cordoba
promoted from interim status
New title WBA super bantamweight champion
Super title
November 21, 2008 – November 2010
Unified title from December 2008 to February 5, 2010
Vacated		 Vacant
Title next held by
Guillermo Rigondeaux
Preceded by
Steve Molitor		 IBF super bantamweight champion
November 21, 2008 – February 5, 2010
Stripped		 Vacant
Title next held by
Steve Molitor
Preceded by
Jonathan Victor Barros		 WBA featherweight champion
Regular title
October 14, 2011 – October 7, 2012
Vacated		 Vacant
Title next held by
Nicholas Walters
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