Boxing Info: Celestino “The Towering Inferno” Caballero

ByBoxing Press

Five-foot-11 1/2-inch Celestino “The Towering Inferno” Caballero successfully defended his World Boxing Association super bantamweight championship Friday, March 16, halting Ricardo Castillo by technical knockout in the ninth round of their main event on the nationally televised “Tribal Pride 2” card at the Hard Rock Resort & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.

The one-sided bout ended at 2:02 of the ninth round when the corner of the game but thoroughly beaten Castillo gauged he had sustained enough of a battering.

“I want to unify all the titles at 122 (pounds),” said Caballero, now with a record of 26-2 and 19 knockouts.

“As the rounds went on I became more aggressive,” said the lanky, hard-hitting southpaw from Panama. “I did not feel his punches, but I knew I was hurting him.”

“We believe Celestino can unify at 122 and then go on and be a champion at 126 and 130 pounds as well,” said Glenn Quiroga, president of Sycuan Ringside Promotions, of the lanky 122-pounder.

“Sycuan Ringside Promotions and Seminole Warriors Boxing Promotions have a unique champion in Celestino,” said Scott Woodworth, vice president of Sycuan Ringside Promotions. “Certainly, he’s big for 122 pounds; he’s big at 126 and 130 pounds, too. But more than that, he’s smart, powerful and determined. He will get the job done; he will finish the man in front of him.”

Caballero not only was aggressive, he was relentless and varied in his attack. He pummeled Castillo, the brother of former World Boxing Council lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo, with a devastating mixture of rapier-like jabs, looping rights, straight rights, left hooks and body shots.

“I’d seen enough,” said Jose Luis Castillo, who stopped the bout. “My brother was hurt.”

Caballero was leading Castillo, now with a record of 27-4 and 17 knockouts, handily on all three judges’ scorecards when the bout was stopped.

Caballero is co-promoted by Sycuan Ringside Promotions and Seminole Warriors Boxing; his career is guided by veteran advisor Sampson Lewkowicz.

This was the second “Tribal Pride” card presented by Sycuan Ringside Promotions and Seminole Warriors Boxing Promotions; the inaugural card was during May of 2006 in Hollywood, Fla.

Two other Sycuan Ringside Promotions boxers also were on the card that was on

Telefutura’s “Solo Boxeo.” Previously undefeated Jorge Paez Jr. was stopped by Ramon Guevara by technical knockout in the fourth and final round of their super lightweight fight while unbeaten, 200-pound Shawn Hawk suffered the first blemish on his record when he had an eight-round draw against Ed Perry.

Paez Jr. now has a record of 13-1 with eight knockouts while Hawk has a mark of

13-0-1 with 11 knockouts. Guevara, a journeyman, was in his 19th bout while Perry now has a record of 10-4-1