Boxing Info: Celestino Caballero – Jorge Lacierva

It’s been a long time coming, but on Saturday, August 4th, WBA super bantamweight champion Celestino Caballero will finally make his long-awaited return to premium cable airwaves when he defends his title on Showtime against perennial contender Jorge Lacierva.

“I’m ecstatic that Showtime subscribers will get to see the fighter we’ve been raving about for all these years in Celestino Caballero,” said Leon Margules, Executive Director of Seminole Warriors Boxing, which co-promotes the 122-pound champion with Sycuan Ringside Promotions. “Caballero is one of the most dominant champions in the sport today, and he’ll show all his talent to the world on August 4th.”

Caballero vs Lacierva takes place on the undercard of the highly anticipated rematch between Rafael Marquez and Israel Vazquez. The Showtime broadcast begins at 9pm ET / PT.

A dynamic southpaw known for his 5 foot 11 frame and ability to box or bang when the bell rings, Colon, Panama’s Celestino Caballero (26-2, 18 KOs) has not lost a fight since 2004, putting together seven impressive wins in the last three years. Included among his victims are current WBO champion Daniel Pince De Leon, Jose Luis Valbuena, and longtime champion Somsak Sithchatchawal, who entered his October 2006 bout with Caballero with a 46-1-1 record. Caballero stopped the Thai standout in just three rounds, and in his last bout, on March 16, 2007, “Pelenchin’ defended his title for the third time with a ninth round disqualification win over Ricardo Castillo.

In the 29-year old Jorge Lacierva (32-6-6, 22 KOs), Caballero will be facing a season veteran who has worked tirelessly to get another title shot after losing his first chance to Mark Johnson in 1999. Since that fight, Lacierva has faced a Who’s Who of lower weight class fighters, and he is currently riding a six fight winning streak that he hopes will extend to seven if he can get by Caballero and win his first world title on August 4th.