Celestino Caballero To Place WBO Boxing Title At Risk

Sycuan Ringside Promotions’ World Boxing Association super bantamweight champion Celestino Caballero (25-2, 18 KOs) won’t be boxing’s best kept secret if he keeps sending his opponents to the canvas.

Celestino, co-promoted by San Diego-based Sycuan Ringside Promotions and Davie, Fla.-based Seminole Warriors Boxing Promotions, will try to floor one more when he puts his WBA 122-pound championship on the line when he faces Ricardo Castillo (27-3, 17 KOs) at the Seminole Hard Rock Live Arena at the Seminole Hard Rock Resort & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., Friday, March 16, at 9 p.m. ET.

The 12-round title fight will be televised on Univision’s Solo Boxeo.

Caballero, a southpaw from Panama City, Panama, is making his national television debut against the Mexican-born Castillo, the younger brother of former World Boxing Council lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo.

Castillo’s rich bloodlines won’t deter Caballero, who stands a shade under six-feet and possesses bone-crunching power. Caballero’s trademark of tattooing his opponents with long, roundhouse shots keeps him ahead on scorecards and away from dangerous head blows.

“I am ready for Castillo,” said Celestino, who sparred an impressive 170 rounds in preparation for his fight on Friday. “I cannot look to the future without taking care of the here and now. Castillo is on my mind and I want to look impressive on this televised bout.”

Caballero is coming off a third-round technical knockout of highly touted Somsak Sithchatchawal Oct. 4, 2006, in Sithchatchawal’s native country of Thailand. Caballero captured the WBA super bantamweight championship with that win and announced to the boxing world he is ready for all comers at 122 pounds.

“I am dedicated to create a legacy,” said Caballero. “Sure, guys at featherweight and super featherweight interest me. Sure, I would love to fight Manny Pacquiao. But that all has to wait. For now, I am focused on making history in the super bantamweight division.”

Nicknamed “The Towering Inferno” because of his imposing height, Caballero is off to a red-hot start but still is searching to make a name for himself in the crowded super bantamweight division.

“My time is coming; I am a very patient man,” said the 30-year-old Caballero, who usually conducts camp in South Florida, but this time trained in Panama. “I want to fight the very best at 122 pounds; I want to leave my mark on the division.”

He’s already turning heads; now all he has to do is keep sending his opponents to a spot in the ring he rarely frequents–the floor.