Caballero & Molitor Set For Unification Battle

WBA super bantamweight champion Celestino Caballero and undefeated IBF king Steve “The Canadian Kid” Molitor will face each other in a unification match at the Casino Rama, in Ontario, Canada on November 21.

Showtime will broadcast LIVE on their ShoBox: The New Generation program at 11 p.m. ET/PT.

“Fights like these are what boxing needs right now,” said Caballero, winner of 11 straight bouts. “The best fighting the best; I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Caballero, 30-2-(21), of Colon, Panama, and Molitor,28-0-(11), of Ontario, Canada, have each successfully defended their title five times, but this marks the first world unification attempt for either champion.

“This is the biggest fight of my career,” said Molitor, who will be fighting for the first time on American television. “I’ve been boxing for 20 years, and it’s by far the biggest. Having the fight in my home country makes it even better. It puts a little bit of pressure on my shoulders, but it’s going to make me train that much harder knowing the spotlight is going to be on me.”

Molitor is a stylish southpaw with amazing endurance. He will rely on a high work rate to keep the naturally bigger and taller Caballero off balance.
“We know a little bit more than he thinks we know about him,” said Molitor, who sleeps in a hyperbaric chamber that replicates the thin air of altitude. “We’ve watched him on tape and we’ve brought in excellent sparring. Training camp has been great and I feel very confident.”
Molitor, who has fought most of his fights in his native Canada, is often criticized for having a “soft” resume.“

“On November twenty one, everyone is going to get what they want,” Molitor said. “I’m fighting a legit champion in Celestino Caballero. He’s a world champion that can’t get fights because nobody wants to fight him. Well, guess what? I’m going to put everything I have on the line against the same guy that everybody is running scared from.”

Molitor’s last defense was a 10th- round TKO over Ceferino Labarda on Aug. 29, 2008.

Caballero has largely been avoided despite holding a title for two years. His range, knockout power and intimidating presence have scared off many opponents in the past.

“The Towering Inferno,” as Caballero is often called due to his near six-foot frame, does not mind going into Molitor’s backyard if it means adding the IBF belt to his WBA crown.

“When I won my WBA title [in 2006], I did it against Somsak [Singchachawan] in his home country of Thailand,” said Caballero, who is also a southpaw. “I wasn’t favored to win and the site was at some remote temple better accessible by helicopter than by the winding, narrow road that we took.

“No one gave me a chance to win and I ended up winning the belt by third-round TKO. Going to Canada for this fight isn’t a big deal. I’ve won big title fights in hostile territory before.”

Along with his triumph over Singchachawan, Caballero also holds a win against former WBO super bantamweight champion Daniel Ponce de Leon. His most recent defense was a first-round TKO over Elvis Mejia on Sept. 18, 2008.

November 4, 2008