Caballero retains 122-pound title against Castillo

By Ramon Rodriguez

16/03/2007

Caballero retains 122-pound title against Castillo

Celestino Caballero TKO9 Ricardo Castillo... Celestino “Pelenchin” Caballero of Panama retained his WBA 122-pound title with a ninth round technical knockout over Ricardo “Piolo” Castillo. However, he had to withstand some shaky moments in the early rounds. In the first two rounds, Castillo cut off the ring effectively and landed heavy shots to Caballero’s body. By the third round, Caballero began warming up, though Castillo was still landing big hooks to the body. Castillo’s point deduction for excessive low blows later in the round seemed to rattle the Mexican native, who by then, found it harder to concentrate on the fight. In the fourth round, both fighters traded sharp hooks and jabs, but Caballero seemed to connect much quicker than Castillo. In the fifth and sixth rounds, Caballero used excellent timing and footwork to dodge and block Castillo’s punches, which seemed to get wider and wider as time passed. By the seventh and eighth rounds, Caballero threw crisp jabs and overhand rights, while mocking the visibly frustrated Castillo, who could not seem to land any meaningful punches.  By the ninth round, Caballero was using his height and reach advantage to toy with Castillo (27-3, 17 KOs).  Castillo appeared to pull a muscle in his leg, and then proceeded to attempt a body slam of Caballero. A few seconds after the referee restored order, Castillo's brother Jose Luis, the former lightweight champion, began yelling from ringside to stop the fight, and the challenger's corner stepped up to the ring apron to stop the action. The strange ending came after Caballero (25-2, 18 KOs) landed a bruising shot to Ricardo’s left temple.  source: solo boxeo on telefutura