Celestino Caballero Adds Even More to Loaded Featherweight Division

While the return of Andre Berto after nearly 11 months of inactivity was reason enough to watch boxing on HBO this past Saturday, I was actually even more interested in the co-feature.

Former super bantamweight titleholder Celestino Caballero did not disappoint in his first bout in the U.S. in three years, battering a game but outgunned Daud Yordan en route to a lopsided decision.

If you’ve never seen the Panamanian in action, he’s a lot like a mini version of Paul Williams.

Caballero is a punching machine, usually averaging over 100 thrown per round, and his height (he’s just a tad under six feet, which is quite tall for a featherweight) and long arms mean those shots come from unusual angles.

He doesn’t have tons of power, but he isn’t just a slapper either. The HBO announcers correctly pointed out that he hit harder to the body than the head, and he certainly pelted Yordan with a number of hard body blows.

Caballero can dodge and slip punches at times, but he is usually already thinking about what to throw next, so he can be hit with some flush shots—another trait he shares with Williams.

Yordan was able to reach him with some solid left hooks, but he showed a sturdy chin and never appeared to be stunned for more than a second.

Certainly, Caballero looked like he had no problem handling the step up from 122 to 126 pounds, which is significant because the featherweight division is full of possibilities for big fights.

At 33, Celestino is older than most of the other top names in the weight class, so it behooves him to try to get those guys in the ring sooner rather than later.

His team seems to understand this, as ESPN’s Dan Rafael is reporting that they are already exploring a fight with Yuriorkis Gamboa. That would be a dynamite matchup, as the explosive Cuban defector also employs a very fan-friendly style, and it would be a rare bout that serves as a measuring stick for both sides.

Here are a few other potential foes for Caballero at 126 that I’d gladly make time to see.

Juan Manuel Lopez

Caballero already has a victory over hard-punching southpaw Daniel Ponce de Leon, but Juanma is on another level. Lopez would have a definite edge in raw power, and he'd be less bothered by Celestino’s height than most boxers, but he’s never faced anything like the hail of punches he’d have coming back at him.

On top of that, Juanma has already proven to be a good draw in New York City even when fighting relative nobodies, so it wouldn’t matter that Caballero isn’t a household name. Plop this one in Madison Square garden and you’ve got yourself a winner.

Chris John

Like Caballero, John hasn’t fought often in the U.S., but what I’ve seen from him makes me want to see more. He’s a very savvy fighter who knows how to dictate the action to his benefit.

Since neither Caballero nor John has huge KO power, this bout would likely feature truly insane amounts of punches thrown and landed for 12 rounds.

Sounds like fun to me.

There's even a revenge angle here since John hails from Indonesia, like Yordan.

The Winner of Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez IV

You know, assuming they eventually agree to fight someone other than each other. Though these gentlemen aren’t historically featherweights, they both took tune-up bouts in the division and will meet at 126 when they resume their epic series in May.

Everyone I’ve mentioned so far would test Caballero’s skill, but Vazquez or Marquez would undoubtedly take measure of his manhood as well. No one who’s seen any of their prior epics needs to be sold on the excitement these guys bring to the table, so pitting either of them against Caballero would almost be a guarantee of action that would be worth the price of admission.

Nick Tylwalk is the editor and co-founder of BoxingWatchers.com . Follow his Twitter feed @Nick_Tylwalk or the site's feed @boxing_watchers .