Will Juan Manuel Lopez still look to fight Celestino Caballero in January? Caballero has his doubts, and Bob Arum didn't drop Caballero's name post-fight. (AP Photo)

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The dust has barely settled after Juan Manuel Lopez's Fight of the Year candidate win over Rogers Mtagwa, and fellow top 122-pounder Celestino Caballero is already saying that Lopez was "exposed" and that he now doesn't think the Puerto Rican titlist will fight him. Caballero and Lopez were in negotiations for a January 23 fight on HBO's Boxing After Dark, a date that will indeed feature Lopez, but maybe not Caballero.

From Rick Reeno:

"I came all the way from Panama to watch Juama get exposed by an old man like Mtagwa. He put in the newspaper [that] after Mtagwa he wanted Celestino. He is so scared that they didn't even my name after the fight. Now I put a statement to every super bantamweight or featherweight - who dares to challenge me - because I lost all my hope with Juanma Lopez. Because it's a fact that he will go to Puerto Rico to hide behind the shell of a clam.

"After the fight, everybody ran away. None of the executives from Top Rank approached my adviser Sampson Lewkowicz or myself. Everyone knows in the arena, if I was in there tonight - he would been knocked out cold."

Caballero had promised to confront Lopez in-ring after the fight, but didn't. There are a few quick B.S. calls on Caballero here, though, the least notable of which is his calling Mtagwa, 30, "an old man." Caballero is 33 years old.

Look, Caballero hasn't exactly been fighting Murderer's Row. He took a fight in late August with a guy (Francisco Leal) who had even less business fighting for a title than Mtagwa did, and in his fight before that he nearly lost to Jeffrey Mathebula, a bout that sort of played out the same way Lopez-Mtagwa did. Good fight, close fight, the favorite still won. Was Caballero "exposed" by Mathebula? This "exposed" talk is tired. "Exposed" as what? Not invincible? Only the dopes are thinking any fighter is invincible anyway, no matter how anyone is marketed. If you want to let the marketing effect how you watch boxing, that's your call.

I'm also not saying it's easy for Caballero to make fights, but he's fought better competition in the past when he was just as dangerous as he is now. His recent run of opposition, outside of Steve Molitor (whom he crushed), leaves something to be desired in a lot of ways.

But -- and this is the real key -- he's very right about one thing: Bob Arum mentioned several potential opponents, but did not say Celestino Caballero's name. He named Top Rank fighter and featherweight titlist Steven Luevano, who has been listed on Top Rank press materials as Lopez's tentative January 23 opponent. He named another featherweight titleholder, Elio Rojas, which honestly could be a pretty damn good fight.

If Lopez is going to move up, he's going to move up. It'd be a shame to not see Lopez and Caballero go head-to-head for supremacy at 122 pounds, but if they don't fight, it'll be because of money more than fear, I'm guessing. People will be free to interpret it however they wish.

Will Arum look for a potentially softer touch? Maybe, but I don't really see Luevano or Rojas as too much softer than Caballero. Even after a tight battle with the rugged Mtagwa, I would still favor Lopez over Caballero personally, just because of the styles, and we've also now seen Lopez's chin prove out. Despite Caballero's towering 5'11" frame at 122 pounds, he's no bigger a hitter than Mtagwa.

Caballero is just doing his job, trying to stir up interest in the fight, and there's plenty of it among the fans. Again, I'd love to see it. But don't be surprised if it doesn't happen, and don't be so quick to assume it's any fear on Lopez's part. If there's more money in it for Top Rank to pair Lopez with Luevano or Rojas as they keep working toward a probable summer 2010 Lopez-Gamboa fight, Lopez-Caballero won't happen.