Celestino Caballero Says Something Nice About Juan Manuel Lopez

by Scott Christ on May 15, 2011 11:01 PM EDT in Boxing News Analysis

Don't adjust your monitors - Celestino Caballero is actually complimenting Juan Manuel Lopez today.

In what is probably the most shocking boxing news I've read in I can't even remember how long, featherweight contender Celestino Caballero had nice things to say about press rival Juan Manuel Lopez. For a couple of years, Caballero chased a fight with Lopez, going so far as to invade a press conference in what was not a staged moment.

Carlos Costa of NotiFight.com has this, via BoxingScene.com:

"Anyone can have a bad night. Juanma is young, strong, very fast and hits hard. He beat my friend, the great champion Gerry (Peñalosa). In addition, Juan has good boxing technique."

Caballero (34-3, 23 KO) goes on to say a fight between he and Lopez will likely never happen, and that for now he's focused entirely on his upcoming June 18 fight in Argentina against Jonathan Victor Barros (32-1-1, 18 KO), which is a really good fight on paper. Barros gave Yuriorkis Gamboa a little trouble (not a lot) in a 2010 fight in Germany. Caballero, of course, is coming off of a loss in an ill-advised one-off fight at 130 pounds against Jason Litzau last November.

Lopez, in the meantime, is pushing for an August rematch with Orlando Salido, who upset the Puerto Rican star on his home turf in April, but the fight may get pushed to the fall so that Salido can take a "victory lap" sort of fight in July in Mexico.

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As soon as I read this in BS, I knew there was going to be a story here on it… it truly is one of the most shocking news reports I have read in a while. What do you think’s behind this?
Did he get a piece of humble pie with his own loss to an underdog? Is he trying a different tack to get the fight?

In other news, because I know we’re such great fans of Rebecca Black’s Friday here in BLH, here is a link to Stephen Colbert doing a haunting rendition: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xhxqq5_stephen-colbert-friday_shortfilms

Bob Arum would promote Lucifer himself if he could put asses in the seats.

by Apprentice on May 15, 2011 11:23 PM EDT reply actions

What do you think’s behind this?

Possibilities:

1. He really does think Lopez is talented, all other stuff aside.
2. He figures maybe the fight is possible now if he beats Barros.
3. Just plain old burying the hatchet.

Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."

by Scott Christ on May 15, 2011 11:39 PM EDT up reply actions