sports

Celestino "Pelenchín" Caballero brings home the WBA super bantamweight belt

An unusual Panamanian victory in Asia

by Eric Jackson, mainly from other media

Panamanians have historically not done well fighting in Asia, and particularly in Thailand. It had been many years since a fighter from this country won a title bout in the Far East. But on October 4 Colon's Celestino "Pelenchín" Caballero walked into a Buddhist temple in Korat, Thailand and busted up both that jinx and WBA super bantamweight champ Somsak Sithchatchawal.

Caballero is six feet tall and skinny as a rail, and usually fights with a technically correct and orthodox but not flashy style. As he fights in the 122-pound class, he usually has the advantage of reach over his opponents and usually makes good use of it.

It seems that the first round against Sithchatchawal, substantially shorter and a hard-hitting southpaw, went as Caballero's bouts often do --- the challenger maintaining his distance and reaching in with jabs, the shorter champion looking to get inside his opponent's guard. Cabellero landed the only significant punches in the opening round, a left hook and right hook combination.

In the second round Sithchatchawal managed to get inside Caballero's reach to bust up the challenger's left eye, but when the former tried to follow up for the knockout he took some licks that served notice that it wouldn't be so easy.

Then about 30 seconds into the third round Cabellero stunned Sithchatchawal with a long right and followed up with an uppercut, sending the champ to the canvas. The Thai quickly rose, and almost as quickly was knocked down again by a three-punch combination. After that the ref asked Sithchatchawal if he was able and willing to continue, and though the state answer was yes, the reality was otherwise and Caballero drove his opponent to the ropes and pounded him until he fell a third time. Under the three-knockdown rule that was in effect, that was all she wrote.

At age 30 Caballero joins Panama's pantheon of world champion boxers and again gives this country three world titles at one time.

Thus Caballero, a Muslim, went into the religious shrine of another faith and came out champion of the world, "because I knew Allah would be with me," he told reporters after the fight. The bout was held in a temple to honor the 83rd birthday of Luang Phor Khoon Parisuttho, one of Thailand's most respected Buddhist monks. Thailand has a Muslim minority that's mostly concentrated in its southern provinces and makes up about five percent of its population.

Also in this section:
Panamanians in Major League Baseball
Pelenchín walks into a Buddhist temple in Thailand, walks out with world championship