Fight night with the IBF

The last thing he saw for a few seconds: Roinet "Mus" Caballero, on the comeback trail, floored Mexico's Christian Valverde in the first round. Can you tell by the way that Valverde fell that this was the end of the match? This sort of thing is common among people who get into the ring with Moose.

Boxing night with the IBF
photos and story by Eric Jackson

The International Boxing Federation (IBF, or FBI by its Spanish initials) is one of four international boxing organizations that awards world professional boxing championship titles. Born in a 1983 split with the WBA, it survived a huge late 90s scandal in which its president at the time was convicted of racketeering and related charges for taking bribes to manipulate boxers' ratings. It has been free of US federal supervision for nearly five years now and since the scandal has cleaned up its image and promoted women into leadership, judging and referee positions to a greater extent than is the case in the rest of the boxing world.

The fragmentation of professional boxing has put regional ID tags on most of the world organizations. The IBF, for example, is pretty much unwelcome in Japan due to old controversies. On the other hand, Panama has largely been World Boxing Association (WBA, or AMB in Spanish) turf, with minimal presence of the IBF, the World Boxing Organization (WBO) or the World Boxing Council (WBC, which has a reputation as promoter Don King's organization).

Nevertheless, Colon's Celestino "Pelenchín" Caballero is the joint IBF/WBA super bantamweight champion. (Controversially so, after a much disputed hometown split decision over South Africa's Jeffrey Mathebula.) Also ranked by the IBF are Panmanians Roinet "Mus" Caballero (7th-ranked featherweight challenger); Ricardo Caballero (number 12 super-bantamweight challenger after losing his WBA title to Irishman Bernard Dunne last March); and Roberto "La Araña" Vásquez (10th-ranked super flyweight, whose career has taken detours since his days as WBA junior flyweight champ).

As a sign of Panama's prominence in the boxing world and the IBF's enhanced interest in Panamanian boxers, the organization held its international convention here during the last week of May. Beyond the usual pomp, ceremony, awards presentations and Panama's first exposure to IBF president Marian W. Muhammad, the convention took up the issue of the treatment of fighter injuries such as when a referee or ringside doctor should stop a fight over a cut, and proper observation and treatment of a boxer who has been knocked out.

This was, of course, a boxing convention, so the high point was a May 28 night of boxing, mostly by male professionals, but also featuring a women's bout and an exhibition between two youngsters of whom we are likely to see more in the Golden Gloves.

A Nicaraguan fighter who lives and trains in Costa Rica doesn't have to worry about a "hometown decision" if he comes to Panama and knocks the Panamanian out. That's just what Oliver Flores, the man in the golden hood, did to Gabriel Dorado, thus winning the IBF's Latin American super featherweight title. It took less than two minutes of the first round for Flores to score the TKO win.

This reporter walked into the Hotel El Panama's new Vasco Nuñez de Balboa Convention Center --- which was set up very well as a boxing venue and surely ought to displace existing locales if for no other reason than its advantageous central location --- as the 10-round super lightweight bout between Haitian Evans Pierre and Panamanian Victor Pérez was underway. Pierre, a young and often wild pugilist, is nevertheless a gifted athlete and, since he trains and fights of Panama, as much a homie as Pérez. The Panamanian spent most of the fight moving in on the longer-reaching Pierre, then clinching for dear life. Eventually the ref warned Pérez, Pierre found his range, and the bout ended in a sevent-round TKO.

An exhibition between fighters of the future

In another super lightweight bout, Colombian Edison Teheran got hit by a tsunami --- Panamanian Loel "Tsunami" Barrantes --- but nevertheless went the distance. On my scorecard I had Barrantes ahead by three round but called a couple of asaltos draws, and ended up concurring with the judges' unanimous decision by a somewhat different score.

The night's one female bout was the second time in professional ring for American Kersey McCloud, who, like many of the male boxers, had family there to cheer her on. Her opponent, Panamanian Abigail Villar, was fighting her sixth professional bout, and when the four-rounder was over saw her record drop to 4-2 by unanimous decision.

Kersey McCleod, left, keeps her eyes on the target

A couple of bouts sorted out bragging rights among Panamanians. In the 147-pound classification, Carlos Murillo easily outpointed José Castro. Super lightweights José Hinestroza (Darien native, Panama City resident) and Heraclides Barrantes (Los Santos) faced off in a bout wherein Hinestroza's corner constantly disrespected the female ref and for their trouble their man got knocked down twice en route to a 7th round TKO.

In the corner between rounds

The night's final bouts were short and convincing. Roinet "Mus" Caballero moved right in, and within less than a minute Christian Valverde was lying on the canvas with an apparently affected central nervous system. Southpaws Gabrieil "Piolo" Dorado and Oliver Flores only lasted a bit longer, with Flores first knocking Dorado to the canvas, then momentarily swarming all over his hapless opponent when the bout resumed, prompting the ref to quickly step in and stop the fight.

Evens Pierre winds up on a rapid and punishing overhand right

So what's next in the world of Panamanian boxing?

There will be a fight night at ATLAPA on June 10, with super welters Nilson Julio Tapia (10-1-1, from Colombia) and Alfonso Mosquera (a Panamanian, 19-6-0) at the top of the card.

On June 20 in Veracruz, Mexico, Panama's Carlos "Shangai" Melo fights to take away the WBC junior flyweight belt from Mexico's Edgar Sosa.

On July 4 in Viennes, France, Panama's Anselmo "Chemito" Moreno will defend his WBA bantamweight title against Mahyar Monshipour. In the crazy world of bantamweight rankings --- each organization has its own champ, none of whom are even ranked by any of the other world sanctioning bodies --- Moreno is hoping to get by that title defense and then take on WBC champ Hozumi Hasegawa.

And Celestino Caballero, who made his rounds through the crowd at the Hotel El Panama, greeting and being photographed with the politicians, boxing notables and fans on this boxing night? There's a popular demand for a rematch with Mathebula, but the persistent rumor is that he's going to gain a few pounds and move up a classification or two.

Pérez catches one upside the head while moving in on Pierre