Former super bantamweight star Caballero is gunning for revenge against Barros
Argentina's Jonathan Victor Barros defends his WBA featherweight title against Celestino "Pelenchin" Caballero at the Luna Park Stadium in Buenos Aires in the early hours of Saturday morning. The bout is a rematch – Barros won a highly controversial split decision over Caballero four months ago.
27 year Barros (33-1, 18 KOs) will be defending his title for the third time. The Argentinian first came to prominence by lasting the distance against ferocious punching Cuban Yuriorkis Gamboa in a challenge for the WBA featherweight title in March 2010.
Gamboa was on a hot streak, and had iced sixteen of his eighteen professional victims, seven in a row, and was expected to blow Barros away in double quick time. However, the relatively unknown Argentinian survived an eighth round knockdown to last the distance, losing a unanimous decision.
When Gamboa decided to vacate his title and move up to junior lightweight, Barros stopped Panamanian Irving Berry for the vacant title in seven rounds in December 2010. He has since defended it against Miguel Roman and Caballero, both fights taking place in Mendoza, Argentina.
35 year old former IBF and WBA super bantamweight champion Caballero (35-4, 23 KOs) lost a controversial decision in July to Barros. Many at ringside thought that Caballero did enough to win the fight, and had been the victim of a hometown decision. As the rematch is taking place once again in Barros's home country of Argentina, understandably Caballero doesn't intend to leave the outcome to the judges this time.
"I am going to knock him out," said Caballero in an interview this week. "I can't let them do that to me again. Everyone knows I beat him. I would rather die in the ring then have that happen again."
Caballero is trained by Jeff Mayweather, brother of Roger and Floyd Sr, and uncle to current WBC welterweight champion Floyd Jr.
Mayweather remains confident that this time his fighter will receive fair treatment from the ringside judges, especially after the controversy created by the outcome of the first fight.
"I would hate to tell any fighter that they have to win by knockout," said Mayweather. "Given what happened in the first fight I would hope that they would be fair in the rematch."
Caballero, a 5' 11'' beanpole of a fighter who is physically reminiscent of 80's welterweight star Mark Brelland was an outstanding champion at super bantamweight, making nine successful defenses between 2006 and 2009 before moving up to featherweight.
In tonight's rematch, Barros should be just too young and mobile for the ageing Caballero. The Argentinian has decent power, but his strengths are his work-rate and durability. If Gamboa couldn't knock out Barros, and Caballero couldn't stop him in their first fight, its unlikely that he will do it tonight, and if the Panamanian cannot win the fight inside the distance, he will find it extremely tough to outwork the defending champion.
Caballero is coming off back to back split decision losses – to Jason Litzau last November and Barros in July, and it looks like that losing streak will continue tonight.
Barros by unanimous decision.
Big Fight Odds: Jonathan Victor Barros 8/11, Celestino Caballero 1/1 bet365
Dan Hunter is a lifelong boxing aficionado and our Boxing Editor.