Caballero stripped of IBF 122-pound title: Molitor will face Ndlovu for vacant crown
February 10th, 2010
By Jim Dower: World Boxing Association super bantamweight champion Celestino Caballero (33-2, 23 KO’s) has been stripped of his IBF super bantamweight crown by the IBF. Caballero was supposed to be fighting number #1 contender Takalani Ndlovu (30-5, 18 KO’s), but according to Dan Rafael, Caballero’s promoter, Warrior Boxing, didn’t have a place to put the Caballero-Ndlovu fight.
This should be a good situation for Molitor because he already defeated Ndlovu by a 9th round stoppage in July 2007. Molitor later on lost the IBF title by getting destroyed by Caballero in a 4th round TKO loss in November 2008. With Caballero gone, Molitor, 29, might be able to hold onto the IBF title for a little while before runs into someone like Rafael Marquez, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Antonio Escalante or Ricardo Cordoba and ends up getting run over.
Molitor has good boxing skills, but very little power to speak of. He previously held the IBF title from 2007 to 2008, defending it four times against beatable opposition until being totally destroyed by Caballero in 2008. Molitor rebounded from the Caballero loss and has won his last three fights, beating Heriberto Ruiz, Feliciano Dario Azuaga Ledezma and Jose Saez.
For his part, Ndlovu has lost two out of his last five fights in the past three years, but despite his poor luck as of late, the International Boxing Federation, strangely enough, still has Ndlovu ranked as the number #1 contender for some reason over arguably better fighters such as Escalante and Cordoba, to name just a couple.
Tags: 3 Responses to “Caballero stripped of IBF 122-pound title: Molitor will face Ndlovu for vacant crown”
Leave a Reply
please use above banner to link back to us!
Rendall Munroe would take both of you out!!
Funny how it is said that Ndlovu said this and Ndlovu said that- frankly and fact is I haven’t spoken to any journalist regarding this fight (except my promoter) and choose to leave it at that- the talking will be done in the ring.
the only thing i’d say is that – the mind games won’t work! Molitor knows what happened the last time and must get over it. he had the chance to beat me and used it like any other boxer would, he beat me because he could and had the opportunity- i lost and learnt something from it- he gained his victory; life went on! this is the nature of boxing! the yadah-yadah “i’ll knock him out” talk won’t help anyone, it will be Ndlovu vs Molitor in the ring March 27-
@ the person who questions my position in the IBF rankings.. clearly you want to see what your eyes long to see in boxing. I’ve taken my share of banging, success and failor in this sport, not sure what is your description of a “better fighter”, I am in my own right and in my own country. don’t have the right to question peoples progress or failor. just because i’m from the other side of the continent and maybe “not known” does not mean i just fell from the sky into the #1 spot or just placed into it! I FOUGHT, not to be given credit, but by the driving spirit in my boxing career for the past 22 years.
Who cares!!!!!!!!!