By Matt Stein: WBA super bantamweight champion Celestino Caballero (34-2, 23 KO’s) is reportedly very interested in stepping in for Rafael Marquez to serve as a replacement opponent for World Boxing Organization (WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez (29-0, 26 KO’s) for September 18th. However, the chances of that happening are virtually none. Caballero, 34, is being ignored and Lopez is looking fighting someone else in the featherweight division. It won’t be the 5’11” Caballero, you can bet on that. Although Lopez would probably take the fight if it were up to him, but his promoter isn’t going to take the chance of putting him in with a dangerous puncher with the height and reach of Caballero. Arum isn’t going to risk his golden goose against a slugger like Caballero.

Right now, Caballero is still too dangerous. However, in two or three years after Caballero ages some more, that’s when we’ll likely see Lopez finally matched against him. Caballero is 34 right now, so in two or three years he should be old enough for Lopez to beat without any problems. Lopez was dropped in his last fight against Bernabe Concepcion. Lopez got off the deck and stopped Concepcion in the 2nd round, but it showed how vulnerable Lopez is against punchers. In his fight last year against Rogers Mtagwa, Lopez staggering around the ring in the 11th and 12th rounds, badly hurt and looking to be on the verge of being stopped.

If Bob Arum was to put Lopez in with Caballero right now, there would be a good chance that Lopez would get stopped. Caballero just has too many advantages over the shorter Lopez, and that’s why we likely won’t see this fight until Caballero ages more, if ever.

Lopez was supposed to be fighting Rafael Marquez on September 18th, but Marquez injured his thumb and needs time to heal. Marquez and Lopez will still end up fighting in October or November, depending on how easily Lopez beats his replacement opponent on September 18th. Don’t expect anyone good being picked for Lopez, because they’re not going to risk having him knocked out by a fighter that he hasn’t had a lot of time to prepare for. It’s going to be someone that Lopez can knockout easily and look against.