Which Boxer Was Most Feared and Avoided by His Peers in 2010?
Being the most avoided boxer on the planet comes with its own sort of tragedy. You never get the chance to prove your merits, because none of the other big names are willing to face you. You might rack up decent wins, pile up title defenses against mandatory challengers, call out the big stars in public, but still never land that one big fight, the chance you need to break out onto center stage. Of course, by the time you do get your shot, you might believe your own hype too much, or too much time might have passed and you’ve lost your groove. Or in biding time for that shot, you look over an opponent in a match that was supposed to be nothing more than a stay busy fight. If all of this sounds familiar to you, it’s because it’s almost exactly how the year played out for Celestino Caballero, the most avoided boxer in 2010.
Featherweight has turned into one of the most exciting weight divisions around, as fighters such as Juan Manuel Lopez, Rafael Marquez, and yes, Caballero, have moved up to join the fray from lower weight classes. They join a crew that includes the likes of Yuriorkis Gamboa and Chris John. So it’s a stacked division, and for the life of them, not a single one of those names wanted to get in the ring to face Caballero and his lanky six foot tall frame.
Caballero was pasted all over the Internet in videos directly calling out JuanMa and Gamboa, and everyone else, and nobody stepped up. All of his pleas to get one of these guys to face him fell on deaf ears. Even the majority of the boxing public instead was gearing up for a showdown between JuanMa and Gamboa – which hasn’t even been lined up yet – rather than wanting to see Caballero get his own shot at another elite fighter.
So it was that Caballero faced Daud Yordan in his featherweight debut, and cruised to a nearly flawless decision over him. With still no big names to face, Caballero jumped to 130 lbs, took on 13-1 underdog Jason Litzau, and fell victim to the 2010 Upset of the Year, throwing himself into the running for 2010 Disappointment of the Year in the process. (Things didn’t go to well for 2009 Most Avoided Fighter of the Year Paul Williams after he won the award either. A controversial bout against Kermit Cintron and a KO2 loss to Sergio Martinez was the reward he got.)
The huge loss not withstanding, Caballero was still the most feared and avoided man in the sport of boxing in 2010. Sometimes, a loss or a vulnerable performance makes the big names decide that it’s the perfect opportunity to take you on, and take you out. But for Caballero, it’s likely he has a long road to take towards rebuilding his credibility, and the bigger names in the division will now have a nice and neat excuse to continue not facing him.
Thanks for checking out this installment and be sure to check out the complete list and collection of the ProBoxing-Fans.com 2010 boxing awards!
