## CABALLERO MEETS HOSONO TOMORROW

December 30, 2011

TOKYO, JAPAN

Elongated Panamanian Celestino Caballero (35-4, 23 KOs) (right) will defend his WBA featherweight belt against Japanese banger Satoshi "Bazooka" Hosono (21-1, 15 KOs) (left) in the first of a twinbill tomorrow (Saturday) in Yokohama, Japan. Having watched Caballero training, we wondered why this exceptionally tall champ at 5'11" would be able to make a featherweight limit of 126 pounds. But we actually saw him pass the weigh-in at 125.25, while Hosono at the 126-pound class limit. The 35-year-old Panamanian looked simply skinny and slim enough to make the weight, but his 74" reach may be a great nuisance for Hosono, who is four inches shorter and his reach is also less advantageous by some eight inches.

Caballero is fresh from his last triumph in Argentina, where he wrested the WBA feather throne by outscoring Jonathan Barros by a unanimous verdict in a rematch this October. After just two and a half months Caballero came here in Japan to make his initial defense against the Japanese hard-puncher. Caballero is called "Pelenchin" in Panama, and his alias reportedly comes from peleador (boxer) and espadachin (skillul fencer). Having seen his training at Teiken Gym in Tokyo, Caballero appeared to be good at utilizing his advantageous height and reach.

Hosono, 28, suffered only a single setback, which was a majority decision to the then WBA 122-pound champ Pornsawan Kratingdaeng-gym in his ambitious crack in January 2010. But you cannot look down Hosono with this defeat, as he didn't look as vigorous and powerful as in the feather category against the Thailander. The champ then said, "Hosono was a very tough and hard-punching challenger." It was a close affair as a judge tallied it even, though we saw Hosono fail to win the belt then and there.

Why do Japanese fight fans?if not majority?expect Hosonofs victory and coronation? As nicknamed "Bazooka," Hosono can punch as he sometimes registered one-punch knockouts. He once acquired the vacant OPBF feather throne by defeating compatriot Masanori Sugita in 2008, and kept it against former world challenger Hiroyuki Enoki in his third defense next year. After his sole defeat by Pornsawan, Hosono, ex-amateur campaigner who once beat then amateur kingpin Takashi Uchiyama, won the vacant national feather belt by whipping Koji Umezu in November 2010. He kept it three times by showing his power-punching.

Hosono's defect may be his monotonousness and lack of finesse, since he often depends too much on his power rather than his skills. Though he can box with good jabs and moves well, he seldom display his skills and footwork but try to destroy his opponents with wild rallies. That's his tendency. Prior to his second crack at the world throne, we hope he might have his skills sophisticated with his trainer Koji Matsumoto (formerly three-times world challenger).

Pelenchin Caballero is highly favored to keep his belt against the hard-hitting but much shorter Hosono thanks to his superior speed and skills. The champ said at the press conference, "I wish to win elegantly." Japanese press people laughed at his words, but it means he would like to shut out the challenger with his technique.

Hosono will have only a puncherfs chance, while Caballero may win by boxing or by mixing it up in either orthodox or southpaw stance. His trainer Jeff Mayweather said, "If in good shape, there's no one who can beat this champ." We hope to see whether Hosono's coup-de-grace will be successful or not tomorrow.

(12-30-2011)

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