By Rick Reeno

IBF/WBA super bantamweight champion Celestino Caballero is not the happiest guy in the sport. He returned some verbal fire after hearing about the comments that were made on BoxingScene.com by Juan Manuel Lopez. For a better part of 2009, Caballero was chasing Juanma for a unification showdown at 122-pounds. After Caballero launched numerous attacks through the media, Lopez was eventually baited into a verbal battle. There were minor negotiations for Lopez-Caballero but a deal was never reached.

Lopez told BoxingScene's Ryan Burton that Caballero killed the fight by pricing himself out.

"Celestino Caballero talked a lot and said he wanted the fight and that it didn't matter how much money he was going to make and that we just had to agree to the fight and he would take it.  He even said he would fight for free to fight me.  He said all that but he didn't back up his words.  It was all lies," Lopez said. 

"First off he thought he was worth more than he is worth and there wasn't enough money for the fight.  He had his chance so now he has to wait in line.  He went back on his word from his original statement and now I left that division.  We agreed to fight him and then he thought he was worth more than he is so he is the one who killed the fight."

Caballero disputes all of the above. He still claims to have the desire to fight Lopez for "free" - and he would be willing to accept a clause where the "winner takes all" of the money. Due to Lopez's recent comments, Caballero plans to lay the smack down, really.

"Not only has he proved himself to be a maricón, but he is also a coward and a liar. After he announced that he was going to fight [Steven] Luevano, I planned to leave him alone. Now I will never stop chasing this maricón for the rest of my career. I will go to Puerto Rico and confront him and smack him in the face like a cheap whore," Caballero said.