By Ronnie Nathanielsz
International matchmaker Sampson Lewkowicz who has helped several Filipino fighters get fights in the US, has clinched the deal for South Africa’s junior featherweight/ super bantamweight Jeffrey Mathebula to fight Panama’s Celestino Caballero, the reigning WBA and IBF champion.
Well-known International Promoter of the Year Branco Milenkovic disclosed that Lewkowicz who was his representative was able to seal the deal with Caballero’s promoter Warriors Boxing, hours before a scheduled purse bid at the IBF headquarters in New Jersey.
According to a report in Super Sport, Milenkovic indicated that no date or venue had been decided on as yet. However, he confirmed that Warriors Promotion had suggested a March 20 date in Panama.
Milenkovic was quoted by Super Sport saying “we are pushing for the fight to be bought by an American television network and if the deal goes through the fight will be staged in America, possibly in April.”
In his last fight the 32 year old WBA super bantamweight champion Caballero (31-2, 22 KO’s) scored a smashing TKO in 52 seconds of the 4th round over Steve Molitor in Ontario, Canada to defend his WBA title and capture Molitor’s IBF crown before a sell-out crowd which included Panamanian legend Roberto Duran.
The 29 year old Mathebula (22-2-2, 12 KO’s) on the other hand earned the title shot with a twelve round unanimous decision over Julio Zarate in an IBF title eliminator last August 29.
