By Mark Vester
At the Casino Rama, in Ontario, Canada, IBF super bantamweight champion Steve Molitor (28-0, 11KOs) stopped Ceferino Labarda of Argentina in the tenth-round to set up a November unification bout with WBA champion Celestino Caballero. The working date for the fight is November 21, also at Casino Rama in Canada. Caballero has to do his part and win a keep-busy fight against Elvis Mejia on September 18 in Panama.
Molitor started off slow, but quickly jumped up the pace by the fifth-round, rocking Labarda and snapping his head back for the next few rounds. Molitor dropped him in the ninth-round after a string of punches and then finished him off with a series of big shots in the tenth.
The fight was Molitor's fifth title defense in 21 months since winning the title. The fight with Caballero will be the biggest and toughest of his career.
In the co-feature, Olivier Lontchi (16-0-2, 6KOs) fought to a draw with Mexico's Eduardo Garcia in a slow, unpopular fight that drew boos from the crowd in several rounds. The result may of may not have an impact on Lontchi's future.
Earlier today it was reported in the Puerto Rican press that Lontchi would be the opponent for unbeaten WBO super bantamweight champ Juan Manuel Lopez (22-0, 20KOs) at Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot on October 4 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It's said to be the headliner of a card called "The First Step." While he didn't lose, the performance was said to be poor. Such a showing may get him dropped as the opponent for Lopez's first defense.
Send News Tips and Comments To Mark Vester @ boxingscene@hotmail.com