Mississauga's Steve Molitor suffered his first defeat tonight as a professional boxer when he was stopped in the fourth round by hard-punching Panamanian giant Celestino Caballero.
The Canadian Kid was never in contention in Rumble at Rama VI, billed as 12 rounds of boxing for two title belts in the 122-pound weight class.
Caballero, the 32-year-old World Boxing Association super bantamweight champion, demolished Molitor, 28, the former International Boxing Federation junior featherweight king.
Caballero pressured Molitor from the opening bell, winning the first three rounds by a decisive margin before landing four straight shots less than a minute into the fourth round to almost knock the Mississauga fighter through the ropes.
A vicious left-right combination off his forehead stunned Molitor before a left to the belly followed by a right uppercut to the left side of his face ended the fight. It was Molitor's first loss after 28 wins, including 11 knockouts.
"He used his reach to his advantage," the five-foot-seven Molitor said of his opponent, who towered over him by four inches. "I was trying to get loose but I couldn't get (my punches) off tonight. He was the better man tonight. I didn't fight my best fight and I'm sorry to all my fans."
Caballero said after the fight that Molitor was a fine champion but "he wasn't a warrior."
The victory was the 31st for Caballero and his 22nd knockout, against a pair of losses.
