For the first time in the eight year history of “ShoBox: The New Generation” there will be a world title unification bout this Friday night, November 21, broadcast on Showtime at 11 p.m. ET/PT. On that night two of the most talented 122 pounders, undefeated IBF super bantamweight champion, Steve “The Canadian Kid” Molitor, 28-0 (11) from Ontario, Canada, and WBA titlist Celestino Caballero, 30-2 (21) from Colon, Panama, face off at the Casino Rama in Rama, Ontario.
Caballero has won 11 straight going back to May 2004 and has five successful title defenses, as does Molitor. He’s the naturally bigger man with a solid four inch height advantage. He’s awkward, lanky, heavy handed, crafty, and also like Molitor he’s a southpaw. He’s a tough opponent by any measurement.
Molitor heads into the clash, which he calls “the biggest fight of my career” with new inspiration and shifting priorities as he learned that he and his fiancé are expecting a son in 2009.
Throughout his life his motivation for the sport has been his brother Jeremy. Steve and Jeremy were once known as the “Bruise Brothers,” as they climbed the Canadian amateur boxing ranks in the late 1990s.
But as Steve turned pro in 2000 Jeremy narrowly failed to qualify for the Olympics that year and ultimately turned to drugs and alcohol. On May 4, 2002 he confronted an ex-girlfriend in a parking garage, waitress Jessica Nethery, and stabbed her 58 times.
He had been under a restraining order for previous abuse to stay away from the woman.
Jeremy was listed in police reports as being under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time. He was convicted of second-degree murder in December 2004 and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 14 years.
The conviction had no affect on the Molitor brothers’ bond. Jeremy is still a big part of Steve’s life and his #1 fan. Steve concedes that the ordeal has taken a “tremendous toll” on him, but adds that, “It’s just the trials and tribulations of my life. My brother, he’s on the phone with me all the time telling me to train hard and stay focused so that also helps as well.”
Now, Steve says, “My focus is completely on boxing. The past is the past. I survived. I stayed out of trouble. I kept winning.”
But for a man who never committed a crime, Steve Molitor certainly faces daily questions about it, a side tragedy to a brutal murder.
A member of the Molitor camp says, “He talks about it, he’s open, but the thing is that Steve is so much more than that.”
In a 2006 interview on Morgancampbell.net, Molitor said, “When I open the paper I don’t want the headline to be about my brother or to take away from what I’m doing in boxing. Obviously it’s a part of my life and it’s always going to come up. I don’t mind answering questions, but I don’t want it to be the story.”
Jeremy Molitor will be eligible for parole in 2015.
Friday night also marks Molitor’s first appearance on American television.
“I’m looking, first and foremost, to fight my fight and to get the job done,” Steve said. “I’m also excited that the American fans finally get to see Steve Molitor on television. And I’m really looking forward to that and that’s why I’ve been training so hard. I won’t disappoint on November 21.
“Having the fight in my home country makes it even better.”
Ontario is not as established as Montreal, the home of Canadian folk hero Lucian Bute, as a top boxing market as yet. Quebec fans are simply more passionate about the sport. So naturally a big win is needed to push the Molitor brand and increase visibility in the U.S.
Bute can draw 15,000 at Bell Centre in Montreal while Molitor still struggles to ply his trade before 6,000 in Ontario. Boxing is all about the money and it’s definitely in Steve’s best financial interests to win this unification bout.
With 11 KO’s in 28 fights Steve is far from a one punch knockout threat. A member of the Molitor camp said that, “Steve is a polished stylist, but he’s not a Cory Spinks. There’s no rabbit in him. This guy fights with a refined fury.”
“I’m a very tactical boxer,” Steve said. “Good boxing skills like most southpaws. We’re working on special things for this fight to give to Caballero. But I’m a boxer, like Pernell Whitaker.”
Later Molitor adds, “I definitely do have power. It’s when my back’s to the wall and these guys come to fight is when the power is displayed. When you fight a guy who is a survivor who just hangs on it makes it harder to get the knockout. But when somebody is opening up, going for the victory, is willing to exchange, then the power is displayed.”
Still, Molitor is far better known for his stylish boxing, his great conditioning and his high work rate. He’s been stung a couple of times but seems to have a sturdy chin. Technically there is no better boxer at 122. He’s a tough matchup for anyone.
He’s fought the majority of his fights in his native Canada, bringing a certain amount of criticism for fighting cupcakes, but it should also be noted that he won the title on the road over Michael Hunter in the UK by TKO 5.
Anyway, it’s boxer vs. slugger on Showtime Friday, and it’s must see TV.
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