It was a special evening, a celebration of champions and a special tribute to Panama's best known and most loved champion of them all, Roberto "Manos de Piedra" Duran. It was also a night when Celestino "Pelenchin" Caballero would put his titles on the line against worthy South African challenger Jeffrey Mathebula, a no-nonsense type of guy who let it be known early on that he was coming to Panama to knock Celestino out.

Well, no one can say he didn't try, the same can be said for Celestino; both gave championship performances in front of a delirious crowd who was on a real boxing high. The fight went to the wire, and it's a shame that we didn't have the benefit of CompuBox to certify how many punches these warriors threw at each other tonight. By the 11th round, the champion was barely able to stay on his feet; the challenger was a bit fresher, but his punches had little power.

The announcers -and even some in the crowd- expressed concern about the outcome of the last round of the match, feeling that perhaps it would be the defining factor in the fight, and it wasn't a real good round for Caballero. As it turned out, all three judges had a 4 point lead on their cards, so it didn't really come down to round 12. The decision was split, the judge from South Africa, Deon Dwarte, saw his countryman lead 116-112, while Panamanian judge Hector Afu and Patricia Morse Jarman, from the United States, saw Celestino "Pelenchin" Caballero lead by the same margin, and as such he remains a two-belted champion.

Whyber "Showtime" Garcia gave a good account of himself stopping Colombian Ernesto Vasquez in a bout that was scheduled for eight rounds.

One thing was made very clear tonight, and that is the respect and admiration the Panamanian people have for their champions and in particular for Roberto Duran, who spoke of a brotherhood of champions, and who acquiesced the love being bestowed upon him by every person at the newly remodeled arena, which bears his name. It didn't look like there was an empty seat in the house, that's how deeply this humble man is loved, by his countrymen, and the boxing world all over.

Here in Miami, I had the pleasure of sharing some special moments with Duran's daughter, Dalia, while we watched the fights on our respective pc's, moved by the adulation and pleased to see the impressive turnout.

It was a special night for Panamanians and also for yours truly. Congratulations are in order for Whyber Garcia, Celestino Caballero and their respective corners, as well as the other winners we didn't have the pleasure of watching due to technical difficulties in the transmission of the program.

There was a rumbling about Caballero and/or his handlers calling out WBO Super Bantamweight champion Juanma Lopez for Celestino's next fight... The unsolicited -but well intended- advice here is this... Stay away from Juanma Lopez, as far away from him as possible, because if tonight's performance is an indicator of where Celestino stands in the division's food chain, I don't believe him to be ready to face, let alone beat, the Puerto Rican terror simply known as "Juanma."

Felicidades a mis amigos Whyber Garcia y Celestino Caballero y para el señor Roberto Duran un fuerte abrazo y un saludo sincero.