The first of two world title fights in the US this weekend is a battle of Orlando's as former world champion Orlando Salido (39-12-2-1, 27) takes on the openly gay Orlando Cruz (20-2-1, 10) in a battle for the vacant WBO Featherweight title, and probably the honour of being Vasyl Lomachenko's next target (if Lomachenko himself defeats Jose Ramirez on the same show).
For the experienced Salido, a 32 year old Mexican veteran fighting in his 10th world title bout, this is another chance to move back to the top. A chance to put a painful loss to Mikey Garcia behind him, and a chance to earn another major pay day. Despite having been in some 54 pro bouts, and against some big names like Juan Manuel Marquez, Robert Guerrero, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Juan Manel Lopez and Garcia, another pay day could go a long way.
On the other hand for Puerto Rican Cruz, also 32, this is by far his most notable bout. It's his not only his first world title bout but also his first really high profile bout since coming out as gay, becoming the first active boxer to do so. A victory here for Cruz would make him the first openly gay world champion and arguably a figure head for gay sportsmen, especially in such a "manly" sport as boxing.
Although this is Cruz's first world title fight, it's not the first time he's faced a world level boxer, having been stopped early doors by multi-time world champion Daniel Ponce De Leon back in 2010. Since the loss to Ponce De Leon however Cruz is 4-0 (3) having beaten the previously unbeaten Michael Franco in a round and the once promising Aalan Martinez in 6, stopping a man who had reached the final bell with Evgeny Gradovich.
Those who have followed the sport over the last decade will know all too well what Salido is about. Technically he's "solid" but well below genuine world level though what he has is grit and determination, a genuine toughness and the ability to break fighters mentally as well as physically. He gets most opponents into a war and he beats them in the trenches by taking their best shots.
The tactics of Salido have worked against some impressive names, such as Lopez and Guerrero (despite a highly controversial drugs test) though have seen him undone against the speed and explosiveness of Gamboa and the hard straight counter punching of Garcia.
It's also worth noting that despite having 12 losses on his record Salido is widely regarded as one of the genuinely top fighters at Featherweights on the planet. This is due to the fact that many of those losses came early in his career. In fact he was 11-7-2 after just 20 fights.
Cruz however is a little less well known. In fact Cruz's main claim to fame isn't what he did in the ring but the fact he came out as gay. Despite that he has been a decent fighter, though perhaps "decent" is the fairest description of the Puerto Rican as opposed to something like "world class".
The most notable victories on Cruz's record are not just the ones over Franco and Martinez but he also holds one over the then 30-0 Leonilo Miranda. These are the solid sort of wins that could get someone world ranked, though shouldn't make some one eligible for a vacant title. Unfortunately part of me thinks he's only getting this chance due to the fact that he is now high profile due to his sexuality.
With the sheer class difference of the two men it's hard to view anything but a stoppage win for Salido. He is, at worst, just as good as Cornelius Lock the first man to defeat Cruz and at best on par with Ponce De Leon, the second man to defeat Cruz. Cruz might try hard, and have some early success but will eventually be broken down and defeated in the middle or later rounds.
Prediction-Salido TKO8
Showing posts with label Orlando Salido. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Orlando Salido. Show all posts
Friday, 11 October 2013
Thursday, 17 January 2013
Orlando Salido v Miguel Angel Garcia
It's not often a fighter with a "journeyman" looking record can become the #1 guy in a division, though according to Ring Magazine this weekend gives WBO champion Orlando Salido (39-11-2-1, 27) a chance to do just that, if he can get by the undefeated Miguel "Mikey" Angel Garcia (30-0, 26) in what promises to be an enthralling match up.
Whilst many may feel that unbeaten Indonesian Chris John is the Linear Champion (having taken the title from Juan Manuel Marquez back in 2006) it's also fair that John has done little to back up his claim of being the top man in the division whilst others, including Salido, have faced some genuine great competition. In fact many felt, after Yuriokris Gamboa's move to Super Featherweight that Salido was, buy rights, the top guy at the weight having scored notable wins over Juan Manuel Lopez (twice). Stylistically however Lopez was made for Salido, whilst a number of others at the weight at much less "made to order".
The 32 year old Salido of Mexico is as tough as old boots and an example of a fighter developing with age. He's been a professional since 1996 and despite starting his career 8-6-1 (4) with 5 T/KO losses he has really built his career on a solid work ethic and learning from his experiences. Amazingly despite those early stoppage defeats he's not been stopped in his subsequent 38 bouts, many of which have been in and around world level.
It wasn't until 2004 that Salido got his first taste of world title fighting when he lost an enthralling bout with Juan Manuel Marquez. Just 18 months after losing to Marquez, Salido would defeat Rogers Mtagwa in an IBF Eliminator before defeating Robert Guerrero for the IBF Featherweight title. Sadly for Salido he tested positive for a banned substance (which he hotly disputed having taken, and may very well have been a false positive) and the title was swiftly stripped from around his waist.
Almost 2 years after having his win over Guerrero scratched from the record book Salido was given another chance to claim the IBF title as he faced Cristobal Cruz for the vacant title. Against Cruz both men gave it their all throwing over 1000 punches a piece though Cruz narrowly took the split decision. A rematch in 2010 saw an improved Salido dropping Cruz twice to claim the title via clear unanimous decision to finally become a world champion.
Sadly for Salido his first title reign lasted just 4 months until he was beaten by Cuban sensation Yuriorkis Gamboa who unified his own WBA title with the IBF title then held by Salido. Thankfully however Salido didn't need to wait long for a chance to reclaim a portion of the world title stopping Puerto Rican Juan Manuel Lopez just 7 months after losing to Gamboa. Since claiming the WBO title from Lopez, Salido has defended his title twice (stopping both Kenichi Yamaguchi and Lopez in a rematch) to reaffirm his place amongst the top guys at 126lbs.
In terms of Salido the fighter he combines relentless work rate, a huge heart, a solid chin and hurtful grinding power that can break a fighter either mentally or physically. Although he can be hurt, and dropped (in fact he's been dropped in 2 of his last bouts amongst numerous other knockdowns) he has a knack of getting back, biting down on his gum shield, recovering and coming straight back at a fighter trying to get revenge. He may not be the most skilled, the most patient or the most silky in the ring but he's one of the most relentless and stubborn fighters in the sport right now.
Whilst Salido has been fighting in an around the world level for quite some time this will be the foray in to that class for his challenger Miguel Angel Garcia, a product of his brother's (Robert Garcia) boxing gym in Oxnard California. The same gym that has seen the rise of the all action Brandon Rios.
Unlike many of his gym mates Garcia isn't an all out brawler but instead a patient and calculated counter puncher with real venom on his shots. He combines a cute boxing brain with excellent timing and fantastic shot selection which sees him landing at an alarming percent of his power shots. It's these clean counter shots and a solid defense that has seen him rising in the world rankings in recent years and scoring notable wins over the likes of Cornelius Lock, Olivier Lontchi, Matt Remillard, Bernabe Concepcion and the very tough Jonathan Victor Barros.
Despite having been a professional since 2006 Garcia is now just 25 and coming into his physical peak. He might be young but with 30 fights, 138 professional rounds and countless tough sparring sessions he's also very experienced and has seen pretty much everything before in the gym where he has continually been with top tier fighters (including not just Rios but also Kelly Pavlik and Marcos Maidana). This has helped him keep his head level in his biggest fights to date and may well help him against Salido.
Going into this bout Garcia has got numerous problems. Whilst he may be the younger, fresher guy and he may have a superior reach he also has a low work rate, he's never been in a live fight with a guy like Salido (who like Brandon Rios, doesn't know the meaning of the word quit) and he's never been the 12 round distance (having only twice gone 9 or more rounds). I dare say that although Garcia has seen everything this could be the difference between seeing it in a safe gym environment and a true ring war, and if Salido is still the same fighter he was when he stopped Lopez I dare say he eventually grinds down a slightly panicked Garcia in the later rounds. Sure Garcia doesn't give himself away like Lopez but his lack of 12 round experience does leave him looking very vulnerable here.
Prediction-Salido TKO11
Whilst many may feel that unbeaten Indonesian Chris John is the Linear Champion (having taken the title from Juan Manuel Marquez back in 2006) it's also fair that John has done little to back up his claim of being the top man in the division whilst others, including Salido, have faced some genuine great competition. In fact many felt, after Yuriokris Gamboa's move to Super Featherweight that Salido was, buy rights, the top guy at the weight having scored notable wins over Juan Manuel Lopez (twice). Stylistically however Lopez was made for Salido, whilst a number of others at the weight at much less "made to order".
The 32 year old Salido of Mexico is as tough as old boots and an example of a fighter developing with age. He's been a professional since 1996 and despite starting his career 8-6-1 (4) with 5 T/KO losses he has really built his career on a solid work ethic and learning from his experiences. Amazingly despite those early stoppage defeats he's not been stopped in his subsequent 38 bouts, many of which have been in and around world level.
It wasn't until 2004 that Salido got his first taste of world title fighting when he lost an enthralling bout with Juan Manuel Marquez. Just 18 months after losing to Marquez, Salido would defeat Rogers Mtagwa in an IBF Eliminator before defeating Robert Guerrero for the IBF Featherweight title. Sadly for Salido he tested positive for a banned substance (which he hotly disputed having taken, and may very well have been a false positive) and the title was swiftly stripped from around his waist.
Almost 2 years after having his win over Guerrero scratched from the record book Salido was given another chance to claim the IBF title as he faced Cristobal Cruz for the vacant title. Against Cruz both men gave it their all throwing over 1000 punches a piece though Cruz narrowly took the split decision. A rematch in 2010 saw an improved Salido dropping Cruz twice to claim the title via clear unanimous decision to finally become a world champion.
Sadly for Salido his first title reign lasted just 4 months until he was beaten by Cuban sensation Yuriorkis Gamboa who unified his own WBA title with the IBF title then held by Salido. Thankfully however Salido didn't need to wait long for a chance to reclaim a portion of the world title stopping Puerto Rican Juan Manuel Lopez just 7 months after losing to Gamboa. Since claiming the WBO title from Lopez, Salido has defended his title twice (stopping both Kenichi Yamaguchi and Lopez in a rematch) to reaffirm his place amongst the top guys at 126lbs.
In terms of Salido the fighter he combines relentless work rate, a huge heart, a solid chin and hurtful grinding power that can break a fighter either mentally or physically. Although he can be hurt, and dropped (in fact he's been dropped in 2 of his last bouts amongst numerous other knockdowns) he has a knack of getting back, biting down on his gum shield, recovering and coming straight back at a fighter trying to get revenge. He may not be the most skilled, the most patient or the most silky in the ring but he's one of the most relentless and stubborn fighters in the sport right now.
Whilst Salido has been fighting in an around the world level for quite some time this will be the foray in to that class for his challenger Miguel Angel Garcia, a product of his brother's (Robert Garcia) boxing gym in Oxnard California. The same gym that has seen the rise of the all action Brandon Rios.
Unlike many of his gym mates Garcia isn't an all out brawler but instead a patient and calculated counter puncher with real venom on his shots. He combines a cute boxing brain with excellent timing and fantastic shot selection which sees him landing at an alarming percent of his power shots. It's these clean counter shots and a solid defense that has seen him rising in the world rankings in recent years and scoring notable wins over the likes of Cornelius Lock, Olivier Lontchi, Matt Remillard, Bernabe Concepcion and the very tough Jonathan Victor Barros.
Despite having been a professional since 2006 Garcia is now just 25 and coming into his physical peak. He might be young but with 30 fights, 138 professional rounds and countless tough sparring sessions he's also very experienced and has seen pretty much everything before in the gym where he has continually been with top tier fighters (including not just Rios but also Kelly Pavlik and Marcos Maidana). This has helped him keep his head level in his biggest fights to date and may well help him against Salido.
Going into this bout Garcia has got numerous problems. Whilst he may be the younger, fresher guy and he may have a superior reach he also has a low work rate, he's never been in a live fight with a guy like Salido (who like Brandon Rios, doesn't know the meaning of the word quit) and he's never been the 12 round distance (having only twice gone 9 or more rounds). I dare say that although Garcia has seen everything this could be the difference between seeing it in a safe gym environment and a true ring war, and if Salido is still the same fighter he was when he stopped Lopez I dare say he eventually grinds down a slightly panicked Garcia in the later rounds. Sure Garcia doesn't give himself away like Lopez but his lack of 12 round experience does leave him looking very vulnerable here.
Prediction-Salido TKO11
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)