According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Featherweight titlist Orlando Salido fractured a finger by accidentally slamming his hand into a car door and his November 10th defense against undefeated Miguel Angel “Mikey” Garcia has to be postponed.

“The worst part of this is that it was not even a boxing-related injury,” said Salido’s manager Sean Gibbons. “It’s just bad luck. One of his guys shut the door on his hand by accident. Just a freak accident.

“We’ve never had an injury and had to pull out of a fight before. Salido is one of the healthiest guys you’ll meet. He’s always in condition. He doesn’t ever get too far out of shape but these things happen.”

Gibbons said that Salido would be ready to fight again in early January.

“This guy was making a very high six-figure payday for this fight,” Gibbons said. “Even though he was making a good purse, he’s got too much pride and heart just to go through with it and not be 100 percent. He isn’t just fighting for the payday. He wants it to heal properly so he can train properly so he can win the fight. Some guys would jump at the payday even if they were injured, just because of the money. But Salido has a lot of pride. He doesn’t want to just fight. He wants to win.”

“HBO’s intention is to go forward with the card,” said Top Rank’s Carl Moretti. “I’m talking to them. Everybody is in mind to fight Mikey. It depends on who is available and who we can get.”

The co-feature remains intact, a junior middleweight title elimination bout between 2004 U.S. Olympian Vanes Martirosyan (32-0, 20 KOs) against Erislandy Lara (17-1-1, 11 KOs) for the right to become the mandatory challenger for titleholder Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that a solid doubleheader has been consummated for November 10th on HBO that will originate from Las Vegas as WBC Super Welterweight eliminator between Erislandy Lara and Vanes Martirosyan as well as WBO Featherweight champion Orlando Salido defending against Mikey Garcia.

“Showtime informed our attorney that they are passing on the match,” said Top Ranlk’s Carl Moretti, adding that the card will take place in a 3,500-seat ballroom at the Wynn.

“This is a fight that matches Garcia’s youth against Salido’s experience,” Moretti said. “It’s boxer-puncher (Garcia) versus brawler (Salido). Clearly, whoever wins the fight establishes himself as probably the best featherweight in the world.”

Top Rank, which promotes 2004 U.S. Olympian Martirosyan (32-0, 20 KOs), won the right to the fight by winning a purse bid in July. Top Rank’s offer of $405,000 topped the $326,000 bid made by rival Golden Boy, which has Lara (17-1-1, 11 KOs), a former world amateur champion who defected from Cuba, under contract.

“It’s a very interesting fight,” Moretti said. “Both guys are quality contenders and both guys had stellar amateur backgrounds. There is a lot on the line for both of these guys. The winner of this fight will have truly earned the title fight. Vanes is really pumped for it.”

Said Martirosyan, “I’m bringing a big wagon so after I beat Lara people can jump on the Team Vanes Wagon. I can’t wait.”

“This is a great opportunity for Mikey even though Salido is not the guy we originally wanted,” manager Cameron Dunkin said. “This is the toughest featherweight in the world. It’s a very, very tough fight for Mikey. Believe me, there are other guys we would have rather fought but we needed somebody who would show up. Mikey wanted to fight for a title and with the other fight (against Caballero) falling apart, we all talked about it — me, Mike, his father (Eduardo) and (trainer and brother) Robert — and we decided we needed to go and make this fight.

“We wanted to fight Caballero but it didn’t materialize for different reasons. So here we are. We know Salido is a warrior. We know it’s a really hard fight, but Mikey is ready. This is what he’s wanted. Salido was willing to give Mikey the opportunity and he can’t wait.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBO Featherweight champion Orlando Salido will move up to Super Featherweight to take on Oscar Bravo on July 28th in Ciudad, Mexico

All that is essential about our sport, in both amateur boxing and prizefighting, happens between its ropes and bells. What occurs during a match, the gravity of fists crashing against skulls, and how, is complicated enough to occupy a nimble mind for hours with conditional clauses. The rest of our sport comprises noise mostly, and the more oblivious of it one remains, the better.

What Mexican Orlando “Siri” Salido and Puerto Rican Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez did with each other Saturday on Showtime’s “Championship Boxing” in Puerto Rico’s Coliseo Roberto Clemente, the honesty with which they made their rematch for the WBO featherweight title, the way they contrasted and locked and made a gorgeous violence, was a celebration of what is true in boxing. Salido prevailed by technical knockout, as he did in their April match, felling Lopez in the 10th round with force enough to bounce the Puerto Rican’s right ear off his own shoulder and cause referee Roberto Ramirez Sr. to stop the match though Lopez was on his feet well before the count of 10, stumbling about.

Saturday’s match was a reminder of what is important in boxing and why it overwhelms the unimportant – erroneous descriptions, postfight happenings – with the enduring marks its violence carves in one’s memory.

Regardless of what television persuaded viewers to think, Salido-Lopez II was an even fight through four rounds. Orlando Salido, whose amateurishness – a grade-school jab and habit of touching his gloves before every surge – is offset by a faith in power and activity, was able to land seeing-eye rights over Lopez’s negligent guard.

How does Salido, his head down and weight too far forward, land such punches on an elite fighter?

He sets his eyes on an opponent’s chest and trusts a piece of anatomical geometry short fighters know well: The chin is one head above the chest. If you look at a man’s lower sternum and throw your fist a head’s length above, you’ll find a chin more times than not, and never worse than a jaw. Some fighters learn this through experimentation. Most learn it from an exasperated trainer in a monologue that goes: “Damn it, don’t get over your front knee! . . . Don’t throw that . . . Hey, if you’re going to do it, remember his chin is only a head above his chest, OK? Stop bouncing that punch off the top of his head.”

Juan Manuel Lopez, a southpaw whose left guard floats when he throws rights and whose chin floats generally and reliably, believes in his right hook nonetheless, whether using it as a lead or a check counter, and he nearly changed the trajectory of his career with it Saturday. Catching Salido at the end of a fifth round that was an even heat for 2 1/2 minutes till Salido opened up Lopez and had him retreating, Lopez checked Salido and sent him corkscrewing forward, into the ropes and onto the blue mat. Salido beat the count and wobbled towards his stool, grateful the knockdown happened in the round’s last 20 seconds, not its first.

Here it became plain Showtime’s play-by-play broadcaster, Gus Johnson, was capable of transcendent badness, embracing a sensationalistic impulse that would steer another wonderful fight towards the perilous territory of yet another scoring controversy and yet another made-by-television “disgrace” for boxing. It wasn’t so much that he mistook Lopez’s perfect right hook for a Salido slip but rather how his shouted messages collided with one another: The strongman Salido was beating down a shellshocked Lopez, outlanding him by a frightful margin, in the most competitive fight of 2012! Can a fight be both one-sided and competitive? Apparently so. Johnson preps to call the greatest fight in history or the greatest robbery in history each time his microphone goes live; all the better if both happen in the same fight.

The ninth round was a special one that saw Lopez plow obstinately forward, his mouth open and power undone and footwork a knot, in a distressed try to make Salido win by doing something even Salido’s gym mates probably didn’t know he could: counterpunch off the ropes. It was a round that was too good to score with conviction, though Lopez probably took it.

Which made the series of punches Salido landed in the first half minute of the 10th – a definitive set of combinations begun and ended with a right hand – so thrilling. Salido broke Lopez, ahead by majority-decision scores after nine rounds, as he did their first time and predicted he would again. Salido is every good thing people say about him.

Then came Lopez’s postfight comments, boldfaced assertions the referee who stopped the rematch, and his son who stopped the first fight, share a gambling addiction about which Lopez had warned the commission that appointed them. This was not a stunt by Lopez; he believed the veracity of the allegations he made. You want reality? There it is. We can fetishize people being real and celebrate Lopez’s candor, or we can say performers have a responsibility to maintain artistic distance, a barrier of insincerity. But we can’t have both – and especially not from concussed men still in the hot blood of a fight. The nature of Lopez’s allegation, and the appearance that Ramirez Sr.’s decision to stop the match was justified, mean Lopez now must produce evidence or a recantation very soon.

Whatever the outcome of that and however Showtime’s broadcasts lately compromise aficionados’ enjoyment of its product, nothing can be allowed to detract too much from the spectacle of Lopez’s heart or Salido’s desire to dominate it. The solace, as ever, is here: Only the 27 1/2 minutes Salido and Lopez made war on one another will be remembered.

Bart Barry can be reached at bart.barrys.email (at) gmail.com

Follow all the action LIVE as Orlando Salido defends the WBO featherweight title in a Hotly anticipated rematch. In the co-feature, Miguel Angel Garcia looks to stay perfect when he takes on former world title challenger Beranabe Concepcion. The action begins at 8pm eastern / 5 pacific with three big fights featuring McWillaims Arroyo and Jose Gonazlez fightin in separate regional title bouts
These are the games that make unforgettable this sport and it’s a real shame to miss them. As the boxer Ottavio Barone once put it: ‘This is not merely throwing your fists on a curve, it’s a challenge against yourself.’ Luckily, even if you miss a game, you can still get the latest updates on your phone, maybe whilst you’re playing some mobile casino games.

12 Rounds Reamatch WBO Featherweight title–Orlando Salido (37-11-2, 25 KO’s) vs Juan Manuel Lopez (31-1, 28 KO’s)

Round 1 Salido lands a short left hook…10-9 Salido

Round 2 Salido backs up Lopez with a right..Left hook..Lopez lands a combination…Salido lands a left uppercut…Nice counter from Lopez…Left backs up Lopez..Right hand..20-18 Salido

Round 3 Lopez lands a counter right hook..Salido lands a right that drives Lopez back to the ropes..Another right..Yet another..Left/Hook..left…right..30-27 Salido

Round 4 Lopez lands a left..right…good left..jab..Swelling under left eye of Salido…39-37 Salido

Round 5 Looping right from Salido…Big right…working the body..Big left hook//…LITTLE RIGHT HOOK AND DOWN GOES SALIDO…47-47

Round 6 Big right from Salido…Right hand on the ropes..looping right and left..57-56 Salido

Round 7 Salido lands a left hook…Left hook..right and left backs up Lopez..2 more left hooks..Right hand…Great action at the end of the round…67-65 Salido

Round 8Salido countering off the ropes… Huge combination from Salido…Counter left hook..77-74 Salido

Round 9 Lopez landing hard shots to the body..Swelling under both eyes of Salido..Lopez landing left and right to the body..left to the head..THIS IS A WAR..its going to take aN UNBELEIVABLE FIGHT TO BEAT THIS FOR FIGHT OF THE EYAR…Salido lands 2 uppercuts..2 huge shots from Salido…86-84 Salido

Round 10 HUGE UPPERCUT RIGHT AND DOWN GOES LOPEZ AND THIS FIGHT IS OVERRRRRR

10 Rounds Featherweights–Miguel Angel Garcia (27-0, 23 KO’s) vs Bernabe Concepcion (29-5-1, 15 KO’s)

Round 1 Not much of anything…10-10

Round 2Solid right from Garcia..sharp left hook..Concepcion counter..20-19 Garcia

Round 3 Concepsion lands a right…Garcia lands a jab..Concepcion lands a right to the body…Garcia lands a right to the body…Booing from the crowd because of the slow pace…29-29

Round 4 Concepcion lands a counter right..Straight right from Garcia drives Concepcion to the ropes..hook to the body…Good left hook at the bell…39-38 Garcia

Round 5 Right from Garcia..2 good rights…lesd left hook..49-47 Garcia

Round 6 Garcia landing shots in the corner..Concepcion lands a nice right hand…59-56 Garcia

Round 7 CLEAN 1-2 TO THE TEMPLE AND DOWN GOES CONCEPCION…Left hook..left-riGHT AND HARD LEFT AND THE FIGHT IS STOPPED

MIGUEL ANGEL GARCIA TKO 7 AT 2:33

10 Rounds Lightweights–Jose A. Gonzalez (18-0, 13 KO’s) vs Hevinson Herrera (15-8-1, 10 KO’s)

Round 1 Gonzalez lands a right...10-9 Gonzalez

Round 2 Right from Herera makes Gonzlaez stumble…19-19

Round 3 Referee telling the fighters to fight… Left from Herrera…29-28 Herrera

Round 4 Gonzlaez throws a 4 punch combination..lands a right…38-38

Round 5 Good right Staggers Herrera..Big right..Left rocks Herrera…48-47 Gonzalez

Round 6 Gonzalez lands a left..left..right..left..Combination weakens Herrera;s legs..good left and another left …all from Southpaw stance…left..Blood from mouth of Herrera..good left AND DOWN GOES HERRERA..up at 6…58-55 Gonzalez

Round 7 Herrera is hurt..Herrera’s mouthpiece is out…68-64 Gonzalez

Round 8 Right from Gonzalez staggers Herrera..couple MORE PUNCHES AD THE FIGHT IS STOPPED

GONZALEZ WINS BY TKO 8 AT 1:12

10 Rounds–Flyweights–McWilliams Arroyo (10-1, 9 KO’s) vs Luis Maldonaldo (36-7-1, 27 KO’s)

Round 1 Maldonaldo jabbing to body…Arroyo lands an overhand right…2 more rights and 2 lefts…10-9 Arroyo

Round 2 Uppercut from Arroyo..Good body shot and a left..Good short punching from Arroyo..Good right..Good counter right and left…Maldonaldo turns southpaw…20-18 Arroyo

Round 3 Maldonaldo lands a body shot…Right from Arroyo..Working the body now…more body work..good right..quick right hand…Right from Maldonaldo..30-27 Arroyo

Round 4 Arroyo lands an uppercut..Good right..Maldonaldo lands a left..Arroyo jabs and lands a right…left-right combination..Good diversity from Arroyo..Right from Arroyo..Sharp right and left to top of the head…40-36 Arroyo

Round 5 Arroyo boxing well…50-45

Round 6 Good right stops Maldonaldo in his tracks..3 punch combination from Maldonaldo..Shapr punching from Arroyo..Maldonaldo cut badly around the left eye…60-54 Arroyo

Round 7Arroyo continuing to pressure …70-63 Arroyo

Round 8Just more of the same with rroyo boxing well and Maldonaldo lunging in…80-72

Round 9 3 punch combination from Arroyo…90-81 Arroyo

Round 10Good solid performance for Arroyo against his most experienced foe…100-91 Arroyo

98-92; 99-91 FOR MCWILLIAMS ARROYO

San Juan, P.R.- The main event started to a standing crowd in an almost full house. Fans knew they were about to see a war and were cheering López with as much enthusiasm as they booed Salido. Both fighters looked primed and in great shape for the fight. As soon as the bell rang for the first round silence dominated the arena. Salido stalked JuanMa while López used lateral movement and looked for countering opportunities in the first and second rounds. The third round saw some good exchanges and even if it was a fairly even round, Salido appeared to be making it into his type of fight.

Salido had the best of the first two minutes of the fourth webbanki.ru but JuanMa came back with some good shots in the last minute that got Orlando’s attention. JuanMa boxed well in the fifth and knocked Salido down with a short right hand towards the end of the round. Siri came out aggressive for the sixth and eventually put López against the ropes where he landed some of his best shots so far. The Mexican kept the pressure up during the seventh and both landed good shots but Orlando seemed the fresher boxer.

Roles changed in the eight when JuanMa started driving Salido back and Salido got pinned against the ropes but still managed to land his share of punches as the crowd cheered for their charging countryman. The ninth saw all pretense of defense thrown out the window as both fighters traded to the delight of the crowd. Often it was hard to tell who was getting the better of the exchanges, but it was López going forward now.

The tenth saw a dramatic change as JuanMa came out looking completely exhausted and Salido took advantage to end things with several big rights and a short left. López got up but referee Roberto Ramírez Sr. saw that it was over and waved it off at 32 seconds.

With the loss, Salido solidifies himself as a world class boxer who still fights at the level of his opponents and López needs to take a long serious look at what his future holds. For the former Puerto Rican champion, there will be future opportunities as any brawler with his knockout power and his willingness to trade is always an entertaining boxer to watch. Salido will take his title for some spins and as long as he stays away from the Gamboa’s and, in my opinion, the Mickey Garcia’s of the featherweight division, he should be all right for a while.

“This is how I planned this fight,” said Salido. “I knew it was going to be a very tough fight. We both competed punch for punch. I’m just lucky he’s the one that fell.”

“He hit me hard but I could still continue,” said Lopez after the fight. “I was dominating the fight. It was a tough fight but I was winning.”

As simply put by Salido, “This was a classic in the long rivalry between Mexican and Puerto Rican fighters.”
The co-feature of the night featured featherweight phenom Miguel “Mickey” Angel García (28-0, 24KO’s) of Oxnard, California defending his NABO title against Filipino Bernabé Concepción ( 29-5-1, 15 KO’s) in a fight to ten rounds. Action started slowly in the first two rounds. García used his reach advantage to land some jabs while Concepción managed to land two right hands at the end of the second. The third and fourth followed the same pattern until Mickey started letting his hands go at the end of the fourth and landed several right hands and left hooks that made Abe take a few steps back.

In the fifth, García upped his work rate and again landed several good shots as Concepción appeared to be in a much tougher fight than his opponent. In the sixth, García managed to take Bernabé against the ropes several times where he would land good shots. The Filipino fought back but his punches usually fell short o their target. Concepción had a good start to the seventh round as he landed several combinations but halfway through, Garcia landed a combination that knocked down and hurt Concepción. Bernabé beat the count but Mickey went systematically for him and forced the stoppage at 2:33 with Concepción receiving punishment against the ropes.

García looked as formidable as always in breaking down a game opponent with the demeanor of an experienced veteran. At 126 lbs he is threat to anyone and everyone.

Puerto Rican prospect José “Chelo” González (18-0, 13 KO’s) faced Hevinson Herrera (15-8-1, 13KO’s) who fights out of Miami, Florida in a ten rounder at lightweight. The first four rounds were very tactical with both fighters looking for their range and only landing a few punches a piece while the crowed booed in disapproval.

Finally with forty seconds left in the fifth, Chelo landed a right hand that wobbled Herrera, got the crowd on its feet and went for the finish but ran out of time. González landed multiple straight lefts from his southpaw stance in the sixth finally knocking down Herrera but again couldn’t seal the deal before the bell rang. By the seventh round, Chelo was dominating but seemed in no hurry to press the action until the final seconds.

The referee finally halted the fight when in the eighth González landed several flurries to the head of Herrera. Herrera complained but he was hopelessly behind in the scorecards and seemed pretty hurt at the time of stoppage which was 1:12 of the eighth. Chelo won, but did leave much to be desired considering he is usually an action fighter and this was a big opportunity for him to shine on Showtime.

As to what’s next for Garcia, he responded, “I would like to face any of the champions at 126.”

The televised portion of the card started with the other half of the Arroyo brothers, McWilliams Arroyo (11-1, 9 KO’s) facing tough journeyman and two time world title challenger Luis “Titi” Maldonado (38-7-1, 29KO’s) of Baja California, Mexico. The fight was set at a limit of 112lbs. and set for ten rounds with the WBO Latino Title on the line. Arroyo dominated the first round with jabs, lead left hooks and straight right hands to his southpaw opponent’s head and body. Both fighters traded lefts in the second, but the Puerto Ricans’ were sharper and seemed to carry more power. Arroyo won the third but developed some ugly swelling right over his right eye, possibly from a Maldonado left hand. Arroyo countered well in the fourth but his swelling eye started bleeding.

The fifth saw some more counter punching from McWilliam and on the sixth he unloaded with some excellent combinations that eventually opened a cut under Titi’s right eye. Rounds seven, eight and nine were fought at a slower pace as Arroyo started using more of the ring and doing less body work while fighting with his mouth open. The Mexican had his best round in the tenth managing to land several good shots and forcing Arroyo to backpedal for most of the round. Judge’s scorecards were 98-92 and 99-91 twice in favor of Arroyo.

Allan Tanada (11-2-2, 5KO’s) of Paranaque City, Philippines and Gamalier Rodríguez (18-2-3, 12KO’s) of Bayamón, P.R. Were up next for a featherweight bout set for eight rounds. Tanada was eager to exchange from the get go but Rodríguez used his superior footwork and counter punching skills to land clean punches while staying away from danger. By the fifth round Tanada was showing signs of desperation and payed the price for it when, with thirty seconds left, got caught and rocked. After several more big blows from Rodríguez, the referee appeared to stop the fight but let them at it again apparently realizing the round wasn’t over. The last rounds saw Tanada looking to land something spectacular but only finding the business end of Gamalier’s powerful counters. Final scores were 80-72 and 79-73 twice all in favor of Rodríguez.

Former Puerto Rican amateur star McJoe Arroyo (10-0, 5 KO’s) fought Shawn Nichol (5-10, 5KO’s) of Denver, Colorado at a limit of 115 lbs. After a fairly even first round, Arroyo’s more precise punches and better footwork started to take over in the second when he also landed several big blows to the body. Nichol was game through the third and fourth but by the end of the fifth, Arroyo’s body work began paying dividends. Nichol went all out in the sixth but the former Olympian’s straighter, shorter punches rocked him throughout. Final scores were 59-55 and twice 60-54 in favor of the still undefeated Arroyo.

Charlie Serrano (14-3-1, 4KO’s) took on local Camilo Pérez (7-0, 4KO’s) in a junior featherweight bout set for six. Both fighters fought on mostly even terms for the first two rounds and in the third, Pérez landed some crisp right hands that seemed to wake up Serrano who closed the round strong. An unintentional headbutt opened a cut on Camilo’s forehead in the fourth but he closed the round landing the cleaner punches. Pérez used his jab well offensively and defensively to win the last two rounds and take a unanimous decision with scores of 58-56 and 59-55 twice.

Junior welterweights Alberto González and John Karl Sosa made their respective pro debuts to start of off the night. In a one sided fight, Sosa (now 1-0,1 KO) showed a classic amateur style before dropping González twice in the second round. Sosa landed well to the body and head of his over matched opponent before the referee stopped the fight with González on his back. Time of stoppage was 1:02 of the second round.

The next four rounder featured Enrique “Quique” Quinones (4-11-1, 4KO’s) vs. Rafael González (8-0 7KO’s) in a welterweight bout set for four. Quinones offered only a little bit of resistance in the first stanza but González took over and chased him around the ring while landing hard punches from then on. Round two saw more of the same with González feeding Quinones a steady diet of uppers until Quinones’ corner finally waved a towel and the referee stopped the fight at 1:10 of the third.

San Juan, P.R. – Juan Manuel López (31-1 y 28 KO’s) has a long road ahead mirziamov.ru of him. His loss to Orlando “Siri” Salido (37-11-2, 25 KOs) for the WBO Featherweight Title will be a blemish hard, if even possible, to overcome on a possible road to true boxing stardom. Unlike many of his Puerto Rican predecessors, JuanMa’s first loss came too early and against the wrong opponent.

Without resting merit to Salido’s career, when he beat López last year he was coming off a unanimous decision loss to former featherweight titlist Yuriorkis Gamboa which put the eleventh loss in Orlando’s record. With five of those losses being stoppages, and except for his losses to Juan Manuel Márquez and Cristobal Cruz, the rest being against unheralded opponents, Salido was rightfully a prohibitive underdog going into the fight. But there is more to boxing than simple records.

Against Cruz, it was a close fight. Versus reported Salido landing more punches than Cruz and at a better connect percentage. It must be said again, it was a close fight. Against Márquez, though not as close, Salido was there for the whole twelve rounds against a boxer who would go up in weight and knockout bigger opponents among which were Juan Díaz, Joel Casamayor and Michael Katsidis.

In addition, we had seen López in a life and death struggle against journeyman Rogers Mtagwa, a boxer who possessed a similar style to Salido if not as strong as the Mexican. There was reason to believe the constant aggression Salido would try to force on JuanMa could present problems for the young champion. And it did.

The former southpaw champion won the first rounds of the fight but was never able to control the pace. It was Salido forcing the action and even when he lost rounds he was forcing the Puerto Rican to fight on his terms. On top of that, López seemed unable to get rid of Salido’s right hand throughout the whole fight. The end came when referee Roberto Ramírez Jr. stopped the action in the eight round after JuanMa had gone down in the fifth. Still, the scorecards were even at the moment.

It was the Mexican’s heart and resilience that won him the fight along with his right hand. López did land good shots but was unable to deter the challenger. For a puncher like JuanMa, landing good punches and not seeing the affect you expect can be devastating. For a brawler like Salido, assimilating those punches will usually have the opposite effect. After a few rounds, the challenger knew it was just a matter of time and pressure.

There is no reason to believe Salido will bring anything new to the table this time around. It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks and no reason to do it if his current bag is working. López, isn’t giving him any reason to do so either as he ate right hand after right hand in his last bout against Mike Oliver. True, he knocked out Oliver inside of two rounds, but “Machine Gun” had nothing in his arsenal that could really hurt the bigger, stronger ex-champ.

The upcoming rematch poses a big question for JuanMa. Should he try to outbox Salido round by round and aim for a decision or should he try to finish the fight as quickly as possible and not risk exhaustion coming into play? Interestingly enough both are feasible options.

There is no questioning his power (28 knockouts in 31 victories) but Salido, who was able to take quiet a few of it the first time around, was stopped several times early in his career. JuanMa also showed he can go long rounds at a strong pace against Gerry Peñalosa but that seems like a long time ago now. His technique being better than Salido’s, it is not completely unreasonable to think he could pull off a hard fought decision. Especially in Puerto Rico.

So it is reasonable to say that the outcome of the fight is mostly in López’s hands. It is certain though that he must bring his A game if he wants any chance at all of winning this fight. Conditioning, both mental an physical, will be a key aspect on Saturday. Regardless of which fight plan he chooses, a total commitment and excellent execution of it are going to be essential.

If he chooses to go for the early stoppage, he must go for it in a brutal fashion and end it during the first half of the fight. In doing so, he cannot let his opponent gain any sort of confidence be it by landing big shots early or by assimilating them. If he chooses to box he must avoid excessive punishment and use bodywork and uppercuts to soften and diminish his foe and avoid a late round scare.

JuanMa is slightly favored for most bookies but considering some of them had him a 10 to 1 favorite in the first fight it is my opinion they are not giving the Mexican warrior his due credit. True he didn’t look spectacular in his most recent outing against Weng Haya, but neither did JuanMa in his. They both won, showed their flaws and their strengths, and neither seemed to be a better or even different fighter than the first time they met. Salido was wild and aggressive while showing his heart and determination, and López was an offensive powerhouse who took as many right hands to the chin as his opponent had to offer.

I’m picking Salido to knock out López in the later rounds of what should be an interesting and action packed fight.

The under card includes Miguel Angel “Mikey” García (27-0, 23 KO’s) fighting Bernabe Concepcion (31-4-1, 17 KO’s) for the NABO and NABF featherweight titles. Also fighting will be former Puerto Rican amateur stars McJoe (9-0, 5 KO’s) and McWilliams (10-1, 9 KO’s)Arroyo, Jonathan “Bomba” González (8-0, 7 KOs) and Camilo Pérez (6-0, 4 KO’s). It is being presented by Top Rank and P.R. Best Boxing Promotions and transmitted by Showtime.

SAN JUAN, P.R. (January 17, 2012) – World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight champion ORLANDO “Siri” SALIDO and former WBO featherweight champion JUAN MANUEL “Juanma” LOPEZ will finally square off for their World Featherweight Championship rematch, Saturday, March 10. Their battle will be televised live from Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, P.R. on SHOWTIME Championship Boxing, beginning at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast.) If the rematch is anything like their first rumble, more than palm trees will be swaying when these two warriors start throwing. The SHOWTIME telecast will open with undefeated No. 1 featherweight contender MIKEY GARCIA risking record and rating as well as his impending world title shot in a 10-round featherweight battle.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with PR Best Boxing Promotion, Zanfer Promotions and the city of San Juan, tickets to Lopez-Salido II go on sale Today! Tuesday, January 17. Priced at $400, $200, $100, $75, $50 and $25, tickets can be purchased at www.tcpr.com or by phone charge by calling Ticket Center at (787) 792-5000.

“The stakes are high for the heated rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico,” said Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank. “There is no predictability in this rematch as the first fight showed…. Anything can happen!”

“SHOWTIME has made a name for itself by televising the most competitive fights in boxing,” said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports. “This match-up is not only competitive, but explosive as well. Add the intensity of the Puerto Rican fan base at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum and you have a recipe for a sports spectacle. Boxing fans have been asking for this rematch since last April, and we’re happy to give them what they want.”

“I shocked the world last year with my win, but when I do it again no one will be surprised,” said Salido. “I know I belong among the elite in the world at featherweight and look forward to been a world champion for a long time”

“I am very happy to finally get the opportunity to regain my world title and to show everyone that I am still the best featherweight in the world and that what happened last April was just a bad night,” said Lopez. “I will make my Puerto Rican fans proud on March 10.”

Salido (37-11-2, 25 KOs), from Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, México, is a two-time featherweight champion. A professional fighter for 15 years, Salido captured the International Boxing Federation (IBF) featherweight crown in 2010, dethroning defending champion Cristobal Cruz winning an exciting split decision and avenging his previous split decision world title loss to Cruz in 2008. After losing the title to undefeated superstar Yuriorkis Gamboa via a 12-round decision, also in 2010, Salido has been on a mission to seek and destroy, winning all three of his 2011 fights by knockout, including the WBO featherweight title from Lopez, and a title defense against Kenichi Yamaguchi.

Lopez (31-1, 28 KOs), from Caguas, Puerto Rico, returns to the ring for this rematch fresh from winning the the WBO Latino featherweight belt, via a second round knockout of Michael Oliver, Jr., in October. The pride of Puerto Rico has won 18 of his previous 20 fights by knockout, with the he only blemish, his eighth-round TKO loss to Salido last April. Lopez earned his first world title by knocking out defending WBO junior featherweight champion Daniel Ponce De Leon in the first round of their June 2008 fight. After five successful title defenses – four by knockout – he vacated the title and successfully challenged WBO featherweight champion Steven Luevano, stopping him in the seventh round, on January 28, at Madison Square Garden. He successfully defended his featherweight crown with an exciting second-round TKO of the Manny Pacquiao-managed contender Bernabe Concepcion and an eighth-round TKO of two division world champion Rafael Márquez.

Garcia (27-0, 23 KOs), from Oxnard, Calif., makes his Puerto Rico debut having won 11 of his past 12 bouts by knockout. Considered to be one of boxing’s top young prospects, Garcia, 24, returns to the ring fresh from a career-best year in 2011, knocking out previously undefeated contender Matt Remillard in the 10th round last March to capture his NABF and NABO title belts, as well as Rafael Guzman and Juan Carlos Martinez, both in the fourth round, in title defenses. Trained by his father Eduardo Garcia and co-managed by his brother Robert Garcia, the former IBF junior lightweight champion, Garcia is currently world-rated No. 1 by the WBA, No. 2 by the WBC, No. 3 by the WBO.

Orlando Salido defended the WBO Featherweight title with an eleventh round beatdown of Japanese challenger Kenichi Yamaguchi in Ciudad, Mexico.

Salido dropped Yamagucji from a combination in round three.

Yamaguchi was extremely game but he took a tremendous beating and the referee could have stopped the bout anytime after the sixth round as the visiting challenger took a lot of punishment from the opening bell.

Finally in round eleven, Salido landed a flurry of hard shots to the head that had the ref stop the bout at 2:50 of round 11.

Salido, 126 lbs of Ciudad, Mexico will now look for a fall rematch with Juan Manuel Lopez, who was ringside and Salido’s record now reads 37-11-2 with twenty-four knockouts. Yamaguchi, 125 1/2 lbs of Osaka, Japan is now 17-2-2

Enrique Bernache scored a fourth round stoppage over Alejandro Valdez in a scheduled ten round Super Bantamweight bout.

It was a fast paced bout until Bernache dropped Valdez with a vicious combination at the end of round four.

The time of the finish was 2:59 of round four for Bernache, 123 lbs of Guadalajara, MX and is now 18-2 with nine knockouts. Valdez, 123 lbs of Ciudad, MX is now 26-7-2.

Ruben Tamayo scored a second round stoppage over Jorge Cardenas in a scheduled four round Super Bantamweight bout.

The time was 2:24 of round two for Tamayo, 122 lbs of Ciudad, MX and is now 17-2-2 with thirteen knockouts. Cardenas, 122 lbs of Los Mochis, MX is now 16-13

Future world title challenger Mike Oliver discusses his win over Felipe Almanza plus his July 23rd title opportunity against Orlando Salido

Orlando Salido won the WBO featherweight title with a stunning upset by scoring an eighth round stoppage over previously undefeated Superstar Juan Manuel Lopez at the Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum in Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

Salido was consistently getting through with the right hand over the course of the fight and was definatly in the contest throughout. There were many solid exchanges with the fight really starting to heat up in the third. The first sign of Salido being a tough out for Lopez as the challenger landed a hard staright right that backed up the champion. Lopez quickly answered that by backing up Salido with a combination. In round five, Salido landed a booming right to the jaw the sent Lopez to the canvas and the champ was in a heap of trouble. Lopez was lucky that the knockdown came at the end of the round or he may have been stopped right then and there.

Salido continued to find a home for the right hand but Lopez showed a champions heart by continuing to fire back and get through with solid straight lefts.

In round eight, Salido landed another right hand that sent Lopez reeling all over the ring but this time there was enough time for Salido to stalk and throw some shots that connected and continued to hurt Lopez. Lopez was throwing to the very end but his shots were mostly missing in between battering shots from Salido when the bout was halted at 1:37 of round eight.

Salido, 126 lbs of Ciudad, Mexico is champion with a record of 35-11-2-1 with twenty-three knockouts. Lopez, 125 lbs of Caguas, PR is now 30-1.

Admitting to the severity of the knockdown, Lopez simply stated after the fight, “The punch in the fifth round hurt.”

The stoppage surprised – and angered – many in attendance, as the boos were following by flying beer and water bottles from the pro-Lopez crowd. Lopez echoed the crowd’s displeasure with the ref’s ruling. “[Salido] was hitting me but [Ramirez Jr.] shouldn’t have stopped the fight,” said Lopez. “I was still conscious.”

Proudly hoisting up his belt after the fight, the new champion said, “I came very prepared to fight the No. 1 featherweight in the world. I think the fight was going pretty evenly through the first five rounds but I knew I had to pressure [Lopez] because we were in his hometown.”

Luis Cruz had a couple of anxious moments but he fought well and scored a ten round unanimous decision over late replacement and former world title challenger Martin Honorio in a Jr. Lightweight bout.

Cruz built up a nice lead early as Cruz featured precise counter left hooks. Round six saw many wild exchanges that pleased the crowd with the exception of a moment when Cruz was buckled from a pair of right hands from Honorio.

Cruz steadied himself and boxed well for round’s seven through nine. Honorio buckled Cruz early in the final frame from a right to the body but Cruz once again regained his composure and finished up the fight by landing some solid uppercuts and left hands.

Cruz, 129 3/4 lbs of Las Piedras, PR won by scores of 100-90; 98-92; and 96-94 to remain undefeated at 18-0. Honorio, 131 lbs of Mexico City is now 29-6-1.

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank

ISLA VERDE, Puerto Rico (April 13, 2011) – The four fighters who will compete in this Saturday’s doubleheader on SHOWTIME® (10:30 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) participated in the final press conference Wednesday at the Verdanza Hotel here.

In the main event on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, Juan Manuel Lopez (30-0, 27 KOs) will risk his unblemished record and World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight title against former International Boxing Federation (IBF) 126-pound titleholder Orlando “Siri’’ Salido (34-11-2, 22 KOs), of Ciudad Obregon, Mexico.

The co-feature from Ruben Rodriguez Coliseo in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, will pit promising, undefeated Luis Cruz (17-0, 14 KOs), of Philadelphia by way of Las Piedras, Puerto Rico, versus late substitute and No. 8 IBF contender, Martin “El Brochas’’ Honorio (29-5-1, 15 KOs), of Mexico City, in a 10-round junior lightweight bout. Bob Arum’s Top Rank, Inc. will promote the doubleheader.

What the fighters had to say:

JUANMA LOPEZ

“I am very excited to be fighting at home and have worked very hard so that I can give my fans as good a fight as I can.

“Salido is a very good fighter. He is strong and will come after me all night long. I have to be smart and try to win as many rounds as I can, but if I hurt him I will go for the knockout.

“The Puerto Rico-Mexico rivalry is one full of tradition and I hope that this fight will become one of the most remembered in the history of these great confrontations between the two countries.”

ORLANDO SALIDO

“This is an opportunity for me to become a world champion away and I look forward to this fight. I expect it to be hard, but with my great preparation I feel that I can win.

“I am not intimidated to come to his home country for this fight. I know what I am capable of doing and I will be ready for war on Saturday.

“Many great fighters from both Mexico and Puerto Rico have been part of this great rivalry and I look forward to having this considered one of the best fights in the history of it.’’

LUIS CRUZ

“I am very happy to be part of this card and that I will be able to showcase my talent to a lot of people as part of the SHOWTIME telecast.

“I have a big responsibility fighting at home and will make my country proud on Saturday night.”

MIGUEL COTTO (Three-time world champion and Cruz’ promoter)

“We know that Luis Cruz is ready for this type of fight. He has trained very hard and will be ready to win.”

MARTIN HONORIO

“I am grateful for this opportunity. A win will put me on the road to another world championship fight.

“I have come all the way here to give it my best and to win this fight. It should be a good fight and I am ready for it.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, World Featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez will defend his title against former champion Orlando Salido in Lopez native homeland of Puerto Rico and the bout will be televised on Showtime.

” ‘Juanma’ is one of the top four television fighters today. He makes great fights,” Top Rank’s Carl Moretti said. “No matter who he is in with, you’re going to be entertained. We’re at a great arena in Puerto Rico that will have 8,000 to 10,000 people and I think it will be a good evening all around.”

“I think it’s a tough fight for Juanma,” Top Rank president Todd duBoef said. “Salido is a really solid, durable guy. Yuriorkis Gamboa had to work really hard to get past him and with this fight we will be able to see comparatively where the two hot, young featherweights are. Salido is going to be there all night. Juanma is really going to have to work for it.”

“Salido is a hard-nosed, grizzled Mexican with a great chin and good power [and] this could be his last shot at a title,” Moretti said. “And Juanma has been known to catch better sometimes than fellow Puerto Rican Jorge Posada.”

Said Salido: “It’s a tough fight, but for me it’s an opportunity to win a title belt and become a world champion again.”

“It’s going to be a measuring stick on where both of them stand against each other, so what Juanma has to protect against is fighting the guy and thinking, ‘I gotta look good. Can I knock him out? Do I get out of my game plan just to prove a point because Gamboa went the distance with him?’

“There’s a feel for when it’s ready to go,” DuBoef said. “I think sometimes there’s a road map and sometimes it’s a sixth sense when it’s time to match them up. We’re working to get there with these guys and to make this as big as it can be. We’re creating a business around both guys. Lopez is more advanced in that sense because he’s become a big draw, especially in Puerto Rico. But we’re working on it with Gamboa. There is something naturally that happens where fighters are on two independent paths and they eventually merge into one, and the fight happens.”

Yuriorkis Gamboa suffered the fifth knockdown of his career but like the other four, he got off the deck and won. Gamboa scored a twelve round unanimous decision over Orlando Salido to regain his WBA and capture the IBF Featherweight championship at the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Gamboa boxed nicely and took most of the first six rounds by landing shots and moving in and out. Salido, the cagey veteran that he is made the fight a raggedy one as he bored in and either tied up Gamboa or landed some pitter pat combinations

In round eight, Salido connected on a perfect right to the chin and dropped Gamboa for the fifth time in his young career. Gamboa got things going again in round ten when he landed a combination that he followed up with a huge left hook that bucked the knees of Salido. In round eleven, Gamboa trapped Salido in the corner and landed a combination. While in the corner, the two clashed heads and a bad cut opened up on the right side of Salido’s forehead.

The twelfth was a wild when as Gamboa dropped Salido with a quick left hook. Gamboa went to end things and actually sent Salido to the canvas again but while Salido was down Gamboa landed a shot to the back of the head. Referee Joe Cortez immediately docked two points from Gamboa. Not much happened in the last moment and Gamboa held on for the victory

Gamboa of Cuba won by scores of 114-109; 115-109 and 116-109 to stay undefeated at 19-0. Salido of Mexico, actually lost his belt on the scales at the second day weigh in as he gained twelve pounds over night when IBF by laws only allow a ten pound gain. Salido is now 34-11-2.

Brandon Rios scored a disqualification victory over Anthony Peterson in a scheduled twelve round Lightweight bout.

The two went to war ealy as they stood in the pocket and started throwing heavy punches in close. In round two, Rios started to impose his will as he started landing wicked uppercuts that got Peterson’s attention. Rios continued to pound away at Peterson and hurting him on several occasions.

In round five, Rios landed a big left hook that dropped Peterson for the first time in his career. clearly shaken, Peterson’s shots started straying low and in the next round he was deducted twice for low blows. Ironically Peterson seemed to have been steadying himself for two round until a left that went below the belt just as the bell rang to end round seven and referee Russell Mora waved the fight off due to the excessive low blows.

Rios of Oxnard, CA is now 25-0-1. Peterson is now 30-1.

Diego Magdaleno scored a fifth round stoppage over Carlos Oliveira in a scheduled six round Lightweight bout.

Magdaleno dropped Oliveira with a right hook in round two and hurt him badly again with the same punch in the next round. Magdaleno kept up the pressure until referee Kenny Bayless stopped the bout at 1:13 of round five.

Magdaleno, 131 lbs of Las Vegas is now 16-0 with four knockouts. Oliveira, 134 1/2 lbs of Brazil is now 25-2

Notre Dame Grad Mike Lee made easy work of Alex Rivera by stopping him at 2:59 of round two of a scheduled four round Light Heavyweight bout.

Lee, 176 1/2 lbs of Wheaton, IL is now 2-0 with one knockouts. Rivera, 173 lbs of Las Vegas is now 2-3.

Seventeen year old wunderkind, Jose Benavidez scored his eighth consecutive knockout in as many fights as he took out Manuel Del Cid in round two of a scheduled six round Lightweight bout.

Benavidez scored well with a hard body shot that hurt Del Cid in round one. He hit Del Cid with similar shot in round two that backed Del Cid into the corner and landed a couple more shots before referee Kenny Bayless stopped the bout forty-one seconds into round two.

Benvavidez, 138 1/2 lbs of Phoenix, Arizona is 8-0 with eight knockouts. Del Cid, 138 1/2 lbs of Los Angeles is 4-3.

Matt Korobov remained undefeated by scoring an eight round unanimous decision over Anthony Greenridge.

It was a good fight with Greenridge trying hard against the much more skilled Korobov. Greenridge was cut badly around the right eye by Korobov’s combination punching. Korobov had a varied attack of body and head punches. Greenridge’s cut worsened in the final round and was rocked hard on the chin midway through the final stanza.

Korobov, 160 lbs of Russia won by scores of 79-73 on all cards and remained undefeated at 12-0. Greenridge, 159 lbs of Atlanta is now 14-5-1

Photos By Chris Farina / Top Rank

Follow all the action as Yuriorkis Gamboa puts his WBA Featherweight title on the line when he takes on IBF champion Orlando Salido from the Palms in Las Vegas. The action begins at 10pm eastern with an intriguing battle of undefeated Lightweight’s featuring Anthony Peterson and Brandon Rios.

REFRESH AFTER EACH ROUND

12 Rounds WBA/IBF Featherweight championship–Yuriorkis Gamboa (18-0, 15 KO’s) vs. Orlando Salido (34-10-2, 22 KO’s)

Round 1 Good right from Gamboa..Handpeed from Gamboa…right to the body…10-9 Gamboa

Round 2 left from Salido..Gamboa lands a jab..20-19 Gambia

Round 3: Gamboa lands a big flurry..Good right from Salido…30-28 Gamboa

Round 4 Good jab from Gamboa…Lead left..left hook to the body…40-37 Gamboa

Round 5 Good left from Gamboa..Salido lands a sneaky right..50-47 Gamboa

Round 6 Raggedy action with Gamboa getting in a few shots…60-57 Gamboa

Round 7 Lots of holding and clutching..Gamboa lands a shot after the bell..70-67 Gamboa

Round 8 Right from Gamboa…HARD RIGHT FROM SALIDO AND DOWN GOES GAMBOA…Right from Salido…Left From Gamboa…78-77 Gamboa

Round 9 Left from Salido..Guys feet get tangled and both hit the canvas..87-87

Round 10 Combination and good left hurts Salido..97-96 Gamboa

Round 11 Gamboa lands a lead left hook and a right..Salido cut above left eye and doctor looks at it..accidental headbutt ruled..lead uppercut from Gamboa..107-105 Gamboa

Round 12 QUICK LEFT HOOK AND DOWN GOES SALIDO…Good left right combination..Left ..Hard combination and down goes Salido…Cortez saying Saildo was hit while he was down…Cortez deducts 2 points from Gamboa…115-112 Gamboa

12 Rounds Lightweights–Anthony Peterson (30-0, 20 KO’s) vs Brandon Rios (24-0-1, 18 KO’s)

Round 1: Trading body combination..Jab from Rios…good uppercut shakes Peterson..Good right and another from Peterson…10-10

Round 2: Uppercut from Rios..Good combination…right…left..Peterson lands a counter..Right from Rios snaps Peterson;s head back..good left hook to the body from Peterson..20-19 Rios

Round 3: Big uppercut from Rios…left uppercut…right..hook to the head..left..hook to the body..Peterson lands a left, right, counter right and 2 body shots..30-28 Rios

Round 4 Combination hurts Peterson..left hook..uppercut…hard left hurts Peterson..left hurts him again…uppercut inside,,,40-37 Rios

Round 5 Rios lands a good jab..ripping right…Short left…Peterson lands a left..BIG LEFT HOOK AND DOWN GOES PETERSON..50-45 Rios

Round 6 Peterson double jab..Low blow landed by Peterson and is warned..LOW BLOW AND PETERSON IS DEDUCTED A POINT…ANOTHER LOW BLOW AND A 2ND POINT IS DEDUCTED……59-53 Rios

Round 7 Rios lands an uppercut..Peterson lands a body shot..left and right from Peterson..Rios with a right..Peterson with a left..combination..left right staggers Peterson…nice combination..LOW BLOW AT THE BELL AND PETERSON GETS DISQUALIFIED

Fourteen-year veteran Orlando Salido rode an up-and-down career en route to winning the IBF Featherweight title earlier this year – a win that has netted him a high profile bout against flashy offensive wizard Yuriorkis Gamboa at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada tomorrow. Though he does carry the tag of champion into this unification bout, his role as of now is that of a supporting player. Gamboa is the attraction, and few give Salido much of a chance of pulling off the upset.

The last time Salido (34-10-2, 22 KOs) of Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico found himself inside a Las Vegas ring was also the last time he had an opportunity to springboard himself into the spotlight as a major player in the featherweight division. Fighting in the main supporting bout underneath the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Carlos Baldomir main event at the Mandalay Bay in November 2006, Salido completely outfought rising star Robert Guerrero to claim the IBF title. Finally, after a long journeyman’s career, Salido had broken through.

So it seemed.

Two days after scoring the biggest win of his career, Salido’s post-fight urinalysis, as conducted by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, tested positive for the banned steroid Nandrolone. The result of the bout was changed to a no decision, and Salido’s title was stripped. Salido had a follow-up test taken at the nationally known blood lab LabCorp, which found him negative of any steroids. It should be noted that Nandrolone is an anabolic steroid that may be present naturally in the human body in minute quantities. “I said I never took steroids or any performance-enhancing drugs and the lab tests prove it,” Salido was quoted as saying by the SportingLife.com after the second test.

While Salido may have felt vindicated by the second test, he remained suspended for nine months and did not fight again until scoring an eight-round decision over journeyman Marty Robbins the following September. In his next fight, Salido knocked out Hector Julio Avila in an IBF sanctioned title eliminator. Salido, who had publicly called for a Guerrero rematch in the aftermath of their first encounter, appeared set to get his wish granted. At the time Salido was made the mandatory challenger, Guerrero had already regained the IBF title.

Two months after Salido stopped Avila, Guerrero successfully defended his belt against Jason Litzau and soon thereafter vacated, stating his desire to move up in weight. Salido would not get the chance to prove the legitimacy of his victory over Guerrero, and was instead matched with fellow longtime Mexican journeyman Cristobal Cruz for the vacant title. In an exciting fight, Salido would drop a twelve-round decision that could have easily gone his way.

After Salido posted two wins over nondescript opposition, Cruz granted him a rematch this past May. In a fight that took place in Ciudad Obregon, far from the bright lights of Las Vegas or American television cameras, Salido dropped Cruz twice and scored a decisive decision win to claim the title. It was a big win, a title-claiming victory no less, but not one the magnitude of the triumph that slipped through his fingers in November of 2006.

Not until this Saturday has Salido had the kind of opportunity he had against Guerrero four years ago. Gamboa, the WBA Featherweight title holder, may have even more cache in the sport now than did Guerrero when Salido had his crack at him. Gamboa has made a swift rise from touted former Cuban amateur star to HBO headliner. He has a skill set and physical tools like few others we have seen in recent years. “I know how good he is,” said Salido at a Wednesday press conference. “But I also know I am capable of winning this fight and that is why I am here.”

It is hard to envision a scenario in which Salido, in spite of how rugged and willing he is, finds a way to unseat the Cuban virtuoso Saturday. However, boxing history tells the tale of many who have taken advantage of similar second chances. Four years in the making, Salido has his.

NOTES

-Several big fight nights have taken place in Las Vegas on the Saturday before Mexican Independence Day over the years, but one would think that there may not be an influx of Mexicans headed to Sin City to support Sonora’s Orlando Salido this year. Part of the reason being that Mexican icon Erik Morales goes for his 50th win against Willie Limond in Mexico City on the same day.

Morales (49-6, 34 KOs) ended a 31-month sabbatical looking much pudgier with twelve-round decision over former lightweight belt holder Jose Alfaro. That fight took place at 147-pounds, while Saturday’s will have a limit of 140-pounds. Curiously the WBC issued a press release stating that should Morales win, he will be implemented as the mandatory challenger for their lightweight title, which has a limit of 135-pounds.

-Integrated Sports will distribute the Morales-Limond pay-per-view event in the United States. Holding down the commentary duties will be long tenured play-by-play man Colonel Bob Sheridan and analyst Benny Ricardo. Three weeks ago, Sheridan and Ricardo held those same positions ringside in Puerto Rico for the Ivan Calderon-Giovanni Segura title unification bout. In the opening moments of the broadcast, the duo gave a puzzling endorsement for Javier Capetillo, the trainer who had his license revoked for the Antonio Margarito hand-wrapping controversy.

Capetillo is now a part of the Segura training team, and had attempted to gain a license to work the corner in Puerto Rico. Capetillo was eventually denied a license and therefore not allowed to work the corner, as he had done for Segura recently in Mexico.

Shortly after stating that if Capetillo were indeed guilty of what he is accused, they could “hang him,” Sheridan introduced Ricardo who took the time to defend the disgraced trainer. “I had the bandages right up on top, they were all together. I accidentally grabbed the old ones and ended up wrapping them,” said Ricardo, paraphrasing what Capetillo had told him earlier. “We have to put a rest to this thing,” Ricardo proclaimed. “We looked at Javier Capetillo eye-to-eye and said ‘tell us your story’. I believe him in this. Margarito has been a great guy, a great champion and this has never popped before. It has been addressed and we can put this to rest.”

Sheridan, who would call his 890th world title fight when Segura knocked out Calderon later that night, followed up Ricardo’s explanation. “I believe this guy, I believe this guy whole-heartedly. I think he has been duped by a lot of people. I take my hat off to Javier, and I hope you get your license back.”

I wish I could say that if it’s good enough for the Colonel and Benny it’s good enough for me, but I cannot. The fact is that Margarito’s hand wraps, admittedly wrapped by Capetillo, contained two primary elements of plaster of Paris, sulfur and calcium. There is no reason that any “old” wraps should have had those elements either. Segura has stated publicly that Capetillo has never wrapped his hands, an answer to a question he will likely have hurled at him as long as Capetillo remains a part of his team.

Photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

World champion Yurikoris Gamboa, who usually trains in Miami, is off to the Fight Factory in Tampa, Fla. He is preparing to take on champion Orlando Salido of Mexico on Top Rank’s ‘Battle of the Champions’ on September 11 at the Palms Resort Casino, Las Vegas.

Gamboa, 18-0, usually trains in Miami.

“It’s a big fight and we wanted to get away and do it right,” said chief trainer Tony Gonzalez

It’s the same training facility used previously by world champion Miguel Cotto

Gamboa is the WBA featherweight champion. Salido is the IBF champion.

Team Gamboa is planning to report to Las Vegas on Friday, Sept. 3.

++++++++++++

Unbeaten Russian middleweight Matt Korobov is on the ‘Battle of the Champions’ fight card at the Palms. He is training with Kenny Adams in Las Vegas. Korobov, 11-0, is scheduled for eight rounds.

Notre Dame Champion Mike Lee, a light heavyweight, will box in a four-round bout at the Palms on Sept. 11. Lee is Notre Dame graduate, majoring in finance. He is Houston, training with Ronnie Shields.

Tickets for Battle of the Champions – Gamboa vs. Salido and Brandon Rios vs. Anthony Peterson – are $200, $100, $50 and are available on ticketmaster.com

++++++++++++

Las Vegas super featherweight Diego Magdaleno, 15-0, goes into his biggest fight, taking on Carlos Olveira, 25-1, on the Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Rafael Marquez world title fight card on Sept. 18 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Magdaleno is trained by Pat Berry and Augie Sanchez.

Tickets for Top Rank’s ‘Battle of the Champions’ — Yuriorkis Gamboa vs. Orlando Salido – on Sept. 11 at the Palms Resort Casino in Las Vegas go on sale tomorrow, Saturday, July 31.

Gamboa, the WBA featherweight champion, will take on Salido, the IBF featherweight champion, in the Pearl Concert Theater.

Gamboa, a big puncher, has a record of 18-0, 15 KOs. He is a four-time Cuban national champion and a 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist. Salido is the IBF featherweight champion. He has a record of 34-10-2, 22 KOs and is trained by former world champion Daniel Zaragoza.

“This is an exciting matchup of champions – a real battle,” said Bob Arum of Top Rank.

Two strong undefeated lightweights, Brandon Rios of Oxnard, Ca. and Anthony Peterson of Washington, D.C., will fight in a World Lightweight Eliminator. Rios has a record of 24-0-1, 17 KOs; Peterson is 30-0, 20 KOs.

Notre Dame champion Mike Lee of Chicago will be in a special attraction bout. Lee is trained by Ronnie Shields in Houston.

“Mike Lee is very popular. He is bringing a new fanbase into the sport of boxing,” Arum said.

Top Rank is promoting in association with Arena Box and Zanfer Promotions. The Gamboa vs. Salido and Rios vs. Peterson bouts will be televised on HBO After Dark.

Tickets are $200, $100, $50 plus applicable fees and will be available on Saturday, July 31.

To purchase tickets, please visit the Pearl Box Office, any Ticketmaster location, call 1-800-745-3000 or visit www.ticketmaster.com

The Pearl Box Office is open Sunday from noon to 7 pm, Monday from noon to 10:30 pm, Tuesday from noon to 7 pm, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from noon to 9 pm and Saturday from noon to 10 pm.

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBA Featherweight champion Yuriorks Gamboa will now face IBF beltholder Orlando Salido after WBC champ Elio Rojas had to withdraw due to shoulder and hand injuries.

The fight will take place on September 11 at The Palms in Las Vegas.

“The doctor recommended that he be out for two months, so the fight is off,” said Rojas’ manager Tony Tineo. “Elio is very disappointed because he wanted to fight Gamboa and prove to the world that he is the best featherweight. He is very, very disappointed. He told me yesterday, ‘Oh, Tony, I have all my plans on how I’m going to beat Gamboa and then it all goes down.’ I told him, ‘We can fight him in the future.’ ”

“The hand was injured in that fight and that is why he didn’t knock Espadas out,” Tineo said. “Now it’s still giving him problems. Elio wants to fight, but as the manager, I spoke with the doctor and we made the decision. We decided no fight because the arm and hand were bothering him too much. We have to follow the doctor’s instructions. This is his future. I can’t send him into a fight with damage. I can’t let him fight with an injury.”

“We had Salido and wanted to make that fight. HBO wanted Rojas,” Said Bob Arum, who promotes both Gamboa and Salido. “So they went to [Rojas’ promoter] Don King and they got Rojas done. And then Rojas got hurt and he can’t fight and now we’ve gone back to Salido and HBO has OK’d Salido. Salido is a big puncher and it probably will be a more exciting fight than Rojas anyway because Rojas is more of a boxer. The fight with Gamboa should be a really good fight between two big punchers.”

Arum said HBO asked Top Rank to reconsider trying to make a deal for Gamboa to face Celestino Caballero, the former unified junior featherweight titlist who moved up in weight and made his HBO debut with a tremendous performance against Daud Yordan in April.

“We said, ‘Listen, it’s only about a month until the fight and the big guy [Caballero] towers over everybody,’ ” Arum said. “You have to get the right sparring partners. It’s not fair to do that to Gamboa on short notice. But what I told HBO is that we have no problem fighting the guy next as long as the money is right. I even told them we’ll do a nice Caballero fight on one of our pay-per-view undercards as long as it doesn’t cost me a lot of money and we can set up the fight next.”