Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Orlando Salido
Orlando Salido dethroned previously unbeaten WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez in a scintillating action fight in Bayamon, Puerto Rico on Saturday night.
Lopez (30-1, 27 KOs) is known for his fan-friendly style, which includes being available for his opponent to hit. That tendency finally cost him after 31 bouts against the battle-hardened Mexican. Salido (35-11-2, 23 KOs) appeared to be the harder puncher and clearly possessed the stronger chin, which allowed him to succeed where many have failed before.
The bout began like most JuanMa fights, with several lively exchanges and the Puerto Rican staying busier to the delight of the highly partisan crowd. Salido showed some strength early on but was unable to make Lopez pay for his tendency to linger after throwing his combinations.
But the winds shifted in the fifth round as Salido’s overhand right began to find its mark and showed signs of stunning the champ. Shortly before the bell Salido followed a short left hook with a sweeping right that caught Lopez squarely in the face and sent him tumbling to the canvas. JuanMa recovered to last the final 20 seconds of the round but could barely stand as he stumbled to his corner.
Lopez showed the heart of a champion in the sixth, refusing to back down despite clearly still feeling the effects of Salido’s assault. Towards the end of the round he gamely advanced and brought the pressure to the Mexican and continued the onslaught into the seventh. But Salido responded in the eighth by upping the pressure and began finding the mark with his right hand against the southpaw.
Having never learned what it is to lose a professional fight, Lopez was unwilling to capitulate despite getting pummeled. The the ref moved in to stop the fight as Lopez was laying on the ropes, clearly hurt but still ducking and responding to Salido’s blows.
The decision brought boos and projectiles from a crowd irate at seeing its champion dethroned. Lopez is a remarkable fighter whose resilience cannot be overstated, so the premature ending seems particularly egregious given what a fantastic contest it was.
Afterward Lopez was unhappy with the stoppage but admitted to being hurt in the 5th. He immediately requested a rematch, which Top Rank CEO Bob Arum is reportedly already working on for November or December. Considering how exciting the first rendition turned out to be that fight seems destined to become one of the larger events towards the end of the 2011 fight calendar.
Still, Salido was clearly the better man on this evening and deserves to be recognized as one of the top featherweights in the world. Having come up the hard way through the Mexican ranks undoubtedly helped forge him into the warrior and champion he is today. With so much undue emphasis placed these days on preserving a fighter’s unblemished record it is heartening to see someone with double-digit losses on top of their weight class.
In the televised undercard Puerto Rico’s Luis Cruz (18-0) took a unanimous decision from MartÃn Honorio (29-6-1) of Mexico in a matchup of a polished young prospect against a crude but busy veteran. The most remarkable aspect of the bout was the scorecard of judge Raul Nieves, who awarded Cruz every round to the amazement of anyone that actually watched the fight.
Highlights courtesy of Showtime: