One day, it?s all going to catch up to Orlando Salido. One day, his reflexes won?t be as sharp, his timing not as good, his chin not as reliable.
He?s boxing?s Unknown Warrior, a soft-spoken, largely anonymous boxer who has achieved precious little notoriety despite having been involved in some of the most ferocious fights of the past decade.
His Sept. 20, 2014, bout with Terdsak Kokietgym was the Yahoo Sports Fight of the Year. Both of his 2015 bouts with Rocky Martinez were under consideration for the same honor.
On Saturday in Carson, Calif., Salido will go to the post again in what figures to be another sensational match when he challenges Francisco Vargas for the WBC super featherweight title in a bout broadcast by HBO.
Much of the pre-fight hype has surrounded Vargas, as well it should. He won the title in November from Takashi Miura in a thrilling battle that was a finalist for the 2015 Yahoo Sports Fight of the Year.
He also tested positive for the banned substance Clenbuterol in April, though because those involved believed the steroid got into his system via contaminated meat, he?s being allowed to compete while being tested more regularly.
Vargas is unbeaten and, at 31 is four years younger. He also doesn?t have nearly the miles on him that Salido does. Vargas, who is 23-0-1, has fought 96 rounds as a professional. Salido has gone 405 rounds, including 12 rounds with the likes of Juan Manuel Marquez, Robert Guerrero, Mikey Garcia and Vasyl Lomachenko, among others.
Those are hard, grueling rounds that slowly sap the fight out of a guy. With Salido, though, there still seems to be plenty in reserve.
The super featherweight title they?ll fight for is a relatively modern division, created in 1963 and first held by Hall of Famer Flash Elorde.
Not only have some of the greatest fighters who have ever lived held that WBC 130-pound belt ? among them are Floyd Mayweather, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., Manny Pacquiao, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Marquez, Azumah Nelson, Alexis Arguello and many others ? but some of the sport?s best fights have taken place there.
He?s frequently the B-side, as he is to the Golden Boy-promoted Vargas on Saturday, and he?s rarely had the benefit of tune-ups or so-called ?gimmes.?
?I?ve never been a protected fighter,? Salido said. ?I have to take the fights that are offered to me, but it?s very exciting. I like those kinds of fights. I love going in there and fighting those kinds of fights. It?s what I like to do. And yeah, I?m very excited about this type of fight because I think it?ll be just like the other ones.?
It?s been a terribly slow start to the year on HBO, and going into the fight, Vargas-Salido is by far the best match on paper the network has shown. It?s one of the few in which it wasn?t child?s play to pick the winner.
But Salido is one of those guys who, even when he?s overmatched, has a way of hanging around. He defeated Lomachenko in 2014 in a fight in which all of the hype surrounded the great Ukrainian star.
Lomachenko today is considered one of the best fighters in the world, but Salido hung in there and clearly deserved to win that bout.
Being in there against the greats is a benefit to Salido, though he says it?s simply a matter of sacrifice.
“I don?t know if it?ll be an advantage or not, my experience,? he said. ?I?m just getting ready for the fight. The advantage will be the preparation to get ready. I know I?ve got a very tough fight in front of me. I know I?m fighting the guy who is going to come to fight me at every moment, and I think the fans are going to be the winners here because it will be a great fight.?
They usually are when Salido is in the ring. Every fighter, even the toughest, most hard-nosed guys, can only take so many punches before it takes the inevitable toll on them.
There are no signs, thankfully, that time has come for Salido.
Salido is a guy who seems to be appreciated far more by those who have to face him than the fans or the media.
Vargas, for certain, knows what he is up against.
?I have always said I want to fight the best and I consider Salido one of the best,? Vargas said. ?I believe our styles match very good in the ring and it is going to make a very exciting fight and that?s the reason I?m excited. I want to continue to be the best. In order to be the best, you have to fight the best, and I consider him one of the best. And I know that it definitely could be a candidate for fight of the year.?
The upset wouldn?t be if Salido defeats Vargas. It would if the fight weren?t another in a long line of Salido bouts to be a Fight of the Year contender.
