They got it right Saturday evening. HBO and Showtime gave boxing fans a thrill and we were able to see two new champions crowned. Because after Victor Ortiz dethroned Andre Berto for the WBC welterweight title, in the ring on Showtime was Orlando Salido taking on Juan Manuel Lopez.
And then the upset, maybe just as good as Ortiz beating Berto, as Salido the former IBF 126-pound title holder, in Puerto Rico, prevails with an eighth round TKO over the previous undefeated Lopez and takes the WBO featherweight championship.
Yes, the networks finally got it right and the raging conflict of two anticipated championship fights was resolved. Because we were able to witness two good fights, Ortiz-Berto possibly an early year candidate as fight of the year, and it puts Ortiz in the mix as a welterweight who has arrived possibly facing Manny Pacquio or Floyd Mayweather Jr.
For Salido, a championship fight with Yuriorkis Gamboa is on the horizon. You see, Bob Arum had it all wrong milking Lopez along, and now the fight we wanted to see, a Lopez-Gamboa encounter may not happen. Lopez could get a rematch with Salido or move up in weight as was the plan.
Now, after his solid performance against Lopez, Salido deserves an immediate shot at Gamboa in the ring again. Salido arrived in that first fight with Gamboa, and now he is finally here. It is no longer ?Juanma? time. He always said that Arum was the promoter and made the decisions, and it was inevitable that a night would come like it did Saturday as Salido scored the upset.
Lopez made his comeback after Salido put him on the canvas at the end of round five. It became very competitive, but there was something missing from Lopez. He was hurt and Salido went after him. When referee Roberto Ramirez Jr. waved it off, something that could be questioned, it was no longer ?Juanma? time.
The opportunity for a lucrative fight with Gamboa, one that would have put the featherweight division on the map, also had Arum eating his words. Now it can be Gamboa time, and there is market value for a return bout with Salido. We had no definite answers in the ring from Lopez as to where he goes from here.
Leave that to Arum who blew his chance at a mega fight. Lopez is no Miguel Cotto, though he was gaining popularity in Puerto Rico. And you could hear some in the crowd at the Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum offering their displeasure to the outcome. Lopez may no longer have the popularity that Felix Trinidad always has.
Something was different about Ortiz moving to 147. ?Absolutely not? was how the new WBC champion responded regarding this win as redemption for his loss to Marcus Maidana. He said ?Maidana was never in my class. 147 lbs. is where I?m king.?
Like Salido, Ortiz has now arrived. He is in the mix with Pacquiao, a good friend, and Mayweather who was at ringside at Foxwoods Resort. HBO may have lost Cotto and Pacquiao, and gained another champion Saturday night. This was a fight of the year candidate and Ortiz made it happen. Many of the experts went with Ortiz who always had the potential and may be a better fighter at 147.
But the question is, can Victor Ortiz, despite what he did against the previously unbeaten Berto, handle Pacquiao or Mayweather? The way he used the left hook that dropped Berto, and the way he stayed with Berto showed how improved Ortiz is as a welterweight.
Ortiz gained more fans and is marketable enough for his promoters at ?Golden Boy? to get him the mega fights because now he is a champion. You can question his role as a marketable fighter. There have been obstacles of a hard life, and now Victor Ortiz can say he has overcome all of the adversity.
It is what makes this sport of boxing what it is. And For Salido, who was always in the featherweight mix, there was always a chance. Now it is his time and Bob Arum has to grant him the opportunity and put the fight together. No more milking for more money. Fans want to see Salido and Gamboa!
And for HBO and Showtime, thank you for making it happen. You made fight fans finally get a night they rightfully deserved when it comes to the Saturday night network boxing war.
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