VIC SALUDAR makes the first title defense of his World Boxing Organization (WBO) minimumweight crown as one of the main features of boxing show in Macau headlined by a WBO super flyweight bout between Donnie Nietes and Kazuto Ioka on Dec. 31. Saludar, 18-3 with 10 KOs, takes on Japanese prospect Masataka Taniguchi, who is 10-2 with seven knockouts. Saludar won the WBO minimumweight title after dethroning then-titleholder Ryuya Yamanaka via a convincing unanimous decision in Kobe, Japan. The 24-year-old Taniguchi is rated No. 4 in the International Boxing Federation (IBF). He has won back-to-back fights after suffering a majority decision defeat to Tsubasa Koura. He is coming off a technical decision over Filipino Reymark Taday last Feb. 8. (EKA)