IT’S always refreshing to see the infusion of fresh world-class boxing talent. The other day, Vic Saludar (19-3, 10KOs) confirmed his entry into the upper echelon of elite fighters in the lower classes by defeating Masataka Taniguchi via unanimous decision in his first defense of the WBO minimum weight belt at the famed Korakuen Hall in Osaka, Japan.
This victory all but cements the legitimacy of his claim and proves that his title winning effort against another Japanese fighter, Ryuya Yamanaka in July of last year was no fluke.
You will recall that this title is the first one that Donnie Nietes annexed way back in 2008.
LOSS. Vic has come a long way from his shocking loss to Toto Landero right here at the Mandaue City Sports Complex in June of 2017.
At that time, Vic was ranked No. 2 by the WBO, but he appeared listless and somewhat uninterested against the hungry Landero. who at that time had a record of 9-1, 2KOs, and lost via an upset split decision verdict.
Since then, Vic has gone on a tear, going 5-0, inclusive of the two victories against Japanese pugs.
BROTHER. Vic’s older brother Froilan campaigns in the flyweight division.
Two weeks after Vic’s championship effort against Taniguchi, Froilan attempted to join his brother as a champion and become the first Filipino siblings to reign simultaneously.
Unfortunately, Sho Kimura would have none of that sibling glory and stopped Froilan in the sixth round in his defense of the WBO crown. Since then, Froilan (30-3, 21KOs) has placed his career back on track with back to back stoppage victories, albeit against middling opponents.
Of the two, Vic seems to be the more polished fighter as Froilan prefers to slug it out at times. The problem I see for Vic is that he seems to have conditioning issues and I have never been too high on fighters with stamina concerns.
A case in point is his knockout loss to Kosei Tanaka back in 2015. In that fight, he had knocked down Tanaka and was ahead in the fight when he faded badly and was stopped in the sixth round by a vicious body punch.
But with these two victories, it seems like Vic has found some resurgence and hopefully will remain focused so he can cement his legacy as one of the new Pinoy boxing heroes.
LAST ROUND. It’s on a dear friend, Garry Loyd Dante, musician par excellence, who recently celebrated his birthday. Cheers!