“Siri” had done it again but
it came at a heavy price. Heavy, dark bruising underlined both eyes. This was a
hard-fought victory, the kind that can shorten a career- even in victory. This
Saturday night, he gets back into it, facing Moises Gutierrez in Tepit, Nayarit,
Mexico.
“I only took a couple of
weeks off for everything to go down, the swelling, the soreness, everything,”
said Salido through Top Rank publicist Ricardo Jimenez last week. “But it was a
tough fight; I definitely felt his punches more than the first time. I knew he
was going to be well-prepared; that's why I knew I had to be well-prepared.” He
admits that from a physical perspective, the rematch with Lopez was the most
taxing he has ever been through. “I felt it was the most competitive fight I've
been in and he's one of the strongest guys I've faced.”
“Without a doubt,” he
stated. “I feel that I'm at my peak right now. That's why I want to face the
best and see what I can do against the best. I think I'm capable against
anybody at this weight.”
After years of journeyman
status and living in the considerable shadows of Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik
Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez, Salido has now carved out his own niche among
boxing fans who are appreciative of his no-nonsense, blue-collar style. Like a
recently retired Glen Johnson, he did it the hard way and the public seems to
have embraced that.
“I feel like the fans are aware
of who I am, even the press; everyone is more aware of who I am and what I'm
capable of doing,” says Salido, who is 31 years old and has been a pro fighter
for over half his life. “And that's very nice; it makes me feel good.” However,
don't expect complacency to set in. Guys who grew up in the conditions he did
will always be hungry to a certain degree. “I'm finally getting my just due,
not only from the fans but from the Mexican press. It's important to get all
the recognition for everything that you've done and I'm still hungry because I
want more. I know how hard I fought to get here, so I do know how hungry I have
to be to stay here.”
Salido should have a
relatively easy time versus Gutierrez. This wasn't designed to be anything more
than just a stay-busy affair and it's not even clear on BoxRec (http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=43998&cat=boxer)
if this is a title fight or not (one can only assume since it’s a 10-rounder
that it’s a non-title outing). That said, back in December when he faced the
lightly regarded Weng Haya, Salido was dumped hard to the canvas twice before
scoring an eighth round stoppage. A loss would have put his rematch with “JuanMa”
in jeopardy. “The way I look at it, every fight is important. Everything I've
gained can go bad in one night. So I'm motivated because I know I need to keep
winning because I do want bigger fights and I do want bigger names,” said
Salido.
At stake could be a showdown
with rising contender Mikey Garcia in a fight that could take place in the fall
on HBO or even on the undercard of Manny Pacquiao's next outing. Garcia is
scheduled to be on this show this weekend.
“I know [Garcia]’s an
undefeated fighter; he's a tall guy for that division and I know he's a very
good boxer,” Salido said of his potential foe, “but the way I look at it, he
hasn't faced nearly the competition that I've faced, the opponents that I've
had in my career. He certainly doesn't have the experience to fight a guy like
me and that's the way I look at it. It'll be interesting to see what he can do
with me more than I can do with him.”