By Miguel Rivera
WBO super featherweight champion Orlando Salido says fighters from Puerto Rico bring out the best in him. Salido, 34 years old, is scheduled to face his sixth Puerto Rican opponent in a nine-year career in which he held 57 fights. With a record of 42 wins, 29 knockouts, 12 losses and two draws - Salido will defend his belt against former champion Roman "Rocky" Martinez on April 11th at the Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot in San Juan.
Salido's most notable wins over Puerto Rican fighters are his two knockouts of Juan Manuel "Juanma" Lopez and a KO of Orlando Cruz.
"I have nothing against Puerto Ricans. They are good fighters, complicated, but we are professionals. I plan to be champion for a long time. I do not want to consider myself as an executioner [of Puerto Rican fighters]. This is a sport and we all want to win, it's my job," Salido told Erika Montoya.
"Puerto Ricans have meaning in my career, because against them I have had my best fights. My grabbed a second win with JuanMa, and thanks to Orlando Cruz I could make my way to another world championship. They were not easy fights. On the contrary, these were complicated battles that had to be taken card of."