Francisco Vargas, Orlando Salido in Wild War, Ends in a Draw

By Francisco Salazar

CARSON, Calif. - Wow. Whatever expectations boxing fans had for the Francisco Vargas-Orlando Salido were blown out of Stubhub Center on Saturday night.

And then some.

After 12 rounds of back and forth action, much of it fought in a space no bigger than a phone booth it seemed like, Vargas and Salido fought to a majority decision draw before a boisterous crowd that left breathless from what they witnessed.

Vargas goes to 23-0-2, 17 KOs, while Salido goes to 43-13-3, 30 KOs.

Vargas was defending his WBC junior lightweight title for the first time on Saturday. He won the world title belt in dramatic fashion on November 21, surviving a knockdown to stop Takashi Miura in the ninth round.

Salido had not fought since September 12, when he and Roman 'Rocky' Martinez fought to a draw over 12 rounds in a fight many believed Salido did enough to win.

Vargas was the favorite, mainly due to him being the physically-bigger fighter. Many wondered whether the numerous wars would eventually get the better of Salido.

It did not on Saturday night.

Both fighters stayed in the pocket from the opening bell, with Vargas getting the better of the exchanges in the first two rounds. Salido got going in the third round, connecting more with right hands to the head and scoring repeatedly with his trademark left hooks to the body.

The ebb and flow continued into the middle rounds, especially in the fifth round when both traded vicious hooks and crosses, which brought much of the near-sellout crowd to their feet.

Vargas stunned Salido in the sixth round with a right hand to the head. It looked as though Vargas would begin to impose his strength and will on Salido, but the veteran fighter found another gear and fended off Vargas' offense.

Salido returned the factor in round eight, wobbling Vargas with a hard right hand to the head.

As the bout progressed, Vargas' face began to display the brunt of punches (and some incidental head-butts) from Salido. Vargas had to deal with a cut above his right eye from the fourth round and his there was a cut across the bridge of his nose.

"I knew coming in that I was going to be facing a very tough opponent," said Vargas after the fight. "However, I didn’t expect for him to head-butt me and give me so many cuts to the face."

Vargas seemed to get a second wind in the 10th round. While he pushed Salido back and seemed to be on the verge of winning the round, Salido rallied, putting Vargas on the defensive as the round concluded.

As the bout progressed into the championship rounds, Salido seemed to land the more telling blows. His focus to attack the body seemed to pay off as Vargas started to slow down, especially in the final round. Both had their moments as they traded shots until the final bell sounded.

One judge scored the bout 115-113 for Vargas, while the other two judges scored the bout 114-114. Boxingscene.com scored the bout 115-113 for Salido.

Compubox tabulated Vargas connecting on 386 of 1184 total punches, while Salido connected on 328 total punches.

"I thought it was a great fight," said Vargas. "My corner told me that i had to work from a distance after the 8th round. I need to relax after this fight."

Not surprisingly, Salido believed he did enough to win the fight.
 
"I think I won the fight. I believe I deserve a rematch."

When asked about Vasyl Lomachenko, who was sitting at ringside and faces Roman 'Rocky' Martinez next Saturday in New York City, Salido mocked the Ukrainian fighter.

"He doesn't want to fight because I'm not a world champion."

While no one officially won the fight between Vargas and Salido on Saturday night, the winners may have been the fans, whether they witnessed the fight at Stubhub Center in Carson or watched it on television.

That seemed to be the consensus from everyone, including Salido.

"It was a great spectacle for all the fans. They got what they wanted. They wanted to see blood and they saw blood. I would welcome another fight with him."

IN THE CO-FEATURE

In a battle of undefeated featherweights, Abraham Lopez (21-0-1, 15KOs) shocked Julian Ramirez (16-1, 8KOs) with a ten round unanimous decision. The scores were 97-93, 97-93, 98-92.

 The action was hot and heavy from the very first round with both fighters having their moments with big shots landing. During the fifth round, there was a lot of swelling above the right eye of Ramirez. During the sixth round, an accident clash of heads opened up a big cut above the right eye of Ramirez. While the referee called it a clash of heads when Ramirez pulled Lopez into a clinch.

As the fight continued, Ramirez was edging out the rounds with a better workrate and more accurate punching to outhustle Lopez in the majority of the rounds. The judges favored Ramirez, even thought Lopez corner had asked him to get a knockout in the final round because they felt he was behind on the cards. The HBO broadcast team had Ramirez way up in the fight.

Francisco A. Salazar has written for Boxingscene.com since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (CA) Star newspaper, RingTV, and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing