By Jake Donovan

Orlando Salido kept his career moving along, scoring an 11th round knockout over Terdsak Kokietgym in their multi-knockdown war earlier this month to claim a belt at 130 lb.

The non-stop action produced by the two fighters for about eight rounds kept fans on the edge of their seats in a packed venue in Tijuana, but it was the last few rounds of the fight that Salido envisioned playing out all along. The proud Mexican brawler was able to take over by that point and unmercifully pound on Kokietgym before finally forcing the stoppage.

Getting to that point appeared to be a hellish experience, though the way Salido recalls it, he had his opponent right where he wanted him all along.

“I was never worried, even when I was on the canvas,” insists Salido (42-12-2, 29KOs), who has now won three straight. “Those were just flash knockdowns, I was never really hurt. But it meant a lot that my fans rallied behind me and were there for me the entire way.”

The win gives Salido a fourth title reign of sorts, this one coming in a new weight class after having previously served as a three-time featherweight titlist. His most recent reign ended at the scales, showing up heavy for his eventual split decision win over Vasyl Lomachenko. That his body could no longer squeeze into a featherweight frame made sense, having spent more than a decade at the weight.

Now fighting fit and campaigning in the super featherweight division, the 33-year old feels reborn.

“In the past, training to lose those last few pounds were a killer in the gym,” admits Salido, who has been a pro boxer for more than half of his life, having turned pro at age 15. “For this camp, I felt so much stronger and there were no problems making 130 lb.”

The only problem Salido envisions at super featherweight are the ones he plans to cause for the division’s top players.

The interim title he acquired with the win over Kokietgym puts him in line for a rematch with Mikey Garcia, against whom his second featherweight ended last January. Garcia never defended the belt, also missing weight in his planned first defense, an eventual 4th round knockout of Juan Manuel Lopez. The unbeaten rising star moved up in weight, knocking out Roman Martinez to capture a belt at 130 lb. last November.

Salido’s motivation for fighting for the interim title was in fact to seek revenge versus Garcia down the road. Such a rematch could prove problematic for the moment; Garcia hasn’t fought since a 12-round win over Juan Carlos Burgos in January, as he remains stubbornly embroiled in a legal battle with promoter Top Rank, from whom he is trying to break free.

Meanwhile, Salido plans to soak in his newfound glory and then explore next steps in the near future. If it’s not a rematch with Garcia, then anyone at or near the top of the division will suffice, perhaps even with a change of scenery.

“Obviously, I’d like to get Mikey back into the ring,” Salido admits. “The other two champs from Japan (Takashi Uchiyama and Takashi Miura) are options as well. It doesn’t matter who I fight.

“Where I’d love to fight, though, is over in Macau,” Salido continues, referring to co-promoter Top Rank regularly hosting shows in the massive casino resort in China. “It seems like a big market over there, and I would like to have a big fight there, if not next then before my career is over.”

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as the Records Keeper for the Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and a member of Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox