Tweet
By Jake Donovan - At just 32 years old, Orlando Salido has spent more than half of his lifetime as a professional boxer.
Soon approaching his 17th anniversary as a prizefighter, the Mexican veteran boasts a strong claim as the best featherweight on the planet. That status gets put to the test when he faces unbeaten contender Miguel Angel Garcia on January 19 in Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Salido (39-11-2, 27KO) has only played the Big Apple once before, way back in 2001, in fact a week after his 21st birthday. His win over former alphabet titlist Rogelio Tuur extended way beyond what took place in the ring – it was part of a rebirth just months after he considered finding another way to make a living.
“It was around the beginning of 2001, shortly after I just moved to the U.S.,” explains Salido, who was just 11-6-1 (7KO) at the time. “I was told to come here (from Mexico) by an old friend of mine (Fernando Rojo) who moved to the U.S. and knew people who could help out my career.
“I wasn’t interested in the fights they were offering me at the time. So I turned them down, and just began working in construction. They kept calling and offering me more money and I kept turning it down. Eventually, they offered enough to convince me to go back to boxing.”
Oddly enough, Salido’s ring return produced the same outcome as his original introduction to boxing – a loss. Five years after suffering a knockout loss in his pro debut, Salido dropped a six-round decision to William Abeylan. [Click Here To Read More]
Soon approaching his 17th anniversary as a prizefighter, the Mexican veteran boasts a strong claim as the best featherweight on the planet. That status gets put to the test when he faces unbeaten contender Miguel Angel Garcia on January 19 in Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Salido (39-11-2, 27KO) has only played the Big Apple once before, way back in 2001, in fact a week after his 21st birthday. His win over former alphabet titlist Rogelio Tuur extended way beyond what took place in the ring – it was part of a rebirth just months after he considered finding another way to make a living.
“It was around the beginning of 2001, shortly after I just moved to the U.S.,” explains Salido, who was just 11-6-1 (7KO) at the time. “I was told to come here (from Mexico) by an old friend of mine (Fernando Rojo) who moved to the U.S. and knew people who could help out my career.
“I wasn’t interested in the fights they were offering me at the time. So I turned them down, and just began working in construction. They kept calling and offering me more money and I kept turning it down. Eventually, they offered enough to convince me to go back to boxing.”
Oddly enough, Salido’s ring return produced the same outcome as his original introduction to boxing – a loss. Five years after suffering a knockout loss in his pro debut, Salido dropped a six-round decision to William Abeylan. [Click Here To Read More]
Comment