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An old warrior has fallen while a young gun has risen to stardom as WBO Featherweight king Orlando “Siri” Salido (39-12-2 27 KO’s) dropped an eighth round technical decision to challenger Miguel Angel “Mikey” Garcia (31-0-0 26 KO’s) in the main event of an action packed HBO Boxing After Dark showdown.
This ballistic brawl was expected to keep fans on their feet. Salido, a gritty, energetic, and powerful bull against the also brutal but poised matador in Mikey Garcia. Imagine that scenario except for that the bull turned out to be sluggish and weak while the matador is faster and slicker than expected.
This anticipated conflict was a massacre, not a war.
Salido walked in hands lowered and plodding while Garcia gradually worked himself into the distance and managed to crack two heavy check hooks that shattered the confidence of the recognized warrior pronto, dropping Salido twice in the opening round.
Garcia stayed cautious, knowing the danger that the tough Salido carried into every fight. In round three, Salido hit the canvas again, once more in the fourth en route to getting dominated into round eight, where after minor surges the shopworn veteran headbutted Salido. It was ruled accidental, therefore it went to the scorecards.
Garcia captured his first title, the WBO Featherweight strap.
Garcia is highly confident. He says he will face whoever is put in front of him next including promotional stablemate, Cuban star Yuriorkis Gamboa. Salido had a long run containing nearly 60 fights over 17 years. With the physical and mental wear and tear sustained, it is safe to say he will “hang up the gloves” relatively soon.
In the televised co-headliner, Kazakh superstar and WBA/IBO Middleweight Champion Gennady Golovkin annihilated Philly based contender Gabriel Rosado in a well sustained seven round pummeling.
Rosado never hit the deck but was stunned multiple times by the chopping right hands of the stocky Golovkin. A nasty cut combined with the physical devastation caused trainer Billy Briscoe to step in and throw in the towel for Rosado at 2:47 of the seventh.
Big fights await Golovkin, including a rescheduled clash with Russian Dimitry Pirog or a more fruitful throwdown with Pound-For-Pound ranked star Sergio Martinez could happen in the coming months. Rosado can also return, step by step, inch by inch, preferably at his normal weight class of 154 lb.
Challenger Juan Carlos Burgos was on the bad end of a rough verdict in the form of a draw with WBO Super Feather ruler Roman Martinez as a world title slips from his hands once again.
Burgos’ work was the cleaner and more sharper of the two and his stiff, well placed body punching was astounding. While close rounds existed, it should have been a certainty that he at least edged the judges in his favor.
Other results include Irish-American light heavyweight Seanie Monaghan grinding down a game Roger Cantrell to get a decision victory, welterweight Mikael Zewski squashing journeyman Brandon Hoskins in tough fourth round stoppage, former Puerto Rican Olympian and current super feather prospect Felix Verdejo grabbed his second win with a quick 26 second TKO over Tomi Archambault, proud Italian-American fringe cruiserweight contender Anthony Ferrante flattened prospect Isa Akberbayev in the tenth and final round of a spirited fight on Toprank.Tv broadcast undercard.
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Corey Quincy is a boxing writer for Saddoboxing.com, his personal site Blboxing.com and more. Follow him on Twitter at Quincyboxingfan and like his facebook page at Boxing Legends for updates.
