Salido-Martinez possible for March

By Boxing News - 01/07/2016 - Comments

Roman Martinez vs Orlando SalidoBy Dan Ambrose: A third fight between WBO super featherweight champion Roman “Rocky” Martinez (29-2-3, 17 KOs) and 35-year-old Orlando Salido (42-13-3, 29 KOs) is still possible for March despite the fact that the World Boxing Organization has ordered Martinez to fight #1 WBO mandatory challenger Miguel Berchelt (28-1, 25 KOs) next.

According to Dan Rafael, Berchelt could step aside so that Martinez and Salido could fight each other once again.

Salido was arguably robbed of a decision win over Martinez last September, when the judges scored the fight a 12 round draw. It was one of the most-sided fights you’ll ever see that was scored a draw. Salido dominated the fight and a better score would have been 9 rounds to 3 in favor of Salido. Never the less, the judges mangling of the score for the fight made it possible for a third fight between Salido and Martinez.

If they had scored it correctly in favor of Salido, then there would be no point for a third fight. What you have to hope though is that the judges don’t keep scoring the fights draws, especially if Salido keeps dominating, because it just looks so bad to see a fighter dominate and then get stuck with a draw. The boxing fans at ringside booed nonstop as the scores for the Salido-Martinez fight were announced, and I actually felt sorry for Salido.

A third fight between Salido and Martinez could take place on March 12 or March 19, with it potentially taking place on Showtime Championship Boxing again.

Martinez won the first fight against Salido earlier in 2015 in beating him by a 12 round decision in April in a fight that took place in Puerto Rico.

Martinez wants the third fight to take place in Puerto Rico. Salido would be happy if it could take place in the United States or Mexico.

It really doesn’t matter to me where the third fight between Salido and Martinez takes place, as long as there are three good judges that score the fight and not anger the crowd like the last set did when it comes to them scoring the fight.

Luis Ortiz to fight in March or April

Fresh off his victory over Bryant Jennings from last December, interim WBA heavyweight champion Luis “The Real King Kong” Ortiz (24-0, 21 KOs) will be fighting next in March or April. Golden Boy Promotions are looking for the best possible opponent for Ortiz, but they’re finding out the hard way that it’s not easy to get fighters to agree to a fight with the tough Cuban heavyweight.

Ortiz, 36, will be fighting next on HBO, as long as they approve the opponent. It’s questionable whether HBO would agree on Ortiz taking a big step backwards to facing more obscure fighters after his victory over Jennings. Before his fight against Jennings, Ortiz defeated little known fighter Matias Ariel Vidondo in October of later year in a fight that was televised on the undercard of the Gennady Golovkin vs. David Lemieux fight card on HBO PPV. It was a really sorrowful fight for a PPV card, as Vidondo looked like he didn’t belong in the same ring with Ortiz, and the boxing fans saw a total massacre. A fight like that should have never been put together in the first place.

“The kid wants to fight anyone, anywhere, any place,” Eric Gomez of Golden Boy Promotions said to RingTV.com. “We want him back in as soon as possible. He’s always in the gym but time is not on his side. He is now in the position to reap the rewards of what he’s sown.”

Golden Boy Promotions might need to dig deep to get some extra money to find an opponent willing to put their career on the line to face Ortiz. It’s a risky proposition for any heavyweight in the division to face a talented guy like Ortiz, but it’s tougher for the contenders because they’re working hard trying to get in position for a world title shot that would pay good money. If they have to take lesser money to fight Ortiz, it doesn’t make a lot of sense.

“People don’t want to fight him,” Gomez said. “I think we have to model a campaign, beat the drums, and make the fans make the fight.”



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