 |
|
Story and photos by Felipe Leon WBC No. 6 flyweight Omar Salado (19-0-2, 11 KO) says he might not know much about his opponent, No. 4-ranked Julio Cesar Miranda (25-3-1, 18 KO), but he’s not too worried. “I don’t really know much about him,” says Salado. “All I know is that he has been talking a lot, how he is going to give me a beating. But what I have seen of him, I don’t see anything out of the ordinary that I should worry about.” In a WBC flyweight elimination bout, Salado and Mirando will mix it up 12 rounds this Saturday as the co-main of the “Noches de Campeones” Pay-per-viewd card in Durango, Mexico, headlining the WBC/WBA unification super flyweight bout between Cristian Mijares and Alexander Muñoz. No stranger to the world stage, Salado in mid ’06, battled Ulises Solis to a draw in a challenge for the latter’s IBF jr. flyweight title. “I was offered this opportunity in the 108-pound division and I decided to take it,” says Salado. “It was tough fight and, unfortunately, I was not given the win although I felt that I finished the fight stronger than Solis. I think the fight was very close and my hometown fans were not thrilled with the result, but that fight is the one that opened the doors for me to where I am today.” Salado has fought as heavy as 115, but feels more comfortable in the lighter flyweight division. “I feel good at 115. I won the WBA Fedelatin super flyweight title in ‘05 but decided not to defend it, and I recently won a light flyweight eliminator for the WBC against Gilberto Keb Bass, but didn’t go after the title because my ideal weight is 112. “That’s where I feel the strongest and where I’m the best at.” Originally from Acapulco, Mexico, Salado made the trek north, like many of his country men looking for greener pastures. He settled in the border town of Tijuana, where he has resided for the last five years. Taking part in his first amateur fight at the age of nine, the now-28-year-old retired from the sport for a short period before taking it up again in junior high school. “There was a man down the street from where I lived in Acapulco who trained so many of my friends,” recalls Salado. “I decided to take it up—I am the only one that continued this far with it.” Salado is ready to make a statement Saturday night. “I am ready to fight the style that is presented to me,” he says. “If my rival wants to go toe to toe, I am ready, and if he wants to box, I can do that too. “First thing first: I have to win this elimination and then go after the champ. If that means traveling to Japan, I am ready.”
|
