Salido vs Garcia HBO Card Preview

HBO kicks off their 2013 Boxing coverage with a triple header on Saturday night that features a classic matchup of a rising, undefeated challenger stepping up to face a grizzled and underrated veteran champion in a fight that promises to deliver. The undercard features a potential star in the making in a showcase fight against a hard working underdog and it opens with two action fighters that may not be well known, but always giver the fans their monies worth.

First off I want to applaud HBO, and God knows I give them enough criticism, for following Showtime’s lead and televising more than one or two bouts on a consistent basis. You’re there; why not turn on the cameras earlier? It’s not like you have to negotiate monetarily with fighters already on the undercard. It wasn’t long ago that we all had to read about the Tomasz Adamek & Paul Briggs war for no apparent reason past Jim Lampley practicing the call of phantom punches and Larry merchant ordering another scotch.

Orlando Salido has long been near, or at the top of the Featherweight hill. He is one of those Mexicans that turned pro early and amassed quite a few losses with tough matchmaking before finding himself. Past being a thrilling fighter with power and a vulnerable, yet somehow concrete, chin; he has very underrated skills. Even in a wide decision loss to Juan Manuel Marquez, he exhibited a very sound defense that kept the incredibly accurate Marquez from fighting the sweet spot too many times.

Salido’s two wars with Juan Manuel Lopez showed off his guts and indomitable will, he went to Puerto Rico twice and took everything the powerful Lopez had to offer only to come back and stop his heavily favored foe. Orlando seems to relish a war and I think he’ll find another one with challenger Mikey Garcia. While Lopez is probably a bigger puncher, I don’t think Salido should offer up himself in the same manner against Garcia because Mikey is a precision puncher and he is very calculated when he gets his man hurt as opposed to the wild aggression of Lopez.

Salido’s best bet here is to use his underrated skills along with his bravado to drag Garcia into the deep end of the pool. Mikey is an excellent body puncher and has never shown any weakness in stamina, but he’s also never been in a twelve round war with an elite fighter.

Garcia isn’t the kind of prospect that explodes off the screen at you. He’s almost an acquired taste. The kid is well schooled and does everything well. His aforementioned patience is what I find most impressive, he tactically breaks guys down and when the moment is right to end the fight he seldom lets it pass him by.

Against Salido he needs to keep his nerves in check and stick to the same game plan he works so well against lesser opponents. Though Orlando seems to be made of iron, he also has a lot of miles on his barometer and an early body attack should be at the forefront of his mind. Adversity is definitely going to come his way in this fight and how he handles it can be the difference between a burgeoning superstar and a challenger who fell just short against a champion that everyone is always ready to pick against.

I know it’s a cliché that runs afoul a lot of times in sports, but I truly feel that this is an event that can’t fail to entertain. I don’t see any way it disappoints or fails to proves to be ultra competitive. As I already stated, I believe in Garcia’s talent and I expect him to jump out to an early lead and possibly score a knockdown in the first four rounds with his precise combinations while Salido fights a little wilder than he needs to in an attempt to show the kid who is boss.

Orlando will begin to score with his bruising right hands and make some defensive adjustments to what Mikey’s doing as they trade heavily in the middle rounds. Late in the fight I think Salido will take over and potentially drop, or even stop, Garcia in the championship rounds. My pick, and it’s an excruciatingly difficult one for me to make, is Orlando by SD in an early candidate for the FOTY.

*****

I’m firmly in the corner of Gennady Golovkin as a future star of the sport. He has unteachable power in both hands that is delivered in a completely relaxed and effortless manor. In all honesty, if he was fighting Sergio Martinez this week I’d be picking him. That being said, he is another victim of modern boxings high risk and low reward game of chance that makes me want to punt a rabbit. That being said, it’s time for him to prove himself against the best Middleweights in the world. Though he couldn’t secure one here, the TV time is there and another spectacular performance can only help him get a bigger name in the ring.

Gabriel Rosado has been one of the fighters often featured on NBC sports foray into Boxing. He’s a grinding, hard working fighter that will always give an honest effort. Rosado has some speed and pop in his punches, but if Gennady is what I think he is, this is a Rocky kind of moment that Rosado is searching for.

Golovkin can be a bit methodical and I think Rosado will have some early success firing off combinations while Gennady measures him. By the third round the immense power of Golovkin will begin to break Rosado down and I’m expecting a highlight reel stoppage somewhere between rounds three and seven.

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The opener could end up being as exciting as the Main Event when Roman Martinez defends his piece of alphabet soup against Juan Carlos Burgos. These guys are similar fighters and what you see is what you get. Nobody is going to be sticking and moving here, they’re both scrappers that favor an in tight battle and we should get one. I think Burgos may be a slightly bigger puncher, so I’m going with him by razor thin decision.

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