SALIDO Y LOMACHENKO MÁS QUE LISTOS

Orlando Salido, el campeón mundial mexicano y el retador ucraniano , Vasyl Lomachenko ofrecieron un entrenamiento público este miércoles y más que su talento o aptitudes boxísticas, dejaron ver el hambre de triunfo que tienen y el deseo de vencer y convencer. Hay mucho en juego, aparte de un campeonato mundial. El “Siri” Salido (40-12-2, 28 ko’s) expondrá su campeonato mundial Pluma OMB, ante Lomachenko (1-0-0, 1 ko) este sábado, en el Alamodome de San Antonio, Texas, en lo que será el respaldo principal de la función que presentarán Zanfer y Top Rank, estelarizada por el duelo entre Julio Cesar Chávez Jr. y Brian Vera II, y que será transmitida en México por la señal de la “Casa del Boxeo”, Azteca 7. Aunque Salido es un peleador veterano en el boxeo profesional, de guardia derecha y suele avasallar a sus rivales con variedad de golpes, mientras Lomachenko lleva apenas una pelea, es zurdo y busca conectar mayoritariamente al rostro, ambos tienen similitudes. De entrada, son boxeadores que tiran muchos golpes. Con una mentalidad ganadora a toda prueba. Múltiples campeones del mundo (el “Siri” tres veces campeón mundial Pluma, el ucraniano dos veces campeón mundial amateur y ganador de dos medallas de oro olímpicas). Convencidos de que son superiores a su rival. Y lo más importante, con la obligación, ambos, de lograr una victoria convincente. Salido, porque no puede darse el lujo de perder ante un boxeador que apenas realiza su segunda pelea profesional, independientemente de su “pedigree” amateur. Lomachenko, para justificar esta oportunidad y demostrar que efectivamente, se trata de un peleador de época, histórico. De hecho, si gana, será el campeón mundial con menos peleas disputadas en la historia, y solo podría ser superado por alguien que debute ganando un campeonato mundial, situación poco factible. Hasta el momento, el record le pertenece al tailandés Saensak Muangsurin, quien se convirtió en campeón mundial (Superligero CMB), en apenas su tercera pelea en el boxeo profesional, el 7 de julio de 1975, cuando venció por nocaut técnico en ocho rounds al español “Perico” Fernández. Muangsurin había sido un sobresaliente peleador de muay thai. El “Siri”, además de su experiencia y del hecho de que Lomachenko no está acostumbrado a disputar peleas largas, tiene a su favor el hecho de que sus dos victorias más importantes, ambas ante Juan Manuel López, fueron ante un rival zurdo, de pegada y frontal, como Lomachenko. Con estos antecedentes, la contienda entre Salido y Lomachenko es intrigante, interesante y se espera muy disputada. El entrenamiento público dejo ver no nada más la gran preparación que han llevado a cabo y la motivación que traen, sino esa hambre de triunfo que hacen que las peleas sean memorables.

Crédito por fotos:  Zanfer Promotions & Chris Farina/Top Rank

http://boxeodenocautinforma.blogspot.com/2014/02/salido-y-lomachenko-mas-que-listos.html?spref=fb

By Jake Donovan –

Ask any fighter in the game what’s in store for the future while they are training for a fight, and the answer most likely given is that they’re focused solely on their next opponent and not anything else.

Orlando Salido didn’t have that luxury heading into his vacant featherweight title fight with Orlando Cruz last October. The veteran cult favorite already knew his destiny; worse, it was literally in front of him, dangling like a carrot on a stick. An hour or so before he would step into the ring with Cruz, Salido couldn’t help but look up and observe his future opponent on screen while in the dressing room.

Vasyl Lomachenko, a two-time Olympic Gold medalist and one of the most successful amateur boxers in the history of the game, appeared on the same Vegas card as Salido, with both fighting in separate supporting bouts to Tim Bradley’s pay-per-view headlining win over Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas. In his pro debut, Lomachenko starched veteran Jose Ramirez in four rounds, with talks immediately turning to his next fight – a title shot in just his second pro fight.

“I knew why we were both on the card,” Salido recalls of the night. “I saw him in his fight with Ramirez and knew he’d be my next opponent.”

Salido did his part, destroying Cruz in seven rounds to reclaim the featherweight belt he lost earlier in the year to Mikey Garcia. In both fights – which comprised of his entire 2013 campaign – Salido was forced to play the role of afterthought in the pre-fight build-up.

The discussion heading into last January’s showdown with Garcia weren’t focused on making his third title defense, but that he was being served up to a rising young star. Even entering as the prohibitive favorite in his showdown with Cruz last October, the main pre-fight story line was how a win by Cruz would make him the first openly gay boxer to win a major title.

That never came close to happening, as Salido remained focused on becoming a three-time featherweight titlist. The 33-year old Mexican warrior has long ago grown used to taking the back seat, and expected it to be the case the moment his fight with Lomachenko was made official.

“It’s just that much more motivation to me,” Salido (40-12-2-1NC, 28KO) insists. “I go into most big fights as the underdog and have to prove the so-called experts wrong. Whether it was Garcia, (Yuriorkis) Gamboa, JuanMa (Juan Manuel Lopez, whom Salido knocked out twice, both times in Puerto Rico), Cruz and now this guy (Lomachenko), I get talked about as the other fighter. That’s fine, I’m used to it and only work that much harder.”

As evidenced by his not-so-glossy ring record, he doesn’t always manage to win ‘em all. Now 18 years into the fight game – having turn pro at aged 15 – Salido truly came up the hard way before finally rising towards the top of the featherweight mountain late in his career. His loss to Gamboa in their featherweight unification bout in Sept. ’10 was his 11th career loss, but hardly the end of his career.

Salido has since won six of his last seven heading into his title defense versus Lomachenko, which takes place March 1 in San Antonio, airing live on HBO. Not only has Salido seen his opponent steal the majority of the headlines, but the fight also has to share news space with the show’s accompanying bout, a rematch between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Brian Vera.

At the very least, he heads into the fight with momentum. That same luxury was lacking prior to his bout with Cruz, as he was forced to sit for nine months on his worst loss in years.

“Mikey Garcia is a heck of a fighter, and I hope to one day get a rematch with him before he moves up in weight again,” Salido says of last conqueror, who has since won a title at 130 lb. “Going into that fight, I just felt like something was wrong that night. It happens to all fighters. I picked the wrong night and fighter to not be at my best, but I had to rebound and move on from it.”

Salido did just that, calming concerns that he was at the end of his career. Cruz was unproven at the championship level, but was the younger fighter and also at the hottest point of his career. Whether or not the extra attention that came with his “outing” himself a year prior impacted him any outside of the ring, he was in way over his head once the opening bell rang. Cruz never stopped trying, but his problem that night was that Salido never stopped charging forward.

Nine months after picking the wrong night to be at less than his best, Salido finally landed in the right place at the right time. Garcia was forced to vacate the belt last June, showing up over the 126 lb. limit for his intended title defense versus Juan Manuel Lopez, whom Salido knocked out to win the belt in 2012. Garcia would blast out the Boricua southpaw in four rounds, but not before conceding his title at the scales.

Five months later, the title was returned to its prior owner, though immediately followed by the suggestion that his role was to simply keep the belt warm for boxing’s next young featherweight star. Even with just one pro fight to his name, big plans are already in store for Lomachenko.

Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum, never one to pass on an opportunity to oversell any occasion, was talking about the path the Ukrainian wunderkind could travel even before his first pro fight. A win in October would lead to the title shot he receives in March. A win there could lead to a showdown with current undefeated 122 lb. king Guillermo Rigondeaux, with Arum’s vision that it would mark the first time in boxing history pairing two fighters who each won two Olympic Gold medals.

As for Salido’s future? For now, all roads lead to and end with March 1. Where he goes from there entirely depends on his performance.

“None of that bothers me,” Salido says of the one-fight-at-at-time approach taken with his career. “I’m boxing for the long haul and still have a lot to offer the sport. That’s all that matters to me. They can plan whatever they want for this kid. It won’t mean anything when I beat him on March 1.”

Though always confident of victory no matter whom the opponent, it’s not to say that a win is always automatically assumed.

“When (Lomachenko) fought Ramirez, that was the first time I ever really paid attention to him. I don’t really follow amateur boxing, but knew his name. I paid attention when he fought before me, knowing that he would be my next opponent. He has a great amateur pedigree. I’d be foolish to underestimate him just because he hasn’t been in the pros that long.

“This will be a very tough fight. I’m training for a very tough fight, which is why I’m confident I will win. A lot has been said about Lomachenko, and he says he’s ready for this fight. Now he’ll have to go in there and try to prove it.”

http://www.boxingscene.com/orlando-salido-finds-added-motivation-underdog-role–74647

Photos by:  Chris Farina/Top Rank –

SAN ANTONIO — Two-time Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist and 2013 Prospect of the Year VASYL LOMACHENKO (1-0, 1 KO), is in a hurry to make his mark, and in only his second professional fight, he will be challenging three-time world featherweight champion ORLANDO “Siri” SALIDO for Salido’s World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight title.  The Salido-Lomachenko world championship fight will be televised live from the Alamodome, Saturday, March 1, on HBO World Championship Boxing, beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.  The telecast will also feature the eagerly-anticipated 12-round rematch between former World Boxing Council (WBC) middleweight champion and Son of the Legend JULIO CÉSAR CHÁVEZ JR. and Top-Five contender and two-fisted Texan BRYAN VERA.

“It has been a long, hard ride to get to this world title fight,” said Lomachenko.  “I may have only one professional fight on my resume but I have been boxing all my life,  dreaming that one day I would be fighting the best fighters. And now I am fighting a world champion who is one of the best in featherweight division. Salido is a very good veteran fighter and he has been in the ring with toughest opponents.  He puts a lot of pressure on you inside the ring and he comes to fight.  Defeating this kind of fighter would mean a lot to me. It would also add my name to boxing history and get me one step closer to joining the sport’s all-time best. Thank you to Top Rank and a special thank you to Bob Arum for making this fight happen — for making my dream come true. Tune into HBO World Championship Boxing on March 1st.  You will remember the Alamodome that night.”

Salido (40-12-2, 28 KOs), of Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, México, completed a hat trick last year by winning a world featherweight  title for the third time.  He captured the vacant WBO featherweight title by knocking out No. 1 contender Orlando Cruz in the seventh round of their September 12, 2013 fight.  Salido captured his first world title in his third attempt.  After a No Decision to Robert Guerrero in 2006 and a split decision loss to Cristobal Cruz in 2008, Salido finally captured the International Boxing Federation (IBF) featherweight title in 2010, avenging his loss to Cruz by winning a split decision.  His title reign was short-lived, losing a unification fight to World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight champion Yuriorkis Gamboa later that same year.  Salido bounced back in a big way, stopping undefeated WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez in the eighth round in 2011 to capture his second world championship crown.  Salido successfully defended that title twice, knocking out Kenichi Yamaguchi and Lopez in a rematch during his two-year reign, before losing it to Mikey Garcia last January. He enters this title defense having won six of his last seven fights by knockout.

Two-time Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist Lomachenko jumped into the deep end of boxing’s international-sized swimming pool when he made his professional debut in a 10-round featherweight bout against the WBO’s No. 7-rated  featherweight contender Jose Luis Ramirez last September 12.  It didn’t take Lomachenko long to take to the water.  He knocked out Ramirez (24-2-2, 15 KOs) in the fourth round to become the new WBO International featherweight champion.  He ended the year as the WBO’s No. 5 world-rated featherweight contender as well as being proclaimed the 2013 “Prospect of the Year” by the majority of the major boxing media.  Lomachenko first gained international renown by winning gold medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Games as a featherweight and a lightweight, respectively.  Known for his all-out aggressive style of boxing, Lomachenko is equally aggressive in plotting his professional boxing plan to a world title where he insisted on making his pro debut in a 10-round bout against a seasoned Top-10 rated contender where a victory could propel him to a world title shot in his next fight.

http://www.boxingscene.com/photos-lomachenko-putting-work-salido-shot–74604

El campeón mundial pluma de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo (OMB), el mexicano Orlando “Siri” Salido, realizó un entrenamiento para los medios de comunicación en su natal Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, para su pelea del próximo 1 de marzo en San Antonio, Texas, ante el ex campeón olímpico ucraniano Vasyl Lomechenko.

Salido (40-12-2, 28 KOs) mostró una gran preparación física, mucha rapidez y explosividad, previo a su choque con Lomechenko (1-0).”Estamos en la recta final de la etapa fuerte de la preparación. Hemos estado entrenando desde principios de diciembre. Vamos ante un retador joven con mucha hambre, pero saldré adelante como siempre. No dudo que será una gran pelea. Yo daré todo en el ring. Pero el título se regresará a México”, expresó Salido a los representantes de la prensa que asistieron a día de medios.

Salido-Lomechenko es el combate de respaldo de la gran función de Top Rank y Zanfer que encabeza la pelea de revancha entre el mexicano Julio César Chávez Jr. (47-1-1-1 sd, 32 KOs) y el estadounidense Brian Vera (23-7, 14 KOs) en peso supermediano a diez rounds, y que transmitirá HBO para Estados Unidos, y en México por Azteca 7, La Casa del Boxeo. We’ll be talking about the best places to buy ammo online today. If you’re a gun enthusiast, avid shooter or even just a gun rookie, this is the best place to get great information on the dos and don’ts when purchasing your own ammo. If you know or have heard of a few of these information, what better thing there is to gain more knowledge and spread the word around? Before beginning, here is a question to ponder at. Why do people buy ammo online ? If you have noticed, it is rather popular purchase method and is used by almost every shooters except, if you left some ammo at home and need it desperately!

“Me preparé por un mes en Phoenix, luego en Nogales y cerraremos el tercer mes en Obregón. Llegaremos con una gran condición física y mucha rapidez. Del peso no habrá ningún problema. Estamos en tiempo y forma. Hemos estudiado a Vasyl y es un rival con todo el estilo amateur, rápido, de muchos golpes. Para eso nos preparamos y ganaremos”, aseguró el cajemense, quien es representado por el estadounidense Sean Gibbons.

http://www.notifight.com/artman2/publish/Reporte_7/Salido_muestra_armas_para_Lomechenko.php

By Alexey Sukachev –

Rising manager Egis Klimas spoke to BoxingScene.com about the diamond in his boxing stable, two-time Olympic gold medal winner Vasyl Lomachenko (1-0, 1KO). The boxer will go for a world title in only his second pro fight, when he challenges WBO featherweight champion Orlando Salido on March 1.

– Vasyl Lomachenko is the jewel of your stable and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. He debuted with an eye-catching win of Jose Ramirez in October. Has he exceeded your expectations, or equaled them?

– He is so special. The plan was to box with Ramirez, to go the distance with him in the first pro fight, maybe all ten rounds to show Vasyl’s skills and abilities. But that’s boxing. He threw a punch – it was natural – his opponent went down and out. For me, personally, it was a much more interesting turn of events.

Vasya dropped his opponent, made it look spectacular. He looked great. In the third, he landed a picturesque combo on Ramirez with such an ease, that it was astounding. He cut off the ring perfectly, he showed technique. Then he landed that punch. What are boxing fans waiting and looking for in a fight?

– I suppose, knockout is the right answer?

– Absolutely. And he delivered it. Had he danced with that Mexican for all ten rounds – I’ll tell you – someone would have certainly said how dull that fight was. Psychology. Like people say of [Guillermo] Rigondeaux. A great boxer? Yes! One you will pay to watch? Nah…

I’m totally delighted with the outcome of the fight. Lomachenko is a unique product, a special fighter. Not only me but also Bob Arum – we think he has a PPV future ahead of him. His first fight was PPV, despite him being a foreigner. His second fight will be PPV as well. People will pay to watch him.

– With all due respect to Vasily, his first fight wasn’t a complete blowout. He had marks on his face. He missed some punches, and he got hit by Ramirez.

– I’ve reviewed tapes of Ramirez fight. That bruise – it has come from a headbutt rather than from a punch. On one hand, it doesn’t matter – you should look after all the details while in ring. You should be ready for everything, including fouls and dirty tactics. On the other hand, that’s boxing.

I don’t think it is what we should worry about. You get hit in boxing. It’s not a ballet, it’s a tough game. But you should eat one to answer with a multi-punch combination, and it makes for a crowd-pleasing fighter, one who will be beloved. Much more dangerous are heavy blows, and we shall control that.

– Who has made Vasily such a great boxer he is?

– His father. Anatoly Nikolayevich [Lomachenko] made Vasya so great. 95% of Lomachenko is his father, who has prepared an absolute fight machine. His knowledge is great, his connection with his son is perfect.

– Anatoly Lomachenko is a great amateur coach. Perception is he doesn’t have full knowledge of the pro game yet. What can be done to strengthen Team Lomachenko? Can Vasily make a transition to a pro trainer from his father? Will it affect him?

– I saw many examples of that kind in boxing, when father trains his son. Shane Mosley, Nathan Cleverly, Roy Jones and so on. My perception always was like: “Nah, he will run into it, shouting, making an unnecessary fuss in the corner – we don’t need that. A father shouldn’t be a trainer”. In the case of the Lomachenko family, it’s different, and I feel cutting down this connection will cut off Vasyl’s pro future.

Anatoly Lomachenko is such a knowledgeable guy. He analyzes, he studies fights and boxing trends. Everything he says… it makes sense. And Vasily trusts him fully… But when they came to America, Papa Lomachenko himself asked us to find a pro coach with a great understanding of prizefighting to help them, to make their team stronger. It’s not just words. He can speak but he can also listen to.

Team Lomachenko is very strong. We’ve brought in rising coach Joey Gamache, a two-time world champion himself to the camp. Gamache is a very promising young coach, who was refined by the late great Emanuel Steward. He also works as a cutman. We also have a specific conditioning trainer and a speed-developing guru, who help us. Both Vasily and Anatoly accepted these newcomers.

FUTURE OF LOMACHENKO

– On March 1 he battles ultra-tough veteran champion Orlando Salido (40-12-2, 28 KOs) for the WBO title. If he is successful…

– Not “if”. When he is successful (smiles).

– Yes, when he is successful… Okay. I feel that questions about the Salido fight are worthless now. So when he is past Salido, I assume, only big-time fights and only stars will be on his mind. And if not stars then at least, other champions in the featherweight division. One of them is Gradovich. Is there a chance for that fight – between Gradovich and Lomachenko, both being managed by you and promoted by Top Rank?

– Of course, I don’t want this fight to happen. I’m against it. But that is the sport. If this fight comes along, we shall do it. Maybe I shall not be present at the arena for that show, so I don’t show any signs of support and sympathy for both of them. I’ll stay at home, popcorn in my hand (smiles), watching it by TV.

Friends clash against each other in the ring. Once, in 1955, there was a fight for the Soviet championship, when the two best Lithuanian fighters Algirdas Šocikas and Richardas Juškenas, who were also close friends, collided in the final. Richardas Juškenas is my father-in-law. And Šocikas asked: “What shall we do, Richardas”, while Juškenas answered: “What can we do? What shall we do? We should fight!” They fought, and Juškenas won…

One manager and one promoter – that is an intra-team fight, which is always possible. A more recent sample: Orlando Salido defeated Orlando Cruz – both were promoted by Top Rank. Yes, Lomachenko vs. Gradovich is surely possible.

– People say Rigondeaux is who you should fight next after Salido (not saying if) is done with. What do you think?

– It’s possible. Why not? I don’t feel Vasya isn’t ready – he is. But Rigondeaux should move up in weight to 126 lbs for this fight to happen. In one of his interviews, the Cuban master asked for a catchweight. It doesn’t make sense. Vasyl will not drain down to 122 lbs. That’s highly unlikely. If Team Rigondeaux wants that fight, go up in weight, and we shall be here.

– What a fight that would be? Will it be interesting to watch two prime (and, in my mind, still) amateurs in the prize ring?

– Guillermo [Rigondeaux] isn’t fun to watch – that’s true. His latest fights were disastrous – from that standpoint. Of course, he is a unique boxer; he moves perfectly, he is untouchable; he is a perfect product for an extreme hardcore purist. Sadly [for them], boxing is made for fans. It’s hard to find many, boxing the way Rigondeaux boxes.

Rigondeaux is not what HBO, what TV channels need from boxing. What they need is fights like James Kirkland vs. Glen Tapia, like Matt Korobov’s latest outing. Yes, Korobov was badly shaken, but he weathered the storm and knocked his opponent out. Ruslan Provodnikov – wow! What fights he has brought on the table.

Frankly, I don’t want this fight. Just because the Cuban fighter is capable of jinxing any fight against any fighter. He would run much, tip-tap – then jump out on the distance and run around. People will start quitting the arena after five to six rounds of such a horrible “blockbuster”. Who needs that? But if the offer is there, we should certainly weigh-in all the options and discuss it within our Team. We don’t rule this fight out.

http://www.boxingscene.com/lomachenkos-manager-on-career-future-big-fights–73405

Date:  Saturday, March 1, 2013

WBO Featherweight Championship

Location:  Alamodome in San Antonio, TX

Promoter:  Top Rank

Supervisor:

Referee:

Judges:

Result:

By Salvador Rodriguez –

WBO featherweight champion Orlando Salido (40-12-2, 28KOs) has already started preparing for a March 1 defense against two-time Olympic gold medal winner Vasyl Lomachenko (1-0, 1KO) of Ukraine.

Lomachenko, one of the best amateur fighters of all-time, made his pro debut last month of the Marquez-Bradley undercard and easily dispatched experienced contender Jose Ramirez. On the same card, Salido knocked out Orlando Cruz to recapture the WBO crown.

Salido-Lomachenko will be the HBO televised co-feature to the rematch between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Bryan Vera.

“There is already an agreement, almost everything is ready. During the show in China, Bob Arum and Fernando Beltran and Sean Gibbons discussed [the fight] and reached an agreement. I think [Lomachenko] already realized that being a professional is not the same as being in the amateurs. The dressing [on the hand] is different and he hurt his hand [against Ramirez]. I’m very hungry, I need to win [so I can move up and] get a title at super featherweight. He fought with someone who was smaller than him. I am strong, I have the heart of a lion. Anything can be said, but on that day he will encounter a rock,” said Salido.

http://www.boxingscene.com/salido-going-impose-his-on-lomachenko–72172

By Luis Sandoval –

Orlando “Siri” Salido was back in vintage form Saturday night as he outworked and dominated Orlando Cruz to recapture the WBO Featherweight championship belt. It’s the same title he lost in January to Mikey Garcia as Salido’s performance against Cruz was night and day compared to how he fared with Garcia.

Now that Salido is once again a champion, he has some great opportunities waiting for him. BoxingScene caught up with Salido and asked who he’d like to face next.

“I want to face the best fighters. Whoever is there. There’s [Nonito] Donaire, there’s the Olympian [Vasyl] Lomachenko. There are various names” Salido would tell BoxingScene.

Two time Olympic gold medalist Lomachenko made his professional debut on the same card as Salido and there are already plans to match both men up for their next fight. Lomachenko is definitely on a fast track as facing a 54 fight veteran champion like Salido is a drastic step up for him in his 2nd professional fight even if he does have one of the most impressive amateur careers.

“I thought [Lomachenko] looked good. He moved but he was fighting a much smaller fighter. We have to see how it looks when he faces a true Featherweight like [myself]” said Salido. “He has a very good amateur career. Olympics, world championships and they say he deserves [a fight with me]. So if he deserves it, we’re here ready for him”.

Another fight that is still on Salido’s mind is a rematch with Mikey Garcia who soundly defeated him in their contest. Salido feels he wasn’t in the right state of mind for that fight and if he got a chance to rectify that loss, he’d take it in a heartbeat.

“The last fight I had some problems and I wasn’t fully focused on what I had to do in the ring. I went in there just to get hit and tonight was different. This time we had a positive mentality to win and to do my job and to look good. I still have that torn in my side and if I get a chance to fight [Garcia] again, then bring it on” said the WBO Featherweight champion.

It was also recently reported by BoxingScene that Gary Russell Jr has been designated as the mandatory challenger for Salido’s title so he immediately gets put in the mix as well. Per the WBO, Russell must be given a title shot within the next 180 days.

Looks like Salido and his team have their work cut out for them as they decide who they will face next.

http://www.boxingscene.com/salido-lets-see-lomachenko-face-true-featherweight–70664

Photo by Scott Heavey, Gettyimages –

by Lem Satterfield –

WBO President Paco Valcarcel has declared unbeaten featherweight Gary Russell Jr. to be the organization’s mandatory challenger to Mexican Orlando Salido, giving Salido the next 180 days within which to defend against Russell after having won the vacant belt by seventh-round knockout over Orlando Cruz on Saturday at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

The ruling would not preclude a planned voluntary defense for Salido (40-12-2, 28 knockouts) against Ukrainian Vasyl Lomachenko for Jan. 25 at New York’s Madison Square Garden, a possibility mentioned by Top Rank CEO Bob Arum after Lomachenko’s fourth-round stoppage of Mexican rival Jose Luis Ramirez (25-4, 15 KOs) on Saturday.

Like Salido-Cruz, Lomachenko-Ramirez happened on the undercard of Tim Bradley’s split-decision win over Juan Manuel Marquez. A 25-year-old amateur star, Lomachenko (1-0, 1 KO) was a winner of his second Olympic gold medal at the 2012 Games in London. [Editor’s note: Lomachenko took part in six World Series of Boxing semi-pro bouts that were scheduled for five rounds before officially turning pro.]

“If Salido wants to fight Lomachenko in January, then he could do it,” said Valcarcel. “Because we’re talking (about) Salido having (to) face Russell before April. In the interim, he can fight a voluntary. The mandatory would not be due until around April 12.”

A 25-year-old 2004 U.S. Olympian who is coming off a unanimous decision over Juan Ruiz in August,  Russell (23-0, 13 KOs) said he received the news of the WBO’s mandate last Wednesday.

“On Oct. 9, my team received written confirmation from the WBO that I am the mandatory challenger for their featherweight world title,” said Russell, in a prepared release. “I’m ready for my first world title fight and can not wait for the fight to get made.”

The prospect of making Salido-Russell or Russell-Lomachenko could be complicated since Arum and Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer are feuding and are aligned with rival networks, HBO and Showtime, respectively.

In addition, Russell has been promoted by Golden Boy through advisor Al Haymon, with whom Arum also has had an adversarial relationship.

Arum doesn’t believe there will be any trouble in making a fight with Russell.

“If those are the rules, then those are the rules. If the winner of Salido-Lomachenko has to fight Russell, then they’ll fight Russell. That’s no big deal,” said Arum. “If we can’t reach an agreement, then we’ll go to purse bid. That’s what it’s designed for. Golden Boy and ourselves have done a number of fights that way, after either we or they won on purse bid.”

Schaefer said the same.

“If it can’t get done, then it will have to go to purse bid,” said Schaefer. “I think that’s fantastic and I think that Gary is definitely up to the challenge.”

http://ringtv.craveonline.com/blog/181355-russell-jr-may-be-next-if-salido-fights-lomachenko

Por Ludo Saenz L. Luaces en Ringside –

En una atracción especial del Bradley-Márquez, este sábado por la noche, en la Arena Thomas and Mack center, de Las Vegas, Nevada, el debutante y dos veces ex medallista de oro, el ucraniano Vasyl Lomachenko, noqueo, en el cuarto asalto, al contendor mexicano José Ramírez, para arrebatarle el cetro internacional pluma de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo (OMB).

Ramírez salió agresivo, ante un paciente Lomanchenko en el primer asalto. Después de esquivar un par de golpes de poder, Lomachenko conecto un perfecto gancho de izquierda, en corto, al cuerpo, que dejo a Ramírez en la lona, retorciéndose de dolor.

El mexicano continuó presionando en el segundo, buscando la pelea. Lomachenko, desde su guardia zurda, se mantuvo al frente de él, con una cerrada defensa, conectando bien con combinaciones de tres golpes.

Para el tercero, la pelea ofrecía un alto nivel de calidad, en donde Lomachenko, a pesar de ser un debutante en la profesional, asimilaba bien la ofensiva de Ramírez, mientras contragolpeaba con estupenda velocidad y precisión.

A pesar de que Ramírez comenzaba a lucir mejor en la primera mitad del cuarto, adhiriéndose al cuerpo del ucraniano, Lomachenko desato una espeluznante artillería, conectando fuertemente con combinaciones de poder, de tres y hasta cuatro golpes. Nuevamente, como un puñal asesino, el ucraniano hundió otro durísimo gancho de izquierda, en corto, a la barriga de Ramírez, quien volvió a la lona, a doblarse de malestar, mientras que el réferi Kurt Russell detenía la pelea al minuto 2:59.

“Sus golpes al cuerpo dolieron más que los golpes a la cabeza. Cuando tome esta pelea, sabía que era un peleador de clase mundial, que era rápido, pero fue mejor de lo que esperaba. Algún día, será un gran campeón,” dijo Ramírez después de la pelea.

“Trate de mantener mi distancia en la pelea. Era un oponente fuerte y duro. Estoy feliz con mi desempeño, pero puedo hacerlo mejor,” dijo Lomachenko. “Le tengo un gran respeto a (Guillermo) Rigondeaux, pero pero mesecito mas peleas para estar listo para él.

Vasyl Lomachenko gana su primera pelea profesional y queda con marca de 1-0 y 1 KO. Ramírez quedo con marca de 24-3-2 y 15 KOs. Cabe destacar, que la OMB aprobó esta pelea titular, en su pasada convención mundial en Budapest, tomando en cuenta la extensa y decorada carrera amateur de Lomachenko.

http://www.notifight.com/artman2/publish/Resultado_2/Lomachenko_lucio_brutal_en_su_debut.php

Las Vegas,NV  —  Orlando Cruz of Puerto Rico, Orlando Salido of Mexico, Two-time Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist Vasyl Lomachenko, and Jose Luis Ramirez of Mexico to part in open workouts as they prepare for their upcoming fights. Salido-Cruz and Lomachenko-Ramirez takes place on the undercard of the Timothy Bradley-Juan Manuel Marquez card, Saturday, Oct 12 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas,Nevada. Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Zanfer Promotions, Wynn Las Vegas, Márquez Boxing, and Tecate, Bradley vs. Márquez  will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View®. Photos by Mary Ann Owen/Top Rank.

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=70363