Francisco Vargas vs. Orlando Salido
Photo by Gene Blevins/Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions
Liam Brady, Graphic Designer/Staff Writer
This has the potential to be a roughhouse fight, with both fighters having ticked the box of overcoming adversity in a fight.
There is no doubt at all both Francisco Vargas and Orlando Salido acquire a serious amount of mettle, though one thing that I feel will overcome this is Vargas’ superior boxing ability.
I believe Vargas and Salido will trade, but Vargas’ has more refinement as a boxer, which will help him outshine Salido and win rounds. I see a victory for Vargas, albeit a competitive, and potentially close, points victory.
Prediction: Vargas
Jack O’Connell, Staff Writer
Fantastic match up. Two action-oriented bombers, one coming off the FOTY, while the other has been in too many wars to even count, fighting at the StubHub Center of all places? My god. They are literally trying their best to create the 2016 fight of the year.
Orlando Salido reminds me of an old, deprecated weed wacker. Sure, he may stall every now and again (Salido’s rickety chin), but once he gets going, he’s a non-stop thrashing machine.
After losing his belt to Rocky Martinez in their first fight, I thought he couldn’t possibly have anything left at the age of 35. Along came the rematch, Salido tore up Martinez, pulverizing his body in particular. He had to settle for a draw, but it was truly a phenomenal performance, showing the boxing world that he’s got so much left in him.
That being said, it’s quite ironic that I think that the younger Francisco Vargas (31) is actually more worn out that the 35 year old Salido. Against Takashi Miura, Vargas took an awful beating until he pulled a sudden comeback out of nowhere. Miura was a bulldozer that night, walking through Vargas’ shots and was on his way to giving Vargas a career-ending beat down.
Miura also split open Vargas’ cheek, leaving scar tissue that doesn’t quite look fully healed yet. Salido isn’t nearly as tough as Miura (Miura was a man possessed that night), but what Salido lacks in punch resistance, he makes up with veteran savvy. He gets knocked down, but he knows how to recover and fight on. He can bull rush you while evading damage as he dishes out his own. Vargas is going to have his hands full all night.
Salido will jump on Vargas from the first bell and maintain his assault until the final bell. Salido should pump a jab, looking to tear up Vargas’ tender scar tissue on his right cheek. And the body work…Chaves Sr. himself would be proud.
Vargas will fight hard; he’s a proud Mexican warrior himself. But ultimately, Salido should outwork Vargas in a fantastically brilliant fight. Salido by decision. Oh, and I expect at least three knockdowns as well.
Prediction: Salido
Shelbi Keyes, Staff Writer
Saturday night at the StubHub Center, Francisco “Bandido” Vargas (23-0- 1, 12 KOs) returns to the ring following his 2015 Fight of the Year win over Takashi Miura, defending his WBC super featherweight title for the first time against another Mexican warrior in Orlando “Siri” Salido (43-13- 3, 30 KOs).
This fight is much anticipated and almost a guaranteed FOTY candidate. I am expecting an extremely exciting fight Saturday night with both fighters leaving it all in the ring.
Vargas has shown that he has superb boxing skills but also that he isn’t afraid to go toe-to- toe against anyone. Salido is clearly the more experienced of the two, facing numerous Grade “A” boxers in his career including Juan Manuel Marquez, Robert Guerrero, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Mikey Garcia, and Vasyl Lomachenko.
Salido has true veteran savvy, though I wouldn’t call it “ring IQ”, he knows all of the tricks of the trade. Though Salido may be one of the smartest boxers around, he can be outboxed and he can be dropped.
With that being said, Vargas is the younger fighter with advantages in both height and reach. If Vargas goes into Saturday night’s fight with the plan to outbox Salido and avoids making it an all-out slugfest, I believe Vargas will be able to convince the judges and get the decision win over the experienced veteran.
Prediction: Vargas
Brandon Glass, Staff Writer
This is going to be a banger!! As Orlando Salido gets up there in age, we can only wonder how long he will be able to participate in wars like many have predicted this one will be.
Francisco Vargas is only 31, four years shy of Salido, but that’s not his true age from a boxing perspective, as he’s only been pro for six years.
Salido on the other hand, has been around the proverbial block and has fought everyone. He’s such a crafty veteran, though he’s been known to bend the rules from time to time.
For instance, he used all of the “old school” trickery and tactics in his bag to outpoint Lomanchenko, a bout many thought he had no shot in.
Now he faces another relatively young gun in Vargas, a newly crowned champ who has the reach advantage and 71 percent knockout ratio. Vargas can box a bit, but it seems he likes to stand front and center, bashing his opponent into oblivion.
This is a great test for Vargas to see if he is indeed the real deal as I think Salido is his best opponent to date. If Salido can stand up to Vargas’s power though, he is certainly capable of winning.
But unfortunately as much I love Salido in this matchup, I don’t think his chin holds up against the younger fresher Vargas. Vargas retains his title by mid-round KO.
Prediction: Vargas
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
Thou shalt not count out Orlando Salido. That’s a commandment, right? I feel like I need to remind myself who I’m dealing with every time Salido steps into the ring. The guy is 35, has been in tons of wars and so naturally you just figure that he has to slow down at some point–right?
Standing in front of Salido on Saturday night will be another badass in WBC Super Featherweight champion, Francisco Vargas. Vargas solidified his status his warrior status in his title-winning fight, which was also 2015’s Fight of the Year against Takashi Miura.
But where Salido has come back from wars time and time again to outdo himself, we just don’t know how Vargas will respond in his return from such a grueling fight versus Miura. Vargas has a lot of clear advantages including youth, height and reach, but Salido has proven that all that stuff can fizzle away quickly in the trenches.
Salido is a monster, cut from the quintessential “Mexican warrior” cloth, but I think that if Vargas can be the same, relentless guy from the Will Tomlinson and Miura fights, he’ll prevail. Vargas should mix in some boxing early on and definitely work Salido’s body, otherwise he might find himself on the wrong side of a war.
I am willing to bet that this fight will be one of the years best, not only because of Vargas and Salido’s fighting styles, but also because it’s taking place at StubHub Center.
I’m taking Vargas by decision, but won’t be shocked if Salido takes the win in a hard-fought battle.
Prediction: Vargas
