Ex-champ Saludar banners first title fight in PH during pandemic | Inquirer Sports

Ex-champ Saludar banners first title fight in PH during pandemic

By: - Reporter / @MarkGiongcoINQ
/ 07:23 PM February 10, 2021
Vic Saludar

FILE — Vic Saludar of the Philippines (C) celebrates his win over Japan’s Ryuya Yamanaka after their WBO minimumweight title boxing bout in Kobe, Hyogo prefecture on July 13, 2018. (Photo by JIJI PRESS / JIJI PRESS / AFP) / Japan OUT

MANILA, Philippines — Former boxing world champion Vic Saludar will headline the first world title fight in the country since the COVID-19 pandemic started when he takes on compatriot Robert Paradero on Feb. 20 in Laguna.

The bout is for the vacant WBA minimumweight title and will be held at an open-air football stadium in Biñan.

ADVERTISEMENT

The all-Filipino clash had already been pushed back twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The two were originally slated to fight last Dec. 5 before their encounter got moved to Jan. 30.

FEATURED STORIES

But the delay only prolonged what promises to be an exciting matchup.

“I can’t tell what’s going to happen in the fight. We’re both trained hard and prepared to win,” said Saludar in Filipino in an interview with philboxing.com.

The 30-year-old Saludar (20-4, 11 KOs) is coming off a sixth-round knockout of countryman Mike Kinaadman back in December 2019 in Naga City.

Paradero, meanwhile, is undefeated at 18-0 with 12 knockouts but hasn’t fought since he knocked out fellow Filipino Jonathan Almacen in April 2019.

Saludar became the WBO minimumweight champion when he outpointed Japanese contender Ryuya Yamanaka in July 2018 in Kobe, Japan.

He successfully defended his belt seven months later against another Japanese in Masataka Taniguchi via unanimous decision in Tokyo.

Saludar’s reign, however, didn’t last long as he yielded the crown to Puerto Rican Wilfredo Mendez in San Juan, Puerto Rico in August of the same year.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

Read Next
Don't miss out on the latest news and information.

Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.

TAGS: Boxing, minimumweight, pandemic, Robert Paradero, title fight, Vic Saludar, WBA title
For feedback, complaints, or inquiries, contact us.
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our sports news

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.



© Copyright 1997-2023 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. To find out more, please click this link.