Depending on where you come from and how your brain defines divine justice, Orlando "Siri" Salido's mugging of Vasyl Lomachenko back in 2014 was a beautiful thing. Think of it as forced karma on a privileged superhero, carried out by a blue collar battler who, in a sane universe, maybe should never have been sharing the same stage with the thoroughbred athlete in the first place.
Lomachenko had every possible edge on Salido. The two-time Olympic gold medalist from the Ukraine was HBO's new darling, painted as equal parts Roy Jones and Henry Armstrong, fighting for his first world title in only his second officially recognized professional bout. And, to be fair, there was plenty of reason for HBO to be excited about him. With a combined amateur and pro record of 397-1 and the look of a poised, ready-to-dominate elite, Lomachenko was a superstar-in-the-making-something in short supply to boxing's network of champions.
Salido, then-WBO featherweight champ, was matched against the rising star to lose-ideally, to lose spectacularly while handing over the belt. This was to be the mega-talented Lomachenko's first step towards greatness. The only problem was that, while HBO was planning the coronation of a new king, the veteran would-be fall guy was hell bent on ruining those plans.
The native of Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico would vacate his belt at the weigh-in the day prior rather than make an effort at scaling down to the 126 lb. limit. The ditching of the strap allowed for the 33-year-old veteran with massive career mileage behind him to conserve his strength and walk into the ring the next day as a welterweight.
With the belt on the line for only Lomachenko, Salido proceeded to take full benefit from every possible advantage he could hustle-from the weight to the refereeing incompetence of perpetually dull Laurence Cole to eighteen years' worth of tricks learned on the Mexican club circuit.
Salido never allowed Lomachenko to be Lomachenko by feinting and grappling and hitting on the hip, at the belt, then straying down lower-all of it hidden from a clueless Cole. The chicanery was backed up by thudding body shots and looping punches from odd angles that befuddled the rising star. By the middle rounds, the confidence-bordering-on-arrogance of an unbeatable Lomachenko, had turned to tentative probing. And even when Salido tired significantly in the final minutes of the bout, what he knew was still more than enough to run out the clock on his more gifted, but less experienced opponent.
The split decision win over boxing's next big thing was the perfect encapsulation of Salido's professional efforts – a microcosm of a career spent defying the odds and upsetting apple carts.
Nothing has come easy for Salido. Brought up in poverty and educated on the rough Mexican club circuit, "Siri" learned boxing the hard way--from being pushed into the ring against fighters well above his level of experience and ability. But over the course of over twenty tough years as a pro, he has learned to compensate for his lack of world class athleticism with toughness, dogged determination, and the old school skills of a fighter who has actually fought.
Career highlights include two featherweight title reigns, an interim super featherweight title, and a lifetime of refusing to be the stepping stone when cast as a stepping stone. Salido twice derailed the Juan Manuel Lopez bandwagon, nearly turned the tide on a prime and focused Mikey Garcia-suffering through four knockdowns and a broken orbital bone to do so, and several other high-end efforts (including the one against Lomachenko).
In recent bouts, Salido has suffered the fate reserved for many veteran pugs who refuse to go away quietly-controversial decision losses and draws which should've been wins. It happens. The business of boxing eventually wins, no matter how hard you fight back. But "Siri" Salido did much better than most when it comes to not going away without a fight-and he's still alive and flailing.
This Saturday's bout in his hometown of Ciudad Obregon against Thailand's Amphon Suriyo looks to be a prelude to a big money rematch with Lomachenko or, maybe, a run at a super featherweight/lightweight title.
Regardless of who's next, though, when he makes that step back on to the boxing main stage, it's a sure thing that it'll be as the guy some hotshot young champion is supposed to beat. It'll also be a sure thing that "Siri" will not go down without a hellacious fight.
Love him or not, Orlando Salido is the embodiment of the working class warrior. He is the everyman who won his battle with a world that never stops trying to beat him down. He is a testament to the fact that those born without privilege can still craft success from an unfair world as long as they're willing to fight their asses off.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: FightHype.com would like to welcome the talents of Paul Magno to the staff. Paul is the Owner and Editor in Chief of theboxingtribune.com, has served as a licensed official in the state of Michoacan, Mexico, and has worked with Mexican stars such as Ruben Olivares and Lupe Pintor. His work can also be found on The Boxing Tribune, FOX Sports, Yahoo, Bleacher Report, and various other media outlets. Paul is also the author of Notes from the Boxing Underground, available in Kindle and Paperback from Amazon.]