THE country hosts its first-ever world title fight in the COVID-19 era and it involves two Filipinos vying for the World Boxing Association (WBA) minimumweight crown.
Vic Saludar and undefeated Robert Paradero clash in a 12-round fight for the WBA version of 105-pound title belt on Saturday at the Biñan Football Stadium in Biñan, Laguna.
Both fighters had no trouble at the scales during Friday’s official weigh-in. Saludar came in at 104 lbs., while Paradero was at 104.4 lbs.
The bout finally pushing through was the culmination of a five-month postponement that saw the fight, originally scheduled last Sept. 26, being called off a total of three times.
But there’s no turning back this time as all protocols had been observed, including the 14-day quarantine and RT-PCR testing for both fighters prior to the match, according to Games and Amusement Board (GAB) chairman Abraham Mitra, who is supervising the title bout.
The GAB has likewise conducted a personal inspective of the venue.
Saludar (24-4, 11 KOs) from Polomolok, South Cotabato, is obviously the experienced of the two fighters, having previously held the World Boxing Organization (WBO) minimumweigh belt.
The 30-year-old Saludar, a bronze medalist during the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, is coming off a sixth knockout win over Mike Kinaandaman in 2019. The bout served as his ring comeback after losing the WBO crown against Puerto Rican Wilfredo Mendez via a unanimous decision.
Fighting out of Kenneth Ralf Rontal stable, Saludar, who comes from a well-known boxing clan, is rated no. 4 by the WBA.
But Paradero is no pushover either.
Undefeated in 18 fights (with 12 KOs), Paradero is fighting out of the famed Bebot Elorde stable and is ranked no. 5 by the WBA just below Saludar.
A native of Valencia, Bukidnon, he is fresh from a knockout win over Jonathan Almacen in Malaybalay also in 2019.
This will be the fifth all-Filipino world title fight in boxing history, and the first since Pedro Taduran shocked Samuel Salva in the fourth round to win the International Boxing Federation (IBF) minimumweight crown in September 2019.
The third man in the ring will referee Nowel Jaduca, while the three judges scoring the bout are Atty. Aquil Tamano, Alfie Jocosol, and Danrex Tapdasan.
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