Monday, December 7, 1998
Star-Bulletin
Jesus Salud returns to fight in
Honolulu tomorrow night.
Salud just
wins, baby
Promoters keep throwing
By Paul Arnett
young guys at Jesus, but he
keep knocking 'em out
Star-BulletinJesus Salud is a veteran fighter in a young man's division.
On more than once occasion, the 35-year-old Salud has sent up-and-coming junior featherweights to the canvas. The most recent occurred in September at The Forum in Los Angeles.
David Vazquez was the flavor of the month in the super bantamweight division. Promoters believed if he could stop the ageless Salud, then he was ready for a possible title fight.
Vazquez was floored midway through the second round on a hard right hand by Salud. He got back up, survived the standing eight count, but eventually referee Lou Filippo stopped the fight at the 2:28 mark.
"They keep running these young guys at me and I keep knocking them out," Salud said yesterday during an autograph session at the Sports Authority on Ward Ave. "I keep having to prove myself, but I'm willing to do it if it leads me to a title fight."
The former World Boxing Association champion has climbed to No. 1 in the World Boxing Organization. He will fight Indonesia's Frankgky Mamuaya in a 10-round match tomorrow night at the Blaisdell Arena.
There are five bouts scheduled on the card that begins at 7 p.m. The top fight on the undercard is between Jaime Lerma and local fighter Eric Alexander. The welterweight matchup is scheduled for five rounds.
"I always love coming back to fight in Hawaii," said Salud, who is 33-0 in the islands. His overall record is 58-9 with 35 knockouts. Mamuaya is 17-3-1 with eight KOs.
If Salud wins tomorrow's fight and another bout scheduled in January at The Forum, then he stands a good chance of facing WBO champ Marco Antonio Barrera.
"I've been chasing after him for years," Salud said of the elusive Mexican fighter. "He always finds a way not to fight me. But now that I'm No. 1, he doesn't have a choice. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. I wondered if I would ever get a title shot. Now, I know I will."
But whether it's against Barrera remains to be seen. Local promoter Leon Panontillo said it's possible that Barrera will move up in weight class and vacate the title.
"If that happens, then Jesus will fight the No. 2 contender sometime next year," Panontillo said. "We would love to have that fight here at the new convention center. I'm hoping we can meet with Gov. Ben Cayetano and see if something can be worked out."
Salud said he would love to fight here for the world title. Since having his belt taken away in 1990 for not fighting in Colombia, Salud has lost three title bouts in Italy, Nevada and Venezuela.
"It would be my dream to come here and win a title for all my great fans in Hawaii," Salud said. "But first, I have to take care of business Tuesday night. This guy likes to come right at you, which is perfect for me."
