Saludar underweight, to fight in 115, 118 lb

MANILA, Philippines — Froilan Saludar is blaming his knockout loss to WBO flyweight champion Sho Kimura in China last Friday to a drastic weight reduction program and will move up to either the 115 or 118-pound division because he’s outgrown the 112-pound class.

“A week before the fight, Froilan was not eating well anymore,” said Saludar’s promoter Kenneth Rontal. “He had difficulty making weight. Flyweight was his division for nine years and he wasn’t able to recover after eating.”

Although Saludar scaled 111.22 pounds at the weigh-in on the eve of the bout, he ballooned to 122 at fight time. The effort to make weight left Saludar weak and dehydrated. There was little time to rehydrate and regain his full strength.

“In the third round, Froilan was hit in the liver and that changed the complexion of the fight,” continued Rontal. “According to two of the three scorecards, the first and second rounds were his. He hurt Kimura but ran out of gas. After the fight, both of Kimura’s eyebrows were swollen and he admitted he was hurt.”

Rontal said Saludar was beside himself for failing to join his brother Vic as a reigning world champion. “He’s so sad,” said Rontal. “Froilan expected himself to over-perform because he knew Kimura’s style is like most of his former opponents whom he beat in our promotions. But during the fight, his brain was telling him to fight but his body wouldn’t respond because he hadn’t fully recovered from making weight.”

Saludar went down from a left hook to the side of the body in the fifth round and referee Chris Flores of Phoenix came close to stopping it even if he beat the count. Kimura blasted Saludar with both fists pumping like pistons and retaliation was minimal until the bell rang to rescue the Filipino challenger. At the start of the sixth, Kimura went in for the kill. Saludar tried to fight back but eventually wilted under heavy fire. Another left to the body sent Saludar down on all fours and this time, Flores’ count went to 10. It was over at 0:54 of the round.

“Hindi naman mahina ang tiyan ni Froilan,” said Rontal. “Hindi lang talaga siya naka-recover kaagad sa losing weight. We are based in Cagayan de Oro but Froilan trained partly in General Santos City because of better sparring. He also trained at the Peñalosa gym in Cubao.”

Saludar’s trainer Jojo Palacios said making weight wasn’t easy. “Hirap kami sa timbang,” he said. “Normal weight niya ay 132. Nahirapan kami kasi sobrang lamig at ulan. Hindi pa para sa kaniya ang titulo kaya akyat kami ng 115 o 118. Pakikiramdam namin kung saan siya pinaka-hiyang.”

Palacios, who started as a boxing trainer with Marty Elorde’s stable and has been in the business for 20 years, said it’s not over for Saludar. Palacios lived in Thailand for three years training former world champions Ratanapol and Ratanachai Sor Vorapin and Somsak Sithchatchawal. 

Rontal said two of his world title prospects are flyweights Ivan Soriano and Jobert Alvarez. Soriano, 29, will take on China’s Wenfeng Ge for the vacant WBO International flyweight crown in Shenzhen on Aug. 24 and has a record of 18-1-1, with 9 KOs. Alvarez, 28, is coming off a split 12-round draw with Keisuke Nakayama in an OPBF flyweight title bout in Tokyo and has a 17-2-2 record, with 7 KOs. Rontal’s prized protégé is Saludar’s younger brother Vic who is the WBO minimumweight champion. The Saludars are from Polomolok, Cotabato del Sur.