Orlando Salido hurts back, is off Dec. 17 HBO card

Photo by: Naoki Fukuda

Oct

Hardcore fans, already disappointed by a number of appetizing match-ups falling by the wayside in 2016, won’t take this one well.

The veteran combatant Orlando Salido hurt his back in training and is off the Dec. 17 HBO card against Takashi Miura at The Forum in Inglewood, California, Golden Boy president Eric Gomez told RingTV.com on Monday.

Golden Boy officials are scrambling to find a “suitable replacement” for Miura to keep him on the card, Gomez said. Salido-Miura was the planned co-feature for Bernard Hopkins’ farewell fight against Joe Smith Jr. on HBO. Gomez said the injury to the 35-year-old Salido (43-13-4, 30 knockouts) took place a couple days ago.

“It’s something with the sciatic nerve,” Gomez said of the large nerve in the lower spine. “He started working out and getting ready for the fight and he had pain. He went to get it checked out and the doctor recommended that he doesn’t fight.”

Salido-Miura was viewed by fans as akin to amends for a rough year with a number of high profile fights such as Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin and Danny Garcia vs. Keith Thurman not happening in 2016. Salido-Miura was already being discussed as a possible Fight of the Year candidate because of their ferocious styles before the injury.

Salido may have already clinched the award with his fantastic brawl with Francisco Vargas in June, which was scored a draw. Vargas’ sensational ninth-round stoppage of Miura in November of 2015 won the RING and the Boxing Writer’s Association Fight of the Year. Mexico’s Salido, a former titleholder, is viewed as somewhat of a cult figure for his consistently brutal style.

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