Orlando Salido tests positive for steroids, and is stripped of
title; Guerrero to fight for vacant championship
Gilroy – Orlando Salido’s reign as International Boxing Federation featherweight champion apparently ended four days after he won the title by unanimous decision over Gilroy’s Robert Guerrero.
Salido of Ciudad Obregon, Mexico, tested positive for the steroid Nandrolone, the Nevada State Athletic Commission confirmed Wednesday. The IBF then responded by saying the title will be declared vacant until the two leading contenders, Guerrero and Spend Abazi of Denmark, meet for the championship.
“It answered a lot of questions I had,” Guerrero said when informed about the positive drug test. “I hit the guy with some vicious body shots and head shots, and they weren’t even budging him. Every round he’d come out fresh like it was the first round. There was a question in mind how he was doing it.”
Javier Zapata, Salido’s manager, had no comment when reached by telephone, according to Tom Brown, matchmaker for promoter Dan Goosen.
Guerrero’s co-manager, Bob Santos, however, had plenty to say.
“To be honest, there was nothing startling to me,” Santos said of the news. “I knew before the weigh-in and after the fight that something wasn’t right. I mean, I’ve worked with Joel Casamoyer, around Bernard Hopkins and Erik Morales. You’re not going to tell me that a guy looks a certain way for his first 40 pro fights and then all of a sudden changes like that.
“The guy had striations down his back, his muscle density had changed, and he has no trouble making weight? Either he had Jenny Craig working with him or something was up. We talked about it in our camp. In my heart, I knew something was up but I didn’t know if we’d be able to prove it. It was a testament to Robert that he was able to go 12 rounds with him.”
Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, noted that drug test results are normally available 48 to 72 hours after a fight. Salido’s tests came back positive Tuesday afternoon.
“We’ve filed a complaint and asked that (Salido) be temporarily suspended until he’s had a full hearing,” Kizer said. “He’s got 20 days in which to answer.
“If he violated the rules, punishment will be doled out. The next step is if the commission does find he violated the rules, it could be changed to a no-decision.”
If the Nevada Commission finds Salido guilty, a suspension and fine are likely. The maximums are a one-year suspension and $250,000 fine. Since Salido earned $17,500, it is unlikely he would be subject to anywhere near the maximum fine.
The IBF reacted more swiftly.
Lindsey Tucker, the IBF Champions Chairman, said “We’re going to vacate the title. We haven’t gotten the paperwork from
Nevada. Once that happens, the two leading contenders – Guerrero and Spend Abazi – will fight for the title. We would expect that to happen within 90 to 120 days.”
Tucker said this was the first time a champion had tested positive for drugs since he became the Champions Chairman in April 2003. He said the last time he could remember it happening in an IBF title fight was in 1995 when Francois Botha defeated Axel Schulz and was stripped of the heavyweight title when he tested positive for drugs.
Kizer said the last boxer to test positive for drugs after a fight in Nevada was former WBO bantamweight titleholder Cruz Carbajal in May 2005. Carbajal did not respond to the charges, was fined and issued a 12-month suspension, according to Kizer. He forfeited half of his $15,000 purse, which was later cut to $3,750 when he came forward and explained his version. Carbajal didn’t, however, fight again until 13 months later.
Goosen, Guerrero’s promoter, has seen this now from both sides. Heavyweight James Toney is one of his fighters as well. In April 2005, Toney won the WBA heavyweight title by outpointing John Ruiz. The bout was declared a “no contest” when Toney tested positive for Nandrolone.
“Nothing ever surprises me,” Goosen said from his Los Angeles office when asked his reaction. “I was more surprised by Robert’s performance. He’s such a better fighter than he showed (against Salido), although I’m sure this had something to do with it. Robert was fighting against someone taking illegal substances.
“When everything is said and done, I am happy we’re getting another (title) shot. There’s no excuse for it (steroid use), even if it’s a good one.”
Guerrero was both surprised and angry when he heard the news.
“It’s great news but it kind of gets me mad and angry,” Guerrero said. “Why would someone do steroids and get in the ring. It wasn’t a fair fight. It’s cheating. I understand he was in the locker room urinating blood.
“When you watch the fight, you can see I hit him with some good, solid shots, that would have hurt other fighters or put them down. He was (fighting) nonstop, like an animal.
“When I was talking with my father (Ruben) and Bob Santos, I was telling them, ‘Man, I had no power.’ But when a guy’s on enhancers like steroids, you could hit him with a 2-by-4 in the head and he’ll keep coming.”
“Salido was saying that he wanted to know what it would feel like to be a world champion,” said Mario Serrano, Guerrero’s publicist. “I guess this was the only way he could do it.
