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Home » Salido regains WBO title, breaks down Cruz in seven

Salido regains WBO title, breaks down Cruz in seven

‘Siri’ controlled the contest at the Thomas and Mack Center from the beginning as his superior power got him in range time and again, with Cruz unable to fend off Salido with any significant shots himself.

It was evident that Cruz, 32, was out of his depth from the first round as Salido teed off with combinations and targeted the Puerto Ricans body with great effect to gradually wear down boxing’s first openly gay competitor.

The end came ironically as Cruz was finding his feet in the bout through the fifth round, although it was as if Salido, also 32, sensed that fact and stepped up his work to force the stoppage.

Salido scored with an eye-catching flurry one minute into the seventh and Cruz crumpled into a heap on the canvas as Kenny Bayless made the decision not to count and waved off the contest.

Cruz dropped a third defeat from his 24 bouts, whilst Salido is now a four-time world champion after recording his 40th victory from his 55 outings and could now defend against new kid on the block Vasyl Lomachenko in January.