It was fitting that Terdsak Kokietgym (53-5-1 33KO) was wearing red and Orlando Salido (42-12-2 29KO) blue in their brawl for the interim WBO super featherweight title from Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. Appropriate because those are the same colors worn by the robots in the game Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots, as a real life version of the game broke out in this championship bout.
From the opening bell, which saw Salido dropped by a left hook and Kokietgym dropped by a low blow (which was called a knock down), you knew it was on.
Round two would be no different for Salido as he would hit the deck again courtesy of a chopping left to the chin by Kokietgym. Salido was up at the count of eight with the round ending a few seconds later.
Salido would return the favor in round four when he floored Kokietgym with a straight right to the body, this time legal. Kokietgym was up quickly and both fighters slugged their way to the bell. Salido came out with a rush in round five but didn’t guard his grill and tasted the canvas for a third time when Kokietgym landed a solid left cross. Salido was more surprised by the shot than hurt and was up quickly as he moved the remaining seconds of the round to get back to the corner at the bell.
Salido started the sixth round with a flurry and continued to dominate the round by landing body shots and combinations to the head. Towards the end of the round, Salido unleashed an assault that had Kokietgym in trouble. It appeared that the referee was jumping in to stop the fight as Kokietgym didn’t appear to be protecting himself amid the onslaught but that wasn’t the case. Both fighters were sent to their neutral corners and then the referee signaled for the fight to continue. Salido’s corner had actually climbed into the ring thinking their fighter had won and had to exit. The bell rang a few moments later ending the round. Hey, maybe the ref should have utilized a Standing-8. (Enter shameless website plug comment here).
Kokietgym begins the seventh a little wobbled and is trying to stay away but Salido cuts off the ring and traps him on the ropes. Salido lands a few clubbing shots and buckles Kokietgym who falls to his knees into the ropes. Another knockdown but Kokietgym is up quick and both fighters resume fighting in a phone booth for the remainder of the round.
The next few rounds are fought at close range with Salido landing the more effective combinations. Signs that Kokietgym is wearing down are begining to show.
A slugfest starts the 11th, but ends quickly when Salido lands a textbook left hook, right hook, left uppercut combination which knocks out Kokietgym and ends the fight.
Although Kokietgym had his moments, Salido was the more accurate puncher, and worked the body early and often which no doubt set him up for the success in the eleventh.
As the referee was waving off the fight, you could hear a voice faintly in the distance….”Hey! You knocked my block off!”
Standing-8 