Body shot. Body shot. Body shot. Goodnight.
Former two-time world champion Vic "Vicious" Saludar is the new WBO International minimumweight champion after stopping fellow Filipino Richard Garde in the fifth round at The Grand Ho Tram on Saturday night.
Saludar used his reach and jab to run the fight, then went downstairs. A left to the side, two more to the body, and the referee waved it off at 2:14 of round five.
That makes it 29-6 with 19 knockouts. And for the 36-year-old, that's eight straight wins.
Now here's the thing.
Saludar is rated No. 1 by the WBO. No. 2 by the WBA.
Last week the WBO belt changed hands without a punch being thrown. Oscar Collazo vacated, and Japan's Ryusei Matsumoto was elevated to full champion.
The No. 1 contender? Out here in Vietnam, doing his job, knocking people out.
So what more does he have to do ??
Two trips to The Grand Ho Tram this year — first-round KO in August, fifth-round stoppage on Saturday.
Matsumoto v Saludar. Make it happen !!
🇵🇭 VIC SALUDAR def. RICHARD GARDE 🇵🇭
🥊 TKO 5 (2:14) | Vacant WBO International minimumweight title
📍 The Grand Ho Tram, Vietnam | 7 November 2026
Also on the card — Danylo Honcharuk 🇺🇦 forced Jeo Santisima 🇵🇭 to retire on his stool after seven rounds, and unbeaten Balihenbeke Balihenbeke kept his WBO Oriental belt with a first-round KO of Marvin Esquierdo 🇵🇭.
Congratulations Vic — and to all fighters who took part !
Bacolod's Genesis Servania will fight China's rising star Aketelieti Yelejian for the WBO Asia Lightweight title this November.
The highly-anticipated match up will take place on the undercard of the IBF world title fight between Pedro Taduran and Zhu DianXing at Jeju Island, South Korea.
Aketelieti Yelejian, who suffered a narrow loss to the Prince Albert Pagara in June, rebounded with an impressive IBF Asia victory against Korean Jin Su Kim in Vietnam recently. He is a very rangy and deceptive boxer known for his relaxed combinations, and he's supremely confident in his ability to take down Servania and claim the title.
"I've studied Servania's style, and I know I have the skills to outmaneuver him," Yelejian said yesterday.
"I'm excited to represent China on the international stage once more, and bring home an impressive win against a top and proven boxer like Genesis."
Servania, a seasoned veteran with a 35-4 record, boasts a reputation for toughness that has come from battles at the top level. And has still possesses some of the best body shots in the sport of boxing.
This important title shot gives the filipino the opportunity to re-establish himself on the world scene once more, and it's best remembered that his only defeats have came against world-ranked champions like Oscar Valdez and Andres Cortes.
But the China team have already confidently stated that Yelejian's youth, speed, height, and reach may all prove too much for the Filipino boxer.
Their optimism also exudes for the world title bout, where surprisingly, they are quite dismissive of Pedro Taduran's hopes of beating star Zhu DianXing. They actually rate their boxer so highly, they have predicted that the champion has no chance of retaining the belt.
These claims set up an intriguing backdrop for two massive Philippines v China feature bouts.
Fight Details :
- Date: Saturday, November 23rd
- Location: Jeju Island, South Korea
- Title: WBO Asia Lightweight
- Contenders: Aketelieti Yelejian (China) vs. Genesis Servania (Philippines)
