"Buchoy is like a son to me," said Salud who once managed Gorres’ ring career. "But from what he showed against Montiel, I didn’t see him as a world champion. I confess I have no strong opinion as to who deserved to win. A draw would’ve been better although I wasn’t surprised with the decision. I feel sorry for Buchoy. He should’ve done a little more. He should’ve pressed when he was ahead, not just be content to win on points. He never hurt Montiel."
Salud said because of the Filipino fans‚ frequent exposure to championship boxing, they’ve become discriminating aficionados.
"We’re often exposed to top-class fighters like Manny (Pacquiao), (Marco Antonio) Barrera and (Erik) Morales who set a very high standard for world champions," continued Salud. "We now expect fighters hoping to become world champions to perform like them."
Salud said Gorres lacked the aggressiveness to even match the excitement level that lighter weight champions like Vic Darchinyan and Jorge Arce bring into the ring.
"It’s a question of attitude," said Salud. "I’ve told Buchoy if he wants to become a world champion, he has to prove he deserves it. He should try to go all out against an opponent and not be tentative. He shouldn’t deprive the fans of an action fight. He should give it his all. When he’s ahead, he shouldn’t back off. He shouldn’t be protective of himself to avoid injury. That’s not being fair to the sport. He should always go for a closure."
Salud said his advice to Gorres’ trainer Edito Villamor is to instill in the fighter a killer’s instinct.
"I don’t see an ardent desire to please the public in Buchoy," said Salud. "When he has the upper hand, he tends to back off, happy to just win the round. It’s not like Manny who goes after his opponent even more when he’s hurt."
As for referee Sammy Viruet, Salud said the New Yorker of Puerto Rican descent exceeded his authority in slapping a deduction on Gorres in the last round.
"That last deduction was not merited," he said. "The ref wasn’t fair on that one. But in the 10th, he was justified in deducting a point because Buchoy’s holding could’ve altered the outcome of the bout. He was hurt and resorted to clinching and holding to avoid a knockout."
On the split decision that was awarded to Montiel, Salud said it reminded him of Gerry Penalosa’s hairline losses to In Joo Cho and Masamori Tokuyama.
"I saw Buchoy leading after eight or nine rounds but he wasn’t fighting like a world champion," said Salud. "It’s a pity that in the end, the decision was left in the hands of judges with their personal and individual prejudices. There is no clear definition of how to score a fight, how much credit is given for aggressiveness or if less but more effective blows take precedence over more but less effective punches."
Salud said he noticed the usually loud Cebu crowd was silent after the decision was announced.
"I think the fans were confused," said Salud. "They were sorry Buchoy lost but they probably felt he didn’t do enough. If you don’t press the attack and don’t hurt an opponent, the public isn’t satisfied. Parang nagkulang si Buchoy at bitin ang laban. So they were quiet because they were asking, does he deserve to be a world champion?"
Salud said unless Gorres decides to take chances and goes for broke in trying to wrest the crown from Montiel, a rematch would likely result in the same ending.
"Buchoy is a skilled technician," said Salud. "But in this era of world championship boxing, the fans are spoiled by Manny, Morales, Barrera and the rest. Fans want champions who are exciting and take charge in the ring."