Pinoy prospect Vic Saludar loses by 6th round KO in world title tilt

Filipino minimumweight prospect Vic Saludar was getting close to becoming a world champion, but all it took was a perfectly placed punch to the body from Kosei Tanaka to stop him in his tracks, New Year's eve in Aichi Prefectural Gym in Nagoya, Japan.

Saludar, 25, was ahead on all scorecards from rounds 1 to 5, even dropping the Japanese defending champion with his right hand in the fifth.

Tanaka came alive in the following round, sending Saludar to the canvass with a left hook to the mid-section. Saludar wasn't able to get back to his feet, eventually losing the fight by knockout at the 2:15 mark of round 6.

The loss handed Saludar his second professional defeat, dropping his record to 11-2 with 9 knockouts while Tanaka improved to 6-0 with 3 knockouts. - JM Siasat/RAF, GMA News