By Jake Donovan
Juan Carlos Salgado extended his second title reign to three consecutive defenses with a 12-round points win over Jonathan Barros in their 130 lb. title fight Saturday evening in Puebla, Mexico.
Scores were 115-112 and 116-111 (twice) for Salgado, who has potentially punched his way towards a career-best payday if current water cooler talk ultimately becomes a reality.
Salgado was in control for most of the bout, though Barros made things interesting with occasional right hands and sneak left hooks to remain competitive despite never taking the lead. A clash of heads left Salgado with a cut over his left eye early in the fight, but superb work by his cornerman made it a non-factor.
The win is Salgado's sixth straight as he improves to 26-1-1 (18KO). His lone loss came at the hands of Takashi Uchiyama, who still serves atop the 130 lb. division.
Barros falls to 34-3-1 (18KO) in a failed bid to capture a belt in a second weight class. His short-lived reign at featherweight in 2011 included a two-fight split with Celestino Caballero.
In the evening's co-feature, Alejandro Sanabria (33-1-1, 25KO) remained in the hunt for a lightweight title shot with an 8th round knockout of Seiichi Okada (16-3, 9KO).
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