Samuel Salva: Boxing Career and Notable Fights
Samuel “Silent Assassin” Salva is a Filipino minimumweight boxer from Iligan City. In August 2019, the Philippine News Agency reported that he was undefeated and scheduled to meet Pedro Taduran for the vacant IBF world minimumweight title.
The IBF title fight
Salva knocked Taduran down in the opening round of their September 7, 2019 bout in Taguig. Taduran recovered and won by stoppage after four rounds, claiming the vacant IBF title. ABS-CBN reported that it was the first all-Filipino world-title fight held in the Philippines in 94 years.
Salva was carried from the ring on a stretcher and taken to hospital for a CT scan. Philstar reported that the scan found no brain damage.
The eliminator before the championship
Salva earned his title opportunity by defeating Rene Mark Cuarto on March 23, 2019, at Resorts World in Pasay. The twelve-round contest ended in a unanimous decision, with two judges scoring it 116–112 and the third 117–111. The victory extended his unbeaten start and gave him experience over the full championship distance before facing Taduran.
His earlier schedule included multiple bouts with Jason Mopon and a first-round stoppage of Marco John Rementizo in 2017. Those appearances helped build the record that carried him into the IBF eliminator.
Continuing after the first defeat
Salva returned to competition after losing the vacant-title contest. He stopped Donny Mabao in January 2020 and later knocked out Jeffrey Galero in the opening round in April 2022. The WBA’s bout archive lists those later appearances. They show that the Taduran result ended an unbeaten run, while his professional career continued with further domestic fights.
Further career results
Salva later faced former WBC champion Yudai Shigeoka in Japan on August 24, 2024. Shigeoka won their ten-round bout by unanimous decision, with scores of 97–93 twice and 96–94.
The Osaka contest was Salva’s first professional appearance outside the Philippines. He landed effective right hands early before Shigeoka established his rhythm. The ten-round defeat left Salva at twenty wins and two losses in the contemporary report.
Sources
- Philippine News Agency: Salva to fight Taduran for vacant IBF title
- ABS-CBN: Taduran crowned champion in all-Filipino title bout
- Philstar: Taduran dedicates title to late sister
- BoxRec: Samuel Salva record
Additional sources: https://www.wboboxing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2411-Explanations-November-2024.pdf; https://www.boxingscene.com/articles/yudai-shigeoka-edges-out-samuel-salva-first-fight-jerusalem-loss
