On September 11, 2010, he faced WBA featherweight champion Yuriorkis Gamboa at the Palms Casino Resort in Paradise, Nevada, in a unification bout. Salido lost a 12-round unanimous decision. The IBF title was only at stake for Gamboa as Salido was stripped of it prior to the fight due to weighing more than ten pounds over the weight limit at a second weigh-in on the morning of the event. Gamboa controlled much of the early rounds but was dropped in round 8. Gamboa returned the favour, knocking Salido down in the 12th round, but was docked 2 points for hitting Salido while he was on the canvas. The final scorecards read 116-109, 114-109, and 115-109, all for Gamboa. With the win, Gamboa became the first Cuban boxer to hold an IBF world title since the organizations inception.
