 At seventeen years old, he was included into the 1960 Olympic team, but was eliminated in the first bout by Ernst Chervet.Saldívar turned professional in 1961 and won the Mexican featherweight title with a second-round knockout of Juan Ramírez on February 8, 1964.His first major victory came on June 1 of that same year when he defeated future lightweight champion and hall of fame member Ismael Laguna.