Cruz outlasts Salido

Cristobal Cruz finished what Orlando Salido could not.

Cruz took over in the later rounds against a fading Salido and captured the IBF featherweight title with a split-decision victory in the main event of a five-bout boxing card at Northern Quest Casino Thursday night.

On the undercard, two-time amateur world champion Demetrius Andrade punctuated his professional debut with a second-round technical knockout of Patrick Cape in a junior middleweight bout.

In other fights, Russian super middleweight Maxim Vlasov outlasted Don Mouton; flyweight Jorge Abiague defeated Mario Gonzalez; and Ben Metts and Francisco Reyes were left with a no decision after Metts suffered an accidental headbutt in the second round of their junior welterweight fight.

Cruz-Salido: Cruz maintained a frenetic pace and wore down his Mexican countryman in the second half of the fight. Cruz was trailing on all three judges’ scorecards through six of 12 rounds, although each of those rounds was tightly contested.

Cruz, 31, improved to 37-11-1. Four years younger, Salido fell to 31-10-2.

Cruz stayed busy and was credited with 1,178 punches thrown compared to Salido’s 1,017. Two judges scored the bout 116-112 for Cruz, one 115-113 for Salido. The Spokesman-Review scored the bout 115-113 for Salido.

Salido was the more effective puncher early, and his superior power was evident. That power began to wane midway through the fight, however, and Cruz began to move forward through Salido’s cleanest punches. Cruz ended the fight looking mostly unscathed, while Salido walked away with a swollen knot under his left eye.

Andrade-Cape: Andrade’s hand speed and punching power were on display early in an easy victory. Cape offered little resistance before referee Paul Field stopped the bout 24 seconds into the second round.

Andrade backed Cape (4-3) into a corner immediately in the second round and landed a couple of punches squarely. As Cape tried to escape, Andrade hit him with a straight left that sent Cape tumbling backward. Field then stepped in to end the fight.

A 2008 Olympic quarterfinalist, Andrade also caught Cape under the ribs with a left hook that resulted in Cape taking a knee 10 seconds before the end of the opening round.

“I didn’t really use my speed, because I didn’t need it as much,” Andrade said.

In a symbolic gesture, Andrade entered the ring wearing the headgear he’d worn throughout his amateur career. He then removed it and tossed it over the top rope to a member of his entourage.

“I wanted to come in and let the world know I was the No. 1 amateur in the world,” he said.

Vlasov-Mouton: A native of Samara, Russia, Vlasov remained undefeated with a victory via majority decision. The bout was Vlasov’s second appearance at Northern Quest Casino in the past 13 months.

Vlasov (14-0) was most effective when he worked behind his jab. While Mouton (7-3-1) looked like the more powerful puncher, it was rare when he could encroach within range for his hooks and uppercuts. Vlasov kept Mouton at arm’s length for most of the fight and peppered his opponent with a number of combinations.