Classy Cora scores TKO vs. Elizalde

What’s a television-caliber boxing card without a little controversy?

Thursday night’s inaugural boxing card at Northern Quest Casino in Airway Heights had both.

The seven-bout card, the first in the casino’s new Pend Orielle Pavillion, was highlighted by a successful title defense by United States Boxing Association cruiserweight champion Felix Cora Jr., who stopped fellow Texan James Elizalde on a technical knockout in the sixth round.

Doctors ringside felt Elizalde had absorbed too much punishment in the sixth round. Before the start of the seventh, they stopped the fight.

Still, it was a classy finish by the champion.

Elizalde, who had surgery to repair three torn tendons in his left shoulder a year ago, struggled with his left jab after the third round. For much of the final three rounds, he dropped his left hand to rest the shoulder – a dangerous situation when facing a powerful southpaw like the undefeated Cora.

In the sixth round, Cora scored at will with shots to the head, closing Elizalde in the corner for much of the final minute. But he did not look for the knockout.

“Why should I punish the man when I don’t need to?” Cora asked. “Why should I embarrass the man in front of his family like that? If you give mercy, you shall obtain mercy – that’s what the good book says.”

“My hats off to him,” Elizalde said. “He’s a tough, tough fighter. I did the best I could tonight. I can’t take anything away from him.”

After the fight, Cora slipped in to the challenger’s dressing room and insisted Elizalde have his picture taken wearing the USBA championship belt.

“He’s a quality fighter and there will be championships in his future,” said Cora, now 16-0-2. “He’s a true gentleman and a great fighter. He’s going to be back.”

Elizalde, who suffered his first loss and dropped to 14-1-1, said he will need to have his shoulder repaired surgically again.

“It’s not going to get better without it,” he said. “And then I need to get back into the gym and put on some more weight. I was probably giving away about 12 pounds by the time we got into the ring.”

The controversy came in the co-main event, which ended in a thunder of catcalls.

The No. 5-ranked middleweight in the country, Antwun “Kid Dyn-o-mite” Echolls won his fight with Jameel “Black Gold” Wilson when referee Paul Field stepped in at the 2:26 mark of the seventh round.

Field could not have displeased the crowd more if he stepped in to cancel Christmas.

Wilson was staggered by an overhand right and was against the ropes, but still protecting himself when Field jumped in – a move that stunned Wilson.

Wilson (13-7-2) had knocked Echolls (31-5-1) down in the sixth round and was threatening to score a gigantic upset over the fighter who once knocked down Bernard Hopkins.

On the undercard, Spokane’s Rick Welliver finished his professional boxing career by beating Scott Lansdon on a unanimous decision.

Curtis Frost of Portland, Ore., scored a TKO over Dominic Rivera at 1:41 of the second round.

Coeur d’Alene’s Shawn Hawk scored an impressive first-round knockout of Neil Stephens of Kent, Wash., landing a three-punch combination that put Stephens on the canvas and adding a fourth left cross on the way down.

Hilario Lopez, of Nampa, Idaho, scored a second-round TKO over Airway Heights’ Nalo Leal.