Sandpoint's Medina falls in IBA championship bout

WORLEY — Former Coeur d’Alene Casino-sponsored fighter Cleveland Corder poked his head in the dressing room door as Favio Medina was going over what went wrong in Thursday’s International Boxing Association junior middle weight championship at the House of Fury.

Orlando Lora from Sinaloa, Mexico, caught Medina early, sending him to the canvas in the first round for the first time in 24 fights, then ended it with a left hook at 1:37 in the seventh of a scheduled 12-round bout, to win by technical knockout.

Medina was at that point somewhere between angry and wearing his disappointment on his shirtsleeve.

“You did awesome dude. There is nothing to be ashamed of. You did great, you didn’t lose nothin’ today,” said Corder, a former Golden Gloves national champion who was knocked out twice by Jesse Brinkley of Reno, Nev., fighting for the Western United States Middleweight title.

“People ask me if I was disappointed with the Brinkley fight, but that’s boxing. It only takes one shot to change a fight. When I fought for the title, one shot changed the fight and it went my way versus his. That’s why we’re in the business and that’s why people love the business.”

Medina (20-2-2) lost for just the second time in his professional career and for the first time since becoming the casino’s featured fighter.

Medina and Lora were fighting for the vacant IBA world championship.

Lora (23-0), a skilled, aggressive, ring-savvy fighter, proved why he came in unbeaten in 22 bouts, taking the fight to Medina from the opening bell.

With a little longer reach, Lora sent Medina to the canvas for the first time in 23 fights with a straight right.

Medina worked his way back into it and was trailing 2 rounds to 1, with three even, when Lora caught him on the ropes with a left hook that sent Medina down for the second time.

Referee Jerry Armstrong waved the fight over 1:37 into the seventh round

“I walked in with my hand down and he caught me flush with the left hook,” said Medina. “The first knockdown I had my feet together when he caught me, so it was more of a balance thing.

“But I needed to put pressure on him, but I couldn’t get inside and I was standing at the end of his punches and he was picking me off.”

Lora’s fight plan was to end it early.

“He’s a tough opponent,” said Lora, who registered his 17th career knockout. “My style is to be aggressive. We’re going to go in there, force him on the defensive, throw punches and try to get him out of there.

“If he’s strong, if he lasts that long, great. If not, I wanted to end it as soon as I coud.”

n Skyler Anderson (12-1-1) from Newman Lake, Wash., fought the flu, avoided the haymaker and handed Chris Koval of Youngstown, Ohio, just his fifth professional loss with a sixth-round technical knockout, sending the big man from Ohio to the floor twice.

“This is the most technical fight I’ve ever fought,” Anderson said. “The big thing was to come in under the big bomb. He’s never gone six rounds, so it was uncharted territory for him. I doubled up on the jab and slipped under the right hand.”

Anderson fought a counter-measure fight, avoiding the 265-pound Koval, who pressed the action. The advantage went to Anderson the longer it went on.

“My jab was huge tonight,” Anderson said. “It set up everything.”

n David Lopez (3-1) from Caldwell and Osvaldo Rojas (6-1), Portland, Ore., fought to a draw in their 160-pound fight.

n Ron Simmons (3-2) of Lewiston won by majority decision over Leo Bertier (6-9) of Great Falls, Mont., in the 190-pound bout.

n Adam Torres (2-0) of Reno, Nev., dominated Jess Salway of Browning, Mont., in their four-round 154-pound bout, winning by unanimous decision.

n Manny Medina (1-0) of Sandpoint started his professional career off with a bang, knocking Jonathon Senquiz (1-2) from Cleveland down in the second of their four-round 147-pound bout, winning by technical knockout at 2:32 of Round 2.