AIRWAY HEIGHTS, Wash. — Cristobal Cruz won the vacant International Boxing Federation world featherweight championship tonight, outpointing Mexican countryman Orlando Salido in a 12-round split-decision.

Cruz (37-11-1 with 23 knockouts) overcame a fast start by Salido (31-10-2 with 20 knockouts) to earn the victory. Two judges scored the fight 116-112 in favor of Cruz, while the third had it 115-113 for Salido.

Both weighed in at 126 pounds for the bout at the Northern Quest Casino.

Salido countered effectively in the first three rounds against Cruz, who entered the bout ranked fourth in the IBF. But Salido, who held the IBF title in 2006 and entered ranked No. 3, couldn't keep up the pace.

In the fourth round, Cruz landed his first substantial punch, an overhand right. In the seventh, Cruz landed several effective combinations that seemed to wear Salido down. And at the end of the 10th, he landed a flurry that staggered Salido.

Salido had the edge in punches thrown, 1,178-1,017, according to CompuBox. In a decision over Thomas Mashaba last March, Cruz set a CompuBox record with 1,580 punches.

In an earlier bout, U.S. Olympian Demetrius Andrade won his junior middleweight debut, stopping Patrick Cape (4-3) in the second round.

Andrade, a world amateur champion in 2007, dropped Cape at the end of the first round and again early in the second before referee Paul Field stopped it 24 seconds into the second round of the scheduled four-round fight.

Unbeaten super middleweight prospect Maxim Vlasov ran his record to 14-0 with an eight-round decision over Don Mouton (7-3). Vlasov survived an early cut under his left eye by taking advantage of his superior height and jab.