‘Hillyard Hammer’ Welliver wins split decision

WORLEY, Idaho – Say what you want about Chauncy Welliver – that his girth is exceeded only by his mirth, that when it comes to muscle tone his are tone-deaf, that he may be the only boxer in the heavyweight division to actually NEED to wear a belt just to keep his trunks up. Welliver himself revels in such descriptions.

Still, the kid, and at 23 he is still a kid, Welliver knows his way around a boxing ring.

He proved that Thursday night in the Coeur d’Alene Casino’s House of Fury, where “The Hillyard Hammer” earned a split decision victory in his rematch with Chad Van Sickle of Grove City, Ohio.

Van Sickle announced his retirement from professional boxing following the decision. His career record stands at 21-6-3 with 12 wins coming by knockout.

To prepare for the rematch, Welliver, the World Boxing Council’s youth heavyweight champion, sparred with world heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs.

In the first meeting between the fighters in 2006, the pair fought to a draw.

“The last time I fought him I tried to stay outside too much,” Welliver said. “This time I tried to get inside more, but I still had trouble letting my hands go. I’m sorry Chad had to end his career with a fight like this. It was two heavyweights at less than their bests.”

Welliver worked inside to frustrate Van Sickle throughout the fight. Neither was able to extend their arms and punch throughout the fight.

In the end, all three ringside judges scored the fight 97-93, with two giving the decision to Welliver.

In the first of two main events, Sandpoint’s Favio Medina knocked out Jose Felix at the end of the fourth round to defend his Canadian-American Welterweight title.

Felix, from Savannah, Ga., came into the fight as a late replacement and was over the weight limit for a welterweight bout. Medina, however, waived the weight limit and put his title on the line for the bout.

Felix had Medina in trouble along the ropes late in the fourth of 10 rounds, scoring with solid punches to the midsection. Medina erupted with a powerful right cross that sent Felix to the mat in his own corner. The Georgian was unable to get up before referee Jerry Armstrong counted him out.

In a puzzling decision, Newman Lake heavyweight Skyler Anderson came away from his fight with substitute heavyweight Chris Green with a six-round draw.

Green refused to punch for most of the fight.

Anderson, moving up to a six-round fight from his usual four-rounders, fought a cautious fight, but was in control throughout.

“I could have sent him out there to knock the guy out in the last round,” said Clint Anderson, Skyler’s father and trainer. “But why take the chance. He was clearly winning the fight. Skyler did everything right in that fight.”

Judges Dan Vassar and Tom Scher scored the fight a 57-57 draw, a score that was booed heavily when announced. Judge Ed Hamblin gave all six rounds to Anderson, 60-54.

In a debut bout for Spokane lightweights, Mario Martinez earned a unanimous decision over Ty Hume. Martinez attacked the body repeatedly and dominated each of the four rounds.