Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

It was a 2-for-1 win for Welliver

Boxing: Chauncy Welliver has another belt to bring back through customs.

This one didn’t come easily. The Spokane heavyweight needed to go all 12 rounds for a unanimous decision over Rob Calloway of St. Joseph’s, Mo., on Monday night in Tianjin, China.

It was the 28-year-old Welliver’s 15th straight victory and 50th as a professional, against five losses and five draws. He successfully defended his World Boxing Organization Asia Pacific title and won that group’s China Zone championship, as well.

Calloway, 42, who has the most knockouts (57) of any active heavyweight, fell to 71-13-2 with his fifth loss in his last seven outings.

Area cowboys headed to finals

Rodeo: They may still be auditing the nickels and dimes, but that won’t affect the December plans for three area cowboys.

Bareback rider Ryan Gray of Cheney, tie down roper Tyson Durfey of Colbert and bull rider Shane Proctor of Grand Coulee are easily in the field for the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, which runs Dec. 1-10.

Proctor, who now lives in North Carolina, made his first NFR in style, leading the standings by $40,000, sitting first with $171,778.

Durfey, a Missouri native, is headed to his fifth-straight NFR with $80,044. He’ll need a monster finals to catch Texas roper Tuf Cooper, who has won more than $145,000.

Gray, who now lives in Texas, missed almost five months of competition because of an injury from the NFR last year, but charged back. He won more than $14,000 the last weekend of the regular season to push his earnings to $92,738, good for fourth place. Kaycee Field of Utah holds the top spot with $140,660.

Ellensburg brothers Riley and Brady Minor barely made the NFR, qualifying 15th in team roping.

Dave Trimmer