Fill-in Williams outlasts Gomez

WORLEY, Idaho – For the most part Friday night in The House of Fury it was a short course in boxing.

A very short course.

Three of the first four bouts resulted in first-round technical knockouts and the fourth was spared the same fate by the first-round bell and ended in a TKO at 1:32 of the second.

Only the night’s main event, which featured “King” Arthur Williams, filling in on less than a week’s notice for Coeur d’Alene cruiserweight Shawn Hawk, against Gary Gomez, went the scheduled distance.

Until a week ago, the scheduled main event was to be Gomez vs. Hawk – a battle of up-and-coming cruiserweights. Hawk, undefeated at 10-0, was fired by the casino, and matchmaker Moe Smith, who doubled as Hawk’s trainer and manager, turned to Williams – who lost the North American Boxing Federation cruiserweight belt in his last fight, also at the Coeur d’Alene Casino.

Gomez (14-6) showed no fear of the 41-year-old former champion’s punching power, leaning in to negate Williams’ significant reach advantage.

While Williams (42-14-1) did not inflict much damage, he did score often enough for two of the three ringside judges. One judge saw the fight as a 10-round draw. The other two scored the fight for Williams.

In the co-main event, Sandpoint welterweight Favio Medina needed just over two rounds to solve the riddle of Portland’s Donny Fosmire.

Fosmire used a hook-and-grab strategy that worked off a looping hook that allowed him to hold with one hand and punch with the other – despite having a point deducted by referee Jerry Armstrong in the second round for that exact tactic.

Medina stunned Fosmire early in the third round and poured his frustration into a flurry that left his opponent dazed on his feet. As Armstrong separated the fighters, Fosmire signaled he’d had enough and the fight ended in a TKO at 47 seconds.

One of the strengths of matchmaker Smith’s cards are the young fighters the veteran trainer and promoter brings to the Worley casino.

Two such youngsters showed their potential.

Billy Drywater of Nespelem, Wash., a sharp-punching 175-pounder, needed just 48 seconds to drop Everett’s Wayne Tyler, who came in six pounds over the 175-pound limit.

Drywater stunned Tyler with a short left hook and followed up with a flurry that ended the first bout of the night while most patrons where still settling into their seats.

Newman Lake’s Skylar Anderson, who just turned 18, used a reach advantage to whip Great Falls, Mont., heavyweight Channing Demontiny.

Demontiny came out swinging wildly at the taller Anderson, who weathered the opening barrage before countering with hooks and uppercuts. Anderson knocked Demontiny down at the end of the first round and the challenger looked unsteady as the bell sounded to end the round.

Anderson changed strategy in round two, using his superior jab to keep Demontiny at a distance. A big right hand bloodied the challenger’s nose midway through the round. Demontiny knelt down and was counted out at the 1:32 mark.

The night’s next two fights were over with in less than 2 minutes. Puyallup heavyweight Eric Boose knocked out Richard Martinez in just 51 seconds.

Spokane’s Luke Munsen returned to the ring after almost a year off – briefly. The Mead cruiserweight knocked out Eric Swensen with just one punch 35 seconds into the fight.