DURANT, OKLAHOMA – About 60 miles north of Dallas and Cowboys Stadium is the Choctaw Indian Reservation and a gaming casino just one exit over the Texas state border with Oklahoma.
It is here where my reality now sets in after the glitz and glamor of Dallas and Pacquiao vs. Clottey in my rear view mirror last week.
I’m covering a fight card, along with ESPN2, Friday night featuring world – class junior middleweights Sechew Powell and Deandre Latimore. The winner moves on one step closer to a world title shot and the loser can tread water a little while longer as long as he isn’t blown out.
But I’m here to cover one of my favorite personalities in boxing who just happens to be toiling on the undercard. His fight isn’t even being televised!
Chauncy Welliver, a 256 lb. heavyweight, of Spokane, Washington’s boxing Welliver family.
Chauncy, 26, happens to be one of the most articulate and clear – thinking boxers I have ever met. After a minute of simple chit chat with him, you would be stretching your neck to see who the color analyst is at ESPN that he should be replacing.
I’m not saying other boxers don’t speak well. I’m just saying he is about the best and more importantly he usually has something to say that is worth listening to if you ever get the opportunity.
Chauncy has about the best communiucation skills for a boxer I have ever witnessed. He could talk X’s and O’s with real fight experts and also be understood by casual fans. Plus being a pug himself, he gets a lot of respect.
He’s just waiting to be discovered for his post boxing job.
I profiled Chauncy about a month ago with his older brother Dewey at a celebrity Palm Springs, CA laundromat where we were solving the world’s problems.
http://www.examiner.com/x-11372-Dallas-Boxing-Examiner~y2010m2d23-The-Washington-boxing-Welliver-family-has-a-good-thing-going
According to his veteran manager Roland Jankelson, Chauncy still has some serious boxing ahead of him.
“If Chauncy wins the title Friday night, they (World Boxing Council) will know about it in Mexico City immediately and he’ll move up quickly in their rankings,” said Jankelson, who managed Joe Hipp to a world heavyweight title shot.
“The stars and moon must align themselves properly but with a little luck and a few quality wins Chauncy could be in a serious contender position to challenge for the heavyweight title,” said Jankelson.
Currently rated as high as the No. 13 heavyweight by the World Boxing Organization, but only 40th by the WBC, Welliver is usually the crowd favorite soon after a press conference as he will be Friday night against journeyman Mike Sheppard, 15-9 (8 KO’s).
The 10 – rounder is for the vacant World Boxing Council Continental Americas Heavyweight Championship. That will only fit around the waist of one of these two because they are heavyweights.
When you approach Welliver, he appears as harmless as an overgrown kid with an active thyroid gland.
He doesn’t look like an athlete. When he takes his shirt off, well not much better. He’s usually in a T-shirt, shorts and a knit hat like he’s ready to rob a 7-11.
The true athlete in the family is 150 lb. older brother Dewey. The elder Dewey, with almost 40 pro fights, just spent the better part of three weeks sparring with former International Boxing Federation Middleweight Champion Arthur Abraham, who is now fighting at 168 lbs. in preparation for his stage two fight against Andre Dirrell in the Showtime – backed Super Six World Boxing Classic from Detroit, Michigan March 27.
Dewey provided Abraham with the hand speed, deceptive punching power and aggressiveness to prepare Abraham for Dirrell.
Chauncy on the other hand, is kind of like the Newman character on Seinfeld who displays no impressive physical skills but incredibly is savvy and nimble at climbing trees in search of fur coats.
But Chauncy makes the best of what he has. Washington and Idaho have a few casinos that get him fights occasionally, but Chauncy has had to travel to make a living at boxing.
In fact he now has dual citizenship between America and New Zealand. In fact he’s the prestigious heavyweight champion of New Zealand and has to defend that title soon. He maintains apartments in both locales.
For the record Chauncy is 40-5-5 (14 KO’s). He is the first to go into the ninth round with rough heavyweight contender Odlanier Solis, a Cuban now in the top five of all the major sanctioning groups who has been profiled on HBO a few times.
Instead of organized amateur fights on his record, he has numerous Toughman Contest trophies and a reported Toughman record of 47-7.
Chauncy has sparred with the best of them including Mike Tyson, Shannon Briggs, David Tua, Audley Harrison, Juan Carlos Gomez and Virgil Hill.
In fact one time heavyweight title challenger David Tua suggested to Chauncy he check out fighting in New Zealand to extend his career.
He usually spars for pay in between fights but sometimes after a sparring gig they offer him a spot on the show.
Chauncy usually spends three months a year training with fighters from the German promotional outfit Sauerland Event.
While brother Dewey was sparring with Abraham, Chauncy was sparring with WBO Cruiserweight Champion (200 lbs.) Marco Huck of Sauerland Event preparing him for a recent title defense.
At lunch time Chauncy can usually be found on his way to a Subway sandwich shop. He’s actually not a big eater. Usually breakfast and lunch and that’s it for the day.
Chauncy speaks of himself as a “glorified sparring partner,” which may be right on the money. Between that and a grizzled – journeyman perhaps. But being only 26 is what I believe is the appeal for manager Jankelson as far as potential for Chauncy.
The ultimate sparring partner that made good was Oliver McCall. The “Atomic Bull” was moved up through the rankings to No. 1 contender and delivered one of the biggest right hands in boxing history off the jaw of undefeated world champion Lennox Lewis and then even made a couple of title defenses.
I don’t know if Chauncy will ever get that lucky but with his sparkling record and always being around the action as a sparring partner, along with his maturity, he may be paid handsomely one day for his efforts and have someone else do his laundry.
