by Charles White: This past Tuesday, June 28th, in Huili, China, top 10 heavyweight contender Chauncy “The Hillyard Hammer” Welliver (now 49-5-5 with 19 knockouts) scored an impressive victory over former “Contender” reality series contestant Lawrence Tauasa (now 31-9-1 with 18 knockouts). Welliver weighed in at a game 235 lbs, prompting his opponent to comment by stating that “he looked like he weighed about 200kg (before), but now he looks lighter than me.”
In front of a sold out crowd of 4,000 plus, the in-shape Welliver battered the game Tauasa (a cousin of David Tua) from pillar to post. Outside of Huili Stadium, thousands more watched on a big screen as Chauncy and Lawrence went toe to toe in an effort to win over the boxing fans of China. CCTV reports indicate that over 17 million people tuned in to the bout from their homes to watch the action.
From the opening bell, Chauncy established himself as the superior boxer by landing a big left hook in the opening seconds, outhustling and outjabbing the rugged Tauasa. While Lawrence did land the occasional combination, it was clear from the get go that victory would be Welliver’s as he dug deep and controlled the pace of the fight. The second and third rounds were more of the same as Chauncy continued to outbox and batter Tauasa. In the 4th round, Welliver turned up the heat and started throwing (and landing) vicious shots at Lawrence, including three back to back uppercuts that all found their mark as well as a nice 1-2 that landed solidly.
In the last moments of the round, Welliver really opened up, landing most of a brutal 10 punch combination that caused Tauasa’s nose to bleed profusely in a grisly spectacle. Inbetween the 4th and 5th round, referee Bruce McTavish, upon further inspection of Lawrence’s nose, thought it best to spare Lawrence Tauasa any further punishment by stopping the contest and declaring Welliver the winner by 4th round tko (his 5th tko/ko victory in a row) and new WBC Asian Boxing Council champion. The Chinese crowd went wild, roaring out “Panda, Panda, Panda” due to the new nickname of “Boxing Panda” that the Chinese public bestowed upon Chauncy with great affection. After the fight, interpreters informed Chauncy that it was demanded of him to show up for the post-fight party, but Welliver was almost a half an hour late because he refused to leave the stadium until every last fan got an autograph and picture with the “Boxing Panda.”
The Chinese public was so fond of Welliver that even before the fight, hundreds would mob him in the streets and when he was running on the track so that they could meet the affable fighter. With a new boxing market in China begging to be opened up, fighters like Chauncy Welliver represent the sport of boxing in a very positive manner, so expect to see more of Welliver in China in the near future.
Desparately seeking the opportunity to prove his worth against a fellow contender, Welliver has his sights set on anybody in the top 10 of the sanctioning bodies. After having heard of his cousin’s defeat at the hands of the “Hillyard Hammer,” will former title challenger David Tua accept the challenge laid down by Chauncy on several occasions in order to uphold family honor? Only time will tell as Welliver remains active in the gym, waiting for the call…
For questions and comments, to schedule an interview, or to just chat about boxing, Charles White can be reached at cwhite1078@mysvc.skagit.edu or 360-333-5911.