On to nationals!
Courtesy photo Local boxer Chevy Ward raises his hands in victory after winning the Idaho Regional Silver Gloves Championship last weekend in Boise. Ward’s win qualified him for the national tournament in February.
BOISE — On to the next one, or in Chevy Ward’s case, the big one.
This past weekend Ward, 10, traveled to the Idaho State Capital for the Regional Silver Gloves competition and now, it’s time for us to start referring to him as regional champion.
Ward walked into the event with a clean 5-0 amateur record and had already recorded a win over his opponent at a prior event, but as usual, he went into the fight with the same calculated focus that he takes to every fight.
“I really like fighting a lot,” Ward said in a previous interview. “But my favorite part is probably the feeling I get right before the fight starts.”
While his opponent, Roland Bennet of Montana’s Hamilton Boxing Club, was once again a solid test for Ward, he came out the same way as he went in — undefeated.
“It was a good fight,” said Ward’s coach Rick Welliver. “It was competitive, but Chevy is a terrific fighter and was ready to handle his business.”
As mentioned, these two were pretty familiar with one another and Welliver believes this could be part of a burgeoning rivalry between the two competitors.
“That Bennet kid is a tough competitor and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him and Chevy fight again,” Welliver said. “In fact, they will probably fight each other at least one more time this year.”
Ward will now be shifting his focus to the National Silver Gloves Tournament on Feb. 1 in Kansas City, Kan.
Ward did quite a bit of fundraising to get to the regional competition, and he will need to do some more to get to the national tournament.
For more information on any upcoming fundraisers, follow the Spokane Boxing Facebook page or reach out to coach Rick Welliver.