Medina defends welterweight title

WORLEY — Facing an experienced and cagey opponent, Sandpoint boxer Favio Medina knew well the importance of dominating the middle of the ring and taking the fight to his opponent, scoring a unanimous 12-round decision over Spokane’s Santos Pakau Thursday night at the Coeur d’Alene Casino.

Medina (17-1-2, 7 KO’s) defended his C.A.M (Canadian, American, Mexican) Welterweight belt, mostly by using superior conditioning to apply constant pressure, never letting Pakau (27-6-1, 10 KO’s) get comfortable.

“I knew he’d try and jab me and move me, so I tried to make it my fight instead of his, find my angles so I can let my punches fly,” said the 147-pound Medina, who called Pakau his toughest opponent in recent memory. “I trained two months for this fight. There was no way I was going to let him take the middle of the ring.”

Medina knocked Pakau down in the third round, and thought it might be an easy night. The battle-tested Pakau ended up hanging on, however, even landing a couple decent shots while going the distance.

“He hit me a couple times,” admitted Medina. “But you have to take one to give three or four.”

Medina’s next fight is scheduled for May 3, at the House of Fury in Worley. In good shape and quietly building a solid fighting résumé, Medina hopes to add another belt by fighting a top contender, but says it’s up to his match maker and trainer to pick who his next opponent will be.