Danny Williams (boxer)
| Danny Williams | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Daniel Williams |
| Nickname(s) | Brixton Bomber |
| Rated at | Heavyweight |
| Height | 6 ft 1.5 in (1.87 m) |
| Reach | 79 in (201 cm) |
| Nationality | English |
| Born | 13 July 1973 Brixton, London, England |
| Stance | [Orthodox] |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 55 |
| Wins | 44 |
| Wins by KO | 33 |
| Losses | 11(7KO) |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 1 |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Competitor for  England |
||
| Men’s Boxing | ||
| European Amateur Championships | ||
| Bronze | 1993 Bursa | Heavyweight |
| Commonwealth Games | ||
| Bronze | 1994 Victoria | Super Heavyweight |
Daniel "Danny" Williams (born 13 July 1973, London, England) is an English professional heavyweight boxer.
Contents |
[edit] Amateur career
As an amateur boxing out of the famous Lynn AC boxing gym in SE London, Williams learned his trade quickly, often sparring with the likes of clubmates Henry Akinwande and Derek Angol. In 1991 Williams won the PLA tournament and won a gold medal in Sardinia multination tournament and a gold medal in a Greek multinations tournament. In a Finland multinations in 1992 he won a bronze medal.
Williams won a bronze medal at the European Championships 1993 at heavyweight in the 91 kg/201 lbs limit and bronze at super heavyweight at the 1994 Commonwealth Games.[1] Williams also won a gold medal at the 1994 Liverpool multinations tournament. His amateur record was 29-6.
[edit] Professional career
Williams turned pro in 1995 knocking out Vance Ideans in two rounds. He fought routinely on Frank Warren undercards and compiled a 15-0 (12 knockouts) record. He is currently managed by London promoter Michael Helliet and is trained by Jim McDonagh.[2]
He took his first big step up in April 1999 to challenge Julius Francis for his British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles. A hot favourite, Williams was outboxed and lost a points decision to the 34 year old veteran.
Francis would later vacate the Commonwealth title for a big money fight with Mike Tyson, and Williams won the title with a closely contested split decision over respected British contender (and former amateur clubmate) Harry Senior.
[edit] British and Commonwealth champion
In 2000 Williams put together four knockouts before fighting Mark Potter for the Commonwealth title and the vacant British title. In a dramatic fight, Williams suffered a grotesque dislocated right arm, yet very bravely fought on with one arm and knocked Potter out with a left uppercut.[3]
After an eight month layoff for surgery and recovery, Williams returned to bomb out Kali Meehan in 32 seconds,[4] then avenged his defeat to Francis, stopping the 36 year old on an eye injury in the 4th round.[5] Afterwards he was signed by Don King and ended 2001 knocking out US journeyman Shaun Robinson in two rounds on an undercard in America.[6] His tenure under King would prove to be uneventful, and he did not renew his contract at the end of 2002, a year that saw Williams retain his British and Commonwealth titles with a knockout of late sub Michael Sprott[7] and a points win over Keith Long. As this was Williams' third defence of the British title, he won the Lonsdale belt outright,[8] before dropping out of a fight in America with hard hitting South African southpaw Corrie Sanders, because it coincided with Ramadan.[citation needed]
[edit] European title shot
In February 2003 Williams travelled to Germany to fight the Turk Sinan Samil Sam for his European heavyweight title. A hot favourite, Williams was surprisingly dropped three times and stopped in six rounds.[9] In the UK, his local rivals Audley Harrison and Herbie Hide derided him in the press.
Williams returned with a fourth round stoppage of Australian Bob Mirovic to retain his Commonwealth title, then knocked out Michael Sprott in five rounds to defend his British & Commonwealth titles.
To begin 2004, Williams re-signed with Frank Warren then lost his British and Commonwealth in a third meeting with Michael Sprott via a disputed close points decision.
[edit] Tyson vs Williams
After two comeback knockout wins, Williams boxed former world champion Mike Tyson in Freedom Hall State Fairground, Louisville, Kentucky in July 2004. After staggering Williams numerous times in the first round, Tyson suffered ligament damage to his knee towards the end of the round, which hampered his ability to throw power punches. As Tyson began to tire in the fourth round, Williams threw a torrent of punches, forcing Tyson to go down. Tyson was counted out sitting with his back to the ropes and made no attempt to get to his feet while looking up at the referee.
[edit] WBC title shot
In December he finally challenged for a world heavyweight title, but Vitali Klitschko proved too much, as Williams was stopped in the 8th round.[10]
[edit] Return to domestic level
In December Williams regained his old Commonwealth belt by beating undefeated, Olympic gold medallist Audley Harrison by split decision. Williams retained the Commonwealth title with a controversial points win over undefeated Matt Skelton in March 2006. After beating Adnan Serin by a third round retirement, Williams lost His Commonwealth title by unanimous decision in a rematch with Skelton
In December 2006 when Skelton dropped out of a fight with Audley Harrison, Williams stepped in at a weeks notice, although by his own admission he had been training for eight weeks for a fight with British champion Scott Gammer. Williams lost by tko in the 3rd round, suffering a broken nose.
In March 2007 Williams regained the British title in Wales with a 9th round knockout of Scott Gammer. Williams came in at the lightest he had been since his pro debut 16 stones 4 pounds {4 stones lighter than his previous fight} after training himself for the fight just with a piece of paper that contained a conditioning programme given to him by Joe Dunbar who had worked with Lennox Lewis.
After he had watched the tape of his fight with Gammer, Williams decided he would continue boxing and took a fight with 26-1 22 KOs Ukrainian prospect Oleg Platov. He came in again at 270 lbs. Both fighters were engaged in wild exchanges from the first bell on. The Ukrainian picked up a badly-bleeding cut above the left eye following an accidental headbutt in the second round and he continued to swing wild punches but not without taking some huge shots from Williams. After 2:15 in the fourth and with the cut getting worse, the referee waved the fight off. According to the rules of the IBF, it was declared a no contest. Sauerland managing director Chris Meyer defended the decision. "The rules are clear," he said. "We had an accidental headbutt and the referee, who consulted the doctor several times, ruled he could not continue to protect his health. Speaking exclusively to SecondsOut after the fight a disappointed Williams said: “He (Platov) was looking for a way out and he got it. He knew the rules and worked them. He was starting to tire and knew it was only a matter of time before I knocked him out. ...I found it slow in the early rounds but I when I got going I started to get on top. He knew I was gonna knock him out and he was looking for a way out. I’m not sure whether or not it was a punch or a head clash that cut him in the second round. It took be a little while to get going but I really enjoyed it, it was a great fight while it lasted. But he was looking for a way out. He kept falling to the floor and it was only a matter of time before I knocked him out.”[citation needed]
On 30 May 2008 Williams defeated unbeaten German, Konstantin Airich in a highly controversial fight. Williams had a total of 3 points deducted in rounds 2 and 5[11] creating a feeling afterwards that the referee was blatantly on the side of the German. In addition he was given 2 standing 8 counts by the referee in round 3 despite not actually being knocked down or touching the canvas, and was also counted after slipping in round 4.[12] After managing to fight back and score a knockdown himself in round 5, in the 6th round Williams unleashed a series of extremely punishing blows on his opponent sending him reeling across the ring At this point Airich's promoter Ahmet Oner controversially ran over and rang the timekeeper's bell himself to end the round and save his fighter, even though there was still 1:28 left to go in the round.[13] Despite this confusion the fight continued after the shortened 6th round and after seeing his man absorb more heavy punishment in the next round Oner eventually threw in the towel handing Williams a 7th round TKO victory.
In the aftermath of the fight Williams was extremely critical of the performance of both the referee and fight promoters, and has called for the British Boxing Board of Control to conduct an immediate investigation into the fight.[14][15]
Williams faced John McDermott at Goresbrook Leisure Centre, Dagenham on 18 July 2008. Despite being deducted three points in rounds eleven and twelve, he defeated McDermott in a majority points decision.
[edit] Williams vs Sosnowski
He was due to face John McDermott in a rematch at York Hall on 8 November 2008, but McDermott withdrew due to a rib injury. Williams also faced a bout with Francois Botha on 30 November 2008 in Egypt.[16] Polish fighter Albert Sosnowski was called in as a late replacement for McDermott.
Williams suffered a shock defeat by 8th round TKO and as a result the Botha fight was called off. The McDermott rematch was finally arranged for the 2 May 2009 in a defence of the British Heavyweight Championship belt that Williams held. Williams won the match on split decision.
[edit] Prizefighter
Williams took part in the Prizefighter tournament on 2 October 2009. In the run up to the tournament Williams said he would knock out Audley Harrison and show himself as the best British heavyweight. In his first bout on the night, Carl Baker from Sheffield beat Williams on points after knocking him down twice in the opening round.
[edit] Williams vs Chisora
Williams defended his British title for a third and final time against Derek Chisora on 15 May 2010. Williams lost by KO in round two. Before the fight he promised this would be his last fight, win or lose, but he has yet to announce his retirement. The fight was originally due to take place against Sam Sexton in February but was put back to May after Sexton injured his hand. Sexton withdrew from the fight again after his mother suffered a brain aneurysm and Chisora stepped in as a replacement.[17]
[edit] Comeback
Williams returned to boxing after nearly a year of inactivity with a 2nd Round TKO victory over German Frank Kary Roth in Bielefeld on March 5, 2011. On April 9, he scored his second KO win since his comeback. He won a 1 round KO against Hungarian Laszlo Toth. On June 25 Williams suffered a bad TKO defeat against Manuel Charr. He lost by TKO in round 7.[18] Hen Then won a SD against Alfred Cole on September 3, in Sweden. He is now scheduled to fight the Norwegian heavyweight boxer Leif Olve Dolonen Larsen in Pabellon Municipal, Silla, Valencia, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain on Friday December 2nd, 2011.
December 8th, 2011, Williams announces his retirement.
[edit] Islam
Williams is a devout Muslim and was first drawn to Islam while abroad, "I went to Turkey and heard the Adhan" he explained. "I was a Christian at the time and I got goose bumps and carried on looking into Islam and I just felt this was the way of life for me and this was the way of life for God."[19]
[edit] Professional boxing record
| 44 Wins (33 knockouts, 11 decisions), 10 Losses, 0 Draws[20] | |||||||
| Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round | Date | Location | Notes |
| Lose | 44–11 1 NC |
 Leif Larsen |
TKO | 2 (8) | 2011-12-02 |  Pabellon Municipal, Silla, Valencia, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain |
|
| Win | 44–10 1 NC |
 Alfred Cole |
SD | 6 (6) | 2011-09-03 |  Karlstad CCC, Karlstad, Sweden |
|
| Lose | 43–10 1 NC |
 Manuel Charr |
TKO | 7 (10) | 2011-06-25 |  Lanxess-Arena, Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany |
|
| Win | 43–9 1 NC |
 Laszlo Toth |
KO | 1 (10) N/A |
2011-04-09 | Class, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany |
|
| Win | 42–9 1 NC |
Frank Kary Roth |
TKO | 2 (6) 1:25 |
2011-03-05 | Sportpalast, Bielefeld, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany |
|
| Lose | 41–9 1 NC |
Derek Chisora |
TKO | 2 (12) 1:41 |
2010-05-15 | Boleyn Ground, Upton Park, London, England |
Lost British heavyweight title. |
| Lose | 41–8 1 NC |
Carl Baker (boxer) |
UD | 3 (3) | 2009-10-02 | ExCel Arena, Dockland, London, England |
'Prizefighter' Heavyweight Tournament Quarter-Final. |
| Win | 41–7 1 NC |
John McDermott |
SD | 12 (12) | 2009-05-02 | Crowtree Leisure Centre, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England |
Retained British heavyweight title. |
| Lose | 40–7 1 NC |
 Albert Sosnowski |
TKO | 8 (10) 1:17 |
2008-11-08 | York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England |
|
| Win | 40–6 1 NC |
John McDermott |
MD | 12 (12) | 2008-07-18 | Goresbrook Leisure Centre, Dagenham, Essex, England |
Retained British heavyweight title. |
| Win | 39–6 1 NC |
Konstantin Airich |
TKO | 7 (8) 3:00 |
2008-05-30 | Pabellon Lasesarre, Baracaldo, País Vasco, Spain |
|
| Win | 38–6 1 NC |
Marcus McGee |
UD | 6 (6) | 2008-04-12 | St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, Florida, United States |
|
| NC | 37–6 1 NC |
 Oleg Platov |
NC | 4 (12) | 2007-12-08 |  St. Jakob Halle, Basel, Switzerland |
For IBF Inter-Continental heavyweight title. |
| Win | 37–6 |  Scott Gammer |
KO | 9 (12) 1:58 |
2007-03-02 | Neath Sports Centre, Neath, Wales |
Won British heavyweight title. |
| Lose | 36–6 | Audley Harrison |
TKO | 3 (12) 2:32 |
2006-12-09 | ExCel Arena, Dockland, London, England |
|
| Lose | 36–5 | Matt Skelton |
UD | 12 (12) | 2006-07-08 | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales |
Lost Commonwealth heavyweight title. |
| Win | 36–4 |  Adnan Serin |
RTD | 3 (10) | 2006-05-20 |  Kings Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland |
|
| Win | 35–4 | Matt Skelton |
SD | 12 (12) | 2006-02-25 | ExCel Arena, Dockland, London, England |
Retained Commonwealth heavyweight title. |
| Win | 34–4 | Audley Harrison |
SD | 12 (12) | 2005-12-10 | ExCel Arena, Dockland, London, England |
Won vacant Commonwealth heavyweight title. |
| Win | 33–4 | Zoltan Petranyi |
TKO | 3 (8) 1:24 |
2005-06-04 | M.E.N. Arena, Manchester, England |
|
| Lose | 32–4 | Vitali Klitschko |
TKO | 8 (12) 1:26 |
2004-12-11 | Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
For WBC heavyweight title. |
| Win | 32–3 | Mike Tyson |
KO | 4 (10) 2:51 |
2004-07-30 | Freedom Hall State Fairgrounds, Louisville, Kentucky, United States |
|
| Win | 31–3 |  Augustin N'Gou |
TKO | 3 (12) | 2004-05-13 | York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England |
|
| Win | 30–3 |  Ratko Draskovic |
TKO | 1 (8) | 2004-04-01 | York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England |
|
| Lose | 29–3 | Michael Sprott |
PTS | 12 (12) | 2004-01-24 | Conference Centre, Wembley, London, England |
Lost British & Commonwealth heavyweight titles. |
| Win | 29–2 | Michael Sprott |
TKO | 5 (12) | 2003-09-26 | Rivermead Leisure Centre, Reading, Berkshire, England |
Retained British & Commonwealth heavyweight titles. |
| Win | 28–2 |  Bob Mirovic |
TKO | 4 (12) 2:33 |
2003-04-26 | Fountain Leisure Centre, Brentford, London, England |
Retained Commonwealth heavyweight title. |
| Lose | 27–2 | Sinan Samil Sam |
TKO | 6 (12) 2:56 |
2003-02-08 | Estrel Convention Center, Neukoelln, Berlin, Germany |
For European heavyweight title. |
| Win | 27–1 | Keith Long |
PTS | 12 (12) | 2002-09-17 | York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England |
Retained British & Commonwealth heavyweight titles. |
| Win | 26–1 | Michael Sprott |
TKO | 7 (12) | 2002-02-12 | York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England |
Retained British & Commonwealth heavyweight titles. |
| Win | 25–1 | Shawn Robinson |
TKO | 2 (8) 2:21 |
2001-12-15 | Foxwoods Resort, Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States |
|
| Win | 24–1 | Julius Francis |
TKO | 4 (12) 2:15 |
2001-07-28 | Conference Centre, Wembley, London, England |
Retained British & Commonwealth heavyweight titles. |
| Win | 23–1 | Kali Meehan |
TKO | 1 (12) 0:32 |
2001-06-09 | York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England |
Retained Commonwealth heavyweight title. |
| Win | 22–1 | Mark Potter |
TKO | 6 (12) 2:41 |
2000-10-21 | Conference Centre, Wembley, London, England |
Won vacant British & retained Commonwealth heavyweight titles. |
| Win | 21–1 | Quinn Navarre |
TKO | 6 (8) | 2000-09-23 | York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England |
|
| Win | 20–1 | Craig Bowen-Price |
KO | 1 (8) 2:13 |
2000-06-24 |  Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland |
|
| Win | 19–1 | Michael Murray |
KO | 6 (10) | 2000-05-06 | Ballsporthalle, Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany |
|
| Win | 18–1 |  Anton Nel |
KO | 5 (8) 2:29 |
2000-02-19 | Goresbrook Leisure Centre, Dagenham, Essex, England |
|
| Win | 17–1 | Harry Senior |
PTS | 12 (12) | 1999-12-18 | Elephant & Castle Centre, Southwark, London, England |
Won vacant Commonwealth heavyweight title. |
| Win | 16–1 | Ferenc Deak |
KO | 1 (8) | 1999-10-02 |  Namur, Namur, Belgium |
|
| Lose | 15–1 | Julius Francis |
PTS | 12 (12) | 1999-04-03 | Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England |
For British & Commonwealth heavyweight titles. |
| Win | 15–0 |  Antoine Palatis |
UD | 12 (12) | 1998-10-10 | York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England |
Won vacant WBO Inter-Continental heavyweight title. |
| Win | 14–0 |  Juan Antonio Diaz |
KO | 3 (8) | 1998-05-16 | York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England |
|
| Win | 13–0 | Shane Woollas |
TKO | 2 (8) | 1998-02-21 | Waterfront Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland |
|
| Win | 12–0 | Derek Amos |
TKO | 4 (8) | 1997-12-19 | Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States |
|
| Win | 11–0 | Bruce Douglas |
TKO | 2 (8) | 1997-11-15 | Whitchurch Leisure Centre, Bristol, Avon, England |
|
| Win | 10–0 | Roger McKenzie |
TKO | 2 (8) | 1997-07-19 | Wembley Arena, Wembley, London, England |
|
| Win | 9–0 | Albert Call |
TKO | 4 (6) | 1997-05-03 | Nynex Arena, Manchester, England |
|
| Win | 8–0 | Shane Woollas |
KO | 2 (6) | 1997-02-08 | New London Arena, Millwall, London, England |
|
| Win | 7–0 | Michael Murray |
TKO | 1 (4) | 1996-11-09 | Nynex Arena, Manchester, England |
|
| Win | 6–0 | Andy Lambert |
TKO | 2 (4) | 1996-08-31 | The Point, Dublin, Ireland |
|
| Win | 5–0 | John Pierre |
PTS | 4 (4) | 1996-07-13 | York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England |
|
| Win | 4–0 | James Wilder |
PTS | 4 (4) | 1996-03-09 | Green Glens Arena, Millstreet, Ireland |
|
| Win | 3–0 | Alvin Miller |
TKO | 1 (4) | 1996-02-13 | York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England |
|
| Win | 2–0 | Joey Paladino |
TKO | 1 (4) | 1995-12-09 | York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England |
|
| Win | 1–0 | Vance Idiens |
KO | 2 (4) | 1995-10-21 | York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England |
Professional debut. |
[edit] References
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://michaelhellietmanagement.com/Boxer.aspx?ID=18
- ^ "Hero Williams pulls out victory". BBC Sport. 21 October 2000. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/984091.stm.
- ^ "Williams wants Audley fight". BBC Sport. 10 June 2001. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/1381867.stm.
- ^ "Sweet revenge for Williams". BBC Sport. 28 July 2001. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/1462618.stm.
- ^ "Ruiz retains WBA title". BBC Sport. 16 December 2001. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/1713737.stm.
- ^ "Williams retains heavyweight crowns". BBC Sport. 12 February 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/1809388.stm.
- ^ "Williams retains British title". BBC Sport. 17 September 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/2254305.stm.
- ^ "Williams stopped in Berlin". BBC Sport. 13 February 2003. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/2739785.stm.
- ^ Trickett, Alex (12 December 2004). "Exposed Williams hits Klitschko wall". BBC Sport. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/4089453.stm.
- ^ Davies, Gareth A (2008-06-02). "Danny Williams requests fight investigation". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/sport/2008/06/02/uobox102.xml.[dead link]
- ^ Williams-Airich Video: Watch an amazing heavyweight battle as Danny Williams takes on Konstantin Airich, the referee and others!
- ^ "Williams to lodge fight complaint". BBC Sport. 2 June 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/7431510.stm. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
- ^ Boxing: Williams lodges complaint - Setanta Sports
- ^ Danny Williams Demands Investigation of Airich Bout - Boxing News
- ^ "Williams slams ref over Mcdermott bout". Boxing Scene. 19 July 2008. http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=15020. Retrieved 19 July 2008.
- ^ "Sam Sexton withdraws from Danny Williams title fight". BBC Sport. 2 May 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/8656949.stm.
- ^ http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/results-from-cologne-88045
- ^ "Williams on Islam". BBC. 10 July 2005. http://www.bbc.co.uk/threecounties/content/articles/2005/10/07/danny_williams_071005_feature.shtml. Retrieved 10 July 2005.
- ^ http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=6522&cat=boxer
[edit] External links
| Vacant
Title last held by
Julius Francis |
Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion 18 December 1999 - 24 January 2004 |
Succeeded by Michael Sprott |
| Vacant
Title last held by
Mike Holden |
British Heavyweight Champion 21 October 2000 - 24 January 2004 |
|
| Vacant
Title last held by
Matt Skelton |
Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion 10 December 2005 - 8 July 2006 |
Succeeded by Matt Skelton |
| Preceded by Scott Gammer |
British Heavyweight Champion 22 March 2007 - 15 May 2010 |
Succeeded by Dereck Chisora |
