Born in Columbus, Ohio, former IBF light heavyweight champion “Prince” Charles Williams engaged in some terrific, fan-friendly fights during his 18-year pro career. Williams, who had skills, athleticism, and a heck of a fine fighting heart, went to war with the likes of Marvin Johnson (L10), James Toney (LKO12), and Merqui Sosa (7th round technical draw, the fight stopped because it was too brutal! Williams being stopped in the 7th in the return).
But it is for his two winning fights with Bobby Czyz that Williams is best known. And these two slugfests are the fights which the 61 year old is most proud of today. Looking back here, Williams – who finished with a 37-7-3(28) record, this in 1996 – recalls how he was “hurt bad” in the first war with Czyz (who is today battling cancer, with Czyz again showing the heart of a champion).
Q: Your two fights with Bobby Czyz really were action-packed – you winning the first fight via 9th round corner retirement, and the second fight via 10th round corner retirement. He had you down twice in the early going of the first fight, in October of 1987.
Prince Charles Williams: “Well, first of all, I was a 10/1 underdog in that fight. I was hurt bad in rounds two and three, no doubt about it. That fight, it really was all instinct on my part. I remember, after the fight, although I knew I’d won of course, I couldn’t remember what had happened in the fight! I had trained so hard, and to get knocked down twice and not remember…… People had to tell me after the fight that I’d been down twice. But going in, I really had no doubts I would win. I even predicted the ninth round, and I got that right, with me stopping Czyz then.”
Q: Who did you spar for that fight?
C.W: “I sparred with Bernard Hopkins, who was my number-one sparring partner. He was a great fighter, that’s why I chose him to be my sparring partner. I was so well prepared for that fight [with Czyz]. I also sparred Bert Cooper and Marvis Frazier.”
Q: The light heavyweight division was buzzing at the time, with some fine champions. Was Czyz the best of the bunch and is that why you wanted to fight him?
C.W: “I fought him because I was the top contender, so that was my opportunity, to fight for the IBF title. I had beaten James Salerno (W MD12) and that put me at number-one. I had turned pro at age 16, and I had worked my way up, with some setbacks along the way. I just wanted to fight, and I wasn’t bothered who I fought. I have no regrets because those fights, they made me the man I am today. Czyz, he got a great start, knocking me down, and I got right back up. He had good power, but all my hard work paid off. After I was able to survive those early knockdowns, my condition came into it. I was out, and when he hit me again it woke me up! From then on, it all turned around in my favour. He didn’t know how to defend himself against my jab, my uppercut. He couldn’t deal with that.”
Q: Round three was special, with him hurting you again and then you tearing right back at him.
C.W: “Yeah, if I hadn’t had great trainers and if I hadn’t worked so hard, I wouldn’t have won. I had better boxing skills [than him]. He didn’t know how to box. That’s the difference between me and him. He was tough himself, and we both made for a good fight. But I was the better man, the better boxer, and the more determined man.”
Q: Going in, Czyz was saying that after he beat you he’d get a big fight with Thomas Hearns. How come you never got Hearns?
C.W: “He avoided me. His manager [Emanuel Steward] did not want that fight. The thing is, Hearns didn’t have no chin. I would have stopped him. And another fight I wanted, I had signed a contract to fight Michael Moorer, and then they called me and said they’d pay me some money to get out [of the fight]. He didn’t want the fight. I wanted to fight the other champions. I wanted Tommy Hearns. Ray Leonard, he signed to fight Donny Lalonde. I could never get a big, big fight.”
Q: You beat Czyz again in the rematch in 1989. Was it just as tough?
C.W: “I was the favourite this time. He was a warrior, and don’t forget, he later went up to cruiserweight and even heavyweight. The second fight was easier for me, and once again he couldn’t continue. I sparred Bernard [Hopkins] again, and we did plenty of rounds. I do feel I had a better team, and I had better preparation than he [Czyz] did. The second fight, yeah I’d have to say it was pretty easy. I knew how to beat him. The first time, he knocked me down two times, in the rematch I knocked him down two times. Really, I just had his number. I really did think real stardom would come for me after those two wins. I got James Toney in the ring, but he wouldn’t come up [in weight], I had to go down to 168. I knew that would weaken me, but I had to take that payday. I knew I would have beaten him at 175 pounds, but at his weight, I knew I’d be done after six if I never got him out.”