by James Slater – Danny Williams, the reigning British heavyweight champion, has been quiet and very much out of sight recently, yet he has broken his silence and given an exclusive interview with Box Rec.com. And the 36-year-old former Commonwealth champion and former world and European title challenger sure had some interesting things to say..
First of all, Williams, 41-8(31) has made it clear how his next fight, a defence of his British title against the unbeaten Derek “Del Boy” Chisora, will be his last-ever fight. “The Brixton Bomber” also informed the website how, after the May 15th clash with the 26-year-old, he will “take a two week course in order to pursue a career as a professional bodyguard.”
This will be some career change for the likeable and often exciting Williams! But first he must get the fight with Chisora out of the way – Chisora being a fighter Williams refers to as “disrespectful.” Big Danny, inactive since his shock points defeat to Carl “The Fridge” Baker in an attempt at winning “Prizefighter” back in October of last year, wants very much to go out in style by adding a 1 to the end of Chisora’s record; presently perfect at 12-0(7). But can he do it?
Williams, who was originally set to face Sam Sexton on the May 15th bill (topped by Michael Katsidis-Kevin Mitchell), will now face Chisora – who, by the way, TKO’d Sexton in 2008; the only man to have beaten him as a pro. Sexton had to pull out of the Williams fight due to his mother being seriously ill, and now Williams gets the chance to face the man he was supposed to have fought back in February, when Danny himself fell ill with a bad cold (there really has been no end of postponements and cancellations with these three British heavyweights!)
As good as he has been for the British scene, and as likeable as he is as a person, it would be nice to see Williams go out with at the very least a respectable showing. However, in the talented (if still unproven at top level) Chisora, Williams will be facing a man ten years his junior. Not only that, but Williams looked quite awful back in October, when relative non-puncher Baker had him down twice in the 1st-round of their three-rounder. Looking a “shot” fighter – something he later confessed to being – Danny’s punch resistance seemed to have completely deserted him. Maybe the seven month rest will have done the one-time conqueror of Mike Tyson a power of good, but the May 15th fight looks like an uphill battle for him to me.
Chisora, who took care of Baker inside two-rounds in his last outing back in February (when he was meant to have faced Danny), may not be a lethal banger, but he is young, fast, and hungry. As much as I like Williams, I can see only one winner.
What’s that old saying the trainers and experts have – when a fighter is talking about retirement he already knows he’s done. I feel this is very much the case with Williams. Maybe, maybe, he can make it an interesting fight and test Chisora, even take him into the deep waters of the later rounds (Chisora has never been past the 8th), but I can’t see a Williams win.
But even if Williams does lose he can retire with his head held high. He fought the best, almost always gave his all and he was as brave as can be (who can ever forget the way he kept getting back up after the mighty Vitali Klitschko smashed him to the canvas again and again in December of 2004?) Also, Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno aside, there are no other recent British heavyweights with as impressive a CV to their name as the one Williams has.
Look for Chisora to get the stoppage, in around six or seven rounds, and for Williams to then return to public life as a modern day Mr. T!