STEVIE WILLIAMS has urged British champion Lenny Daws to “meet him in the centre of the ring” ahead of their highly anticipated title showdown this weekend.
After just nine pro fights Williams’ rocketing career takes him to the cusp of Lonsdale Belt success and Friday night’s light-welterweight domestic dust-up has got the whole industry talking..
Both fighters hate to take a backwards step, both are always super-fit and both like to throw tons of leather. Styles make fights and these are two fighters in every sense of the word.
Daws, now 31 and enjoying his second stint as British champion, loves to wear down his opponents and with just one defeat on his 20-1-2 pro record his all-action style is usually a sure fire winner.
However, Williams is adamant that he has the heart and desire to beat Daws at his own game – and in the champions backyard too – later this week.
Williams said: “I’ve trained hard, really hard. Probably the hardest I’ve ever trained because I know this is going to be the toughest fight of my career.
“We have similar styles. We both like to stand and trade and I know a lot of people in boxing are saying that this is going to be the fight of the year, and I have to agree.
“I think this is going to be a war. A matter of who wants it most and that’s what I’ve trained for.
“I’ve had good sparring with the likes of John Watson and even Shea Neary, along with my mate Wes Fleming – who is a middleweight – and a couple of John Smith’s lads too. So I’m nice and sharp.
“Everything has gone to plan and this has been my best camp since I turned over. So I’m ready.”
While Daws will undoubtedly have the home crowd behind him on Friday, after all eight of his last 11 fights have been in Bethnal Green and he lives just 13 miles away, Williams also has happy memories of the venue.
The 26-year-old captured the English title in his last fight there in February when he first entered the lion’s den to outbox another London fighter Michael Grant.
Williams adds: “I beat Grant there so York Hall doesn’t intimidate me. I’m looking forward to it.
“The atmosphere in York Hall should be electric because we both have good support while real boxing fans know that this is going to be an exciting fight.
“I have one seriously noisy travelling fanbase.
“There may only be about 100 of them on Friday but they’ll scream the house down and I know I’ll feel right at home.
“By the time they get going it will feel like I’m back fighting at the Olympia.”
To be directed to the article on Liverpool Echo.co.uk please click or paste the following link http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/boxing/2010/07/06/stevie-williams-aims-to-take-on-british-champion-lenny-daws-in-centre-of-ring-100252-26791840/