Williams heavier than ever for win-or-bust with Skelton
The Guardian – United Kingdom; Jul 16, 2005
Danny Williams resurrected a faltering career and became a nationally
recognised face when he defeated Mike Tyson only a year ago with a
performance that, at the time, shocked the world, writes John Rawling
However, the Brixton heavyweight, who scaled a career-heaviest 20st
3lb, says he will quit if he fails to defeat Matt Skelton, 18st 2lb,
tonight in a British and Commonwealth heavyweight title fight.
Williams, 32, cashed in on his fame with a world title shot against
the World Boxing Council champion Vitali Klitschko in December but was
given a savage beating by the Ukrainian and was stopped in the eighth.
“There would be nowhere for me to go if I cannot beat Skelton,” says
Williams. “I feel very sharp and powerful, and I’m in just as good
shape as I was for Tyson and Klitschko. I’ve been told he’s going
to come and attack, so it will be a serious fight. He knows he can’t
outbox me, and I intend to stay in front of him and make it a war.”
Skelton, who admits to being 38, was a late starter after a career
as a kick-boxer in Japan. He has stopped 15 of his 16 opponents and
outpointed the other, although he recognises that Williams is the
most accomplished boxer he has faced. “I know what I have to do.
People say I am a messy fighter and that I don’t have a good style,
but I don’t care.”
The bookmaker Stan James makes Skelton the 6-4 on favourite, though
Williams has more class. The odds reflect a suspicion that the
Klitschko defeat may have been damaging psychologically. At his best
Williams would prevail but Skelton, whose camp claimed that Williams
had weights under his shorts at the weigh-in, might be the hungrier
and may win on points.
Howard Eastman defends the European middleweight title against the
undefeated Armenian Arthur Abraham in Nuremberg this evening in his
first contest since losing on points five months ago against the
world middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins.
Abraham, 25, is undefeated, with a reputation as a big puncher, but
the Hopkins reverse was only Eastman’s second in 42 contests and as
he has operated at a very much higher level he should be able to box
his way to a wide points victory.
Hopkins defends his title, for the 21st time, against the undefeated
Jermain Taylor in Las Vegas. Taylor is a heavy puncher but Hopkins,
40, may still have the craft for a points win that would set up a
finale with Roy Jones Jr, the last man to beat him – in 1993.