A Boxing Memory: Mike Tyson vs Danny Williams

A Boxing Memory: Mike Tyson vs Danny Williams

Danny Williams had a pre-fight dream that he would knock out Mike Tyson. In truth, that looked all it could ever be. A dream, a fantasy not born on any semblance of reality. Three fights before Matt Skelton had outpointed Williams. The two fights after offered little hope of a seismic upset. But in Louisville, Kentucky in 2004 we saw a different Williams, and even more crucially, a different version of Tyson. Although, the irreversible slide to normality and beyond had long been visible.

This wasn’t the rampaging Tyson of old. Williams was honest after stopping Tyson in four sensational almost unbelievable rounds. The British heavyweight was even embarrassed to a degree by it. Williams said he wouldn’t have lasted a round if it was the Tyson of old he had faced in that American ring, and not just the old tired version, who was now fighting for the money he so badly needed to pay off his ever-mounting debts.

Tyson 38, had debts and plenty of them, reportedly in the region of $43 million The latest Tyson comeback carried the label of ‘The Bankruptcy Bouts’ in many ways, a sign of the times. A lawsuit against former promoter Don King was in play. The former heavyweight champion of the world was now just in it for the money. The love for combat had long since gone. Add to that his patented party lifestyle. The Tyson freefall didn’t need any benefit of hindsight. Freddie Roach was the voice in the corner, the latest trainer to try and stop what started long before the Tokyo disaster. But nobody could have saved Tyson from himself.

There was a rematch with Lennox Lewis on the table, with the big money that would have gone a long way to solving at least some of his financial woes. But Tyson felt he needed time and a few more fights, although in his autobiography Tyson said he was more interested in drugs than fighting period. But if he was after a little easy money before another seemingly humbling defeat against Lewis, he would be badly mistaken.

In truth, Tyson’s gambling of his fighting future looked to be a safe enough bet. Williams was a 9-1 betting outsider to upset the future plans of Tyson. The points loss to Skelton earlier in 2004 was worrying enough but a 6th round-stoppage defeat to Sinan Samil Sam in 2003 for the European title made even those long odds seemed not long enough. Make no mistake, Williams was there for a reason. The British heavyweight was there to lose. And in some style. But Williams had found belief where perhaps it had failed him before. There was nothing to lose and everything to gain for Williams. He saw it as an opportunity to leave the domestic scene behind and gatecrash the world heavyweight title picture. And Williams trained with that thought. A win in the same city where Muhammad Ali was born and made his professional debut would change his career trajectory in an instant.

Tyson was coming through his bankruptcy hearing, but if he thought signing to fight the former British heavyweight champion would be a new beginning to his boxing career he would be disappointed. Tyson said he was doing drugs right up until the fight, and when Tyson suffered a serious knee injury in the closing seconds of the opening round that he had dominated, Williams was very much in the right place at the right time.

Williams survived those dangerous early stages of the fight, but there were times when his survival looked unlikely. Tyson hurt him several times with the type of thudding punches that had finished many a fighter over the course of Tyson’s career. A left hook and a big booming uppercut had the Jim McDonnell trained-fighter in all sorts of trouble and the end looked near. But Williams held when he needed to, and once the storm had passed, the seemingly impossible always looked more than probable. Instead of fighting for survival Williams suddenly started fighting to win, standing his ground with Tyson and landing enough shots of his own to give hope. In the 3rd round, Williams had points deducted for low blows and a late punch. But Tyson was fading. And quickly.

By round 4, Tyson was swinging heavily trying to find the one punch that would save his night. And his career. But Williams was now in control and as the round was closing he unleashed a salvo of punches that put the former two-time heavyweight champion of the world on the floor and when he eventually managed to climb off the canvas the fight was over. With nine seconds left in the round, Williams had done the unthinkable.

Tyson went further into his self-inflicted oblivion, an $80 million deal with Bob Arum was lost because of the defeat to Williams, he had one more fight, but when Kevin McBride repeated what Williams had done, even he had seen enough. His career had ended with three defeats in his final four fights. In later years Tyson would find some semblance of peace when many would have predicted a different ending to his story.

The upset win over Tyson earned Williams a fight with Vitali Klitschko for the WBC heavyweight championship of the world. Williams was brave but ultimately he was in way over his head. Williams was down multiple times before the end came in round 8 when he was on the floor once more and the referee wisely waved the fight off. Williams showed immense bravery against Klitschko, at times it was deeply uncomfortable viewing and it was a night when he didn’t know when to quit. And that would be the story for the rest of his career. Williams traded wins and losses with Matt Skelton and Audley Harrison over the next few years, but his career got sadder with every passing year. Williams kept fighting long past the point of no return. He went on the road finding any remote place that would grant him a boxing licence. The odd pointless win was surrounded by many more defeats on that road to nowhere. Williams was still fighting in 2022, a points defeat to Nelson Hysa is hopefully where it ends. It needs to.