Professional Boxer. A top-ranked contender of the Heavyweight Division, he was widely regarded as being one of the greatest fighters who evaded a world championship. His title bout against Larry Holmes on May 20th, 1985 was of historic significance due to the fact that it was the final championship contest which reached 15 rounds. The native of Florida moved to New York during the late 1970s and went on to yield a successful amateur career, as he captured two New York Golden Gloves Championships. He racked up sixteen consecutive victories after turning professional in 1982 and earned a chance against Holmes for the IBF Heavyweight Title. The fight ended with a close 15 round decision loss. Williams would capture the USBA Heavyweight Crown with an 8th-round stoppage of Bert Cooper (1987) and won a 12-round decision over Heavyweight Champion Trevor Berbick (1988). He met Mike Tyson on July 21st, 1989 to battle for the WBC, WBA and IBF Heavyweight Titles and lost in a technical knockout during the 1st round. Williams insisted that he was able to continue but the contest was ruled over when referee Randy Neumann decided it would be best to end the fight. His final bout of substance was against world champion Tim Witherspoon (1991) for the USBA Title in which he lost a 12th-round split decision. He retired from boxing in 1997 after compiling a 30 win (21 knockout), 10 loss record. After retiring from boxing, he suffered bankruptcy when the money he earned was mishandled by others. He worked as a security guard at "Ground Zero" in New York City. He died following a lengthy battle with esophageal cancer.
Professional Boxer. A top-ranked contender of the Heavyweight Division, he was widely regarded as being one of the greatest fighters who evaded a world championship. His title bout against Larry Holmes on May 20th, 1985 was of historic significance due to the fact that it was the final championship contest which reached 15 rounds. The native of Florida moved to New York during the late 1970s and went on to yield a successful amateur career, as he captured two New York Golden Gloves Championships. He racked up sixteen consecutive victories after turning professional in 1982 and earned a chance against Holmes for the IBF Heavyweight Title. The fight ended with a close 15 round decision loss. Williams would capture the USBA Heavyweight Crown with an 8th-round stoppage of Bert Cooper (1987) and won a 12-round decision over Heavyweight Champion Trevor Berbick (1988). He met Mike Tyson on July 21st, 1989 to battle for the WBC, WBA and IBF Heavyweight Titles and lost in a technical knockout during the 1st round. Williams insisted that he was able to continue but the contest was ruled over when referee Randy Neumann decided it would be best to end the fight. His final bout of substance was against world champion Tim Witherspoon (1991) for the USBA Title in which he lost a 12th-round split decision. He retired from boxing in 1997 after compiling a 30 win (21 knockout), 10 loss record. After retiring from boxing, he suffered bankruptcy when the money he earned was mishandled by others. He worked as a security guard at "Ground Zero" in New York City. He died following a lengthy battle with esophageal cancer.
Bio by: C.S.
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