Former amateur standout Austin “Ammo” Williams came to boxing late but the unbeaten Middleweight is showing that he’s a quick study
To compare 23-year old Middleweight Austin Williams, at just 5-0, to three-division champion James “Lights Out” Toney could be a reach. That gesture of praise could be unfair to the young Houston-based southpaw.
However, parallels do exist between the two. Each man dabbled in collegiate sports prior to committing to the sweet science full-time. Neither had lengthy amateur backgrounds. And, while they’re polar opposites in this regard, both men are charismatic.
With boxing at a standstill, like all sports, as a result of the ongoing covid-19 pandemic, Williams is unable work at his craft. He can’t begin to gain any ground on Toney’s 92 total fights. Once the sports world restarts it sounds like the kid has the right mindset to begin chasing down title contention. Toney has Williams beat in this area, as the former Middleweight lineal titleholder defeated Micheal Nunn in 1991 to win his first title at age 22.
Williams recently appeared on a live stream with Bite Down Boxing on the Pay Me No Mind YouTube channel. He can’t match the age Toney won his first title, but throughout his hour-plus interview Williams reiterated his eagerness to showcase his skills in the biggest fights possible.
Last April at the time of the announcement of Williams’ new promotional deal, his manager Sam Katkovski was spot on. He forewarned fans, “Austin Williams possesses all the qualities you want in a fighter.”
“Beyond his viciousness in the ring, he will amaze fans with his personality and quickly become must-see TV.”
With four knockouts in his first five fights, Williams’ talent appears to be translating to the pro ranks. Enjoy watching the growth inside the ring. However, don’t overlook his ability to express himself away from the action.
Any one of several impressive quotes from the interview could’ve been highlighted in this piece. But, this writer wouldn’t want to hinder Williams’ start at accomplishing his lofty goals. The coronavirus already blocked his in-ring growth when a bout planned for mid-March was cancelled.
Use the time-stamps from Williams’ interview below in order to go directly to the interesting talking points from the rising talent.
| 15:00 | When he signed his promotional deal with Matchroom Boxing USA he said, "My goal is to be the greatest, most influential fighter of all time." |
|---|---|
| 19:20 | Williams walked BDB through his decisions to pass on Premier Boxing Champions and Top Rank, and detailed the aspects that appealed to him about Matchroom and DAZN. |
| 27:19 | The exact moment that triggered Williams' decision to leave Team USA Boxing. |
| 32:20 | How the covid-19 induced work stoppage is impacting him at such an early stage of his career. |
| 38:50 | The benefit of being able to box full-time as a result of how his deal was set up, and the reason he can use this downtime to return to action 100 percent healthy. |
| 40:30 | Williams traveled to the UK last October and benefited from face-time with his promoter Eddie Hearn, prepping Regis Prograis for his Lightweight championship unification bout with Josh Taylor, and experiencing UK fight fans. |
| 51:50 | Discussed his maturation from his fourth fight in the UK, and returning Jan. 30 in Miami, Florida versus Donald Sanchez for a surgical TKO4 performance. |
| 61:00 | Williams discussed his outlook towards the Middleweight division, and his optimism that lucrative fights versus several of his peers will be possible if guys like Diego Pacheco, Nakita Ababiy, Edgar Berlanga continue to do their jobs. |
