Photo courtesy of ESPN
Thomas Williams Jr. (16-0, 11 KOs) knocked out Cornelius White (21-3, 16 KOs) in the main event of the January 24, 2014 edition of Friday Night Fights.
After only thirty seconds of the first round, Williams scored a knockdown with a straight left hand.. Williams, who evidently smelled blood and went for the kill, got a little careless and was himself knocked down by a left hook.
In his post-fight interview, Williams conceded that the knockdown was caused more by his own recklessness than by White’s skill.
“He caught me with a punch. It happens in boxing,” admitted Williams. “It’s a bout what you do after.”
Indeed, when Williams got off the canvas he knocked White down again, following it with a barrage that forced the referee to stop the fight.
Williams is now the NABO Light Heavyweight champion and seeks to challenge WBO Light Heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev by the end of the year.
Williams argued that it took Kovalev three rounds to defeat White, while it took him only one. Whether or not that logic will hold in a possible showdown with Kovavlev remains to be seen.
Rico Ramos (23-3, 12 KOs) defeated Johnathan Arellano (14-3-2, 3 KOs) via unanimous decision in Feather weight bout.
Arellano managed to display a strong will to win, going the distance in a fight in which he was knocked down three times. Arrellano had no answers for Ramos’ left hook, which landed nearly at will.
Ramos simply was a puzzle Arellano could not figure out.
