DaVarryl Williamson

Last updated

DaVarryl Williamson
Born
DaVarryl Jerome Williamson

July 25, 1968 (1968-07-25) (age 56)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Other namesTouch Of Sleep [1] [2]
Statistics
Weight(s) Heavyweight
Height6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Reach80 in (203 cm)
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights35
Wins27
Wins by KO23
Losses8
Draws0

DaVarryl Jerome Williamson (born July 25, 1968) [3] is an American former professional boxer. A highly-touted amateur, he challenged once for the IBF world heavyweight title in 2005.

Contents

Early and personal life

Williamson was raised in poverty in the inner city Washington D.C., born to a mother addicted to drugs and a criminal father. He spent his youth moving between foster homes and between schools until his father chose to resume contact at the age of 11. An accomplished high school football star, he attended Rochester Community and Technical College in Minnesota on a scholarship. Williamson later transferred on a scholarship to play for NCAA Division II Wayne State College in Nebraska, graduating in 1993. [1]

He is married to Jennifer Williamson. [4]

Boxing career

Amateur career

Williamson started boxing as an amateur at the age of 25. [1] In January 1995, he received an offer to join the U.S. Olympic Education Center in Marquette, Michigan, in order to qualify at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Williamson failed to qualify, but joined the team as an alternate. [1] Standing 6 ft 3 in tall, Williamson gained popularity for his punching power, mainly for his clubbing right-hand haymaker, which became known as "Touch of Sleep". [1] [2] As an amateur, Williamson won the National Golden Gloves heavyweight championships in 1996 and 1999, and United States national amateur championships in 1996, 1997 and 1998 and built a record of 120 wins, 17 losses and 1 draw, with 103 wins coming by knockout (88% KO rate). [1]

Highlights

1996 Olympic Trials Heavyweight

1996 Challengers Olympics Heavyweight

1996 Olympics Heavyweight Box-Offs

1997 United States Heavyweight Championships

1997 World Championships in Budapest (Heavyweight)

1998 Tournament in Tampere, Finland (Heavyweight)

1998 United States Heavyweight Championships

1998 Goodwill Games (Heavyweight)

1999: United States Heavyweight Championships

1999: Golden Gloves (Heavyweight)

1999 Multi-National Tournament in Liverpool, England (Heavyweight:)

2000 Olympic Trials Heavyweight

2000 Challengers Round Olympic Trials Heavyweight

Professional career

Williamson made his professional debut in 2000 at the age of 32. [5] He won his first eighteen fights out of 19, with 16 of them by knockout (KO) inside the first five rounds [6] before facing another undefeated hard-hitting heavyweight Joe Mesi. In the opening minute, Mesi hit Williamson with a right-left combination, unleashing a barrage of punches which ultimately put Williamson down. Davarryl was not able to get up at the count of ten, declaring Mesi the winner by first-round KO. [7]

Afterwards, Williamson defeated Kendrick Releford by fifth-round TKO and Cuban contender Eliecer Castillo by majority decision before facing Wladimir Klitschko. The fight took place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. [5] Williamson dropped Klitschko forty seconds into the fourth round, but was unable to capitalize on it. An accidental head butt in the closing seconds of the fifth round caused Klitschko bleeding from a cut above his right eye. Due to the cut, the fight was prematurely stopped, with Klitschko being declared the winner by technical decision. Two of the judges scored the fight identically 49–46 in favor of Klitschko, while the third judge had Williamson winning 48–47. [8] [9]

Just one month after the bout, Williamson defeated former world champion, 39-year old Oliver McCall, who was on the comeback trail and lost 19 lbs for this bout, by unanimous decision. [10] He then faced former world title challenger Derrick Jefferson less than three months later, stopping him in the second round. Both fights took place at Madison Square Garden. [5] Following the win over Jefferson, Williamson received a title shot against Chris Byrd for the IBF world heavyweight title. The bout took place in Reno, Nevada, and was the main event of Don King's card that included James Toney fighting Dominick Guinn. [11] The fight, which some observers expected to be "explosive", was marked by a series of feints and clinches. [12] The bout went full twelve rounds, with Byrd being declared the winner by unanimous decision, with two judges scoring the fight 116–112 and one judge scoring it 115–113. The end of the fight was followed with boos from the crowd. [12] Following the fight it was revealed Williamson had postponed elbow surgery.

Following the loss, Williamson won two fights, beating journeyman Maurice Wheeler and undefeated prospect Mike Mollo within four rounds each, [5] before facing former world title challenger Kali Meehan on October 6, 2007 at Madison Square Garden. Williamson, who was 39 years old at the time, lost by sixth-round TKO. [5] He got his last chance to fight for the title in 2009, facing Ray Austin in the WBC heavyweight title eliminator, but was stopped in the fourth round. [13] After that, Williamson fought sporadically, having fought three times before retiring in 2014 after losing to Eric Molina at the age of 45. [5]

Professional boxing record

27 Wins (23 knockouts, 4 decisions), 8 Losses (6 knockouts, 2 decisions) [3]
ResultRecordOpponentTypeRoundDateLocationNotes
Loss27-8 Flag of the United States.svg Eric Molina TKO510/05/2014 Flag of the United States.svg USC Galen Center, Los Angeles
Loss27-7 Flag of the United States.svg Tony Grano KO423/06/2012 Flag of the United States.svg Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hollywood, Hollywood, Florida For WBC NABF Heavyweight Title
Win27-6 Flag of the United States.svg Michael Marrone KO723/04/2011 Flag of the United States.svg Nokia Theatre L.A. Live, Los Angeles, California Marrone knocked out at 2:30 of the seventh round.
Loss26-6 Flag of the United States.svg Ray Austin TKO431/10/2009 Flag of the United States.svg Treasure Island Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada WBC World Heavyweight Title Eliminator. Referee stopped the bout at 2:37 of the fourth round.
Win26-5 Flag of the United States.svg Carl Davis TKO524/04/2009 Flag of the United States.svg Scottrade Center, Saint Louis, Missouri Referee stopped the bout at 2:52 of the fifth round.
Win25-5 Flag of the United States.svg Cerrone FoxTKO218/09/2008 Flag of Panama.svg Figali Convention Center, Panama City
Loss24-5 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Kali Meehan TKO606/10/2007 Flag of the United States.svg Madison Square Garden, New York City WBO NABO Heavyweight Title. Referee stopped the bout at the end of the sixth round.
Win24-4 Flag of the United States.svg Maurice WheelerKO306/07/2007 Flag of the United States.svg Florida State Fairgrounds, Tampa, Florida Wheeler knocked out at 2:56 of the third round.
Win23-4 Flag of the United States.svg Mike Mollo TKO406/05/2006 Flag of the United States.svg DCU Center, Worcester, Massachusetts Referee stopped the bout at 2:59 of the fourth round.
Loss22-4 Flag of the United States.svg Chris Byrd UD1201/10/2005 Flag of the United States.svg Reno Events Center, Reno, Nevada IBF World Heavyweight Title. 112-116, 113-115, 112-116.
Win22-3 Flag of the United States.svg Derrick Jefferson TKO2 30/04/2005 Flag of the United States.svg Madison Square Garden, New York City WBC Continental Americas/WBO NABO Heavyweight Titles. Referee stopped the bout at 2:41 of the second round.
Win21-3 Flag of the United States.svg Oliver McCall UD10 13/11/2004 Flag of the United States.svg Madison Square Garden, New York City 96-94, 96-94, 97-94.
Loss20-3 Flag of Ukraine.svg Wladimir Klitschko TD502/10/2004 Flag of the United States.svg Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada Bout was stopped due to an accidental headbut. 46-49, 48-47, 46-49.
Win20-2 Flag of Cuba.svg Elieser Castillo MD1217/04/2004 Flag of the United States.svg Florida State Fairgrounds, Tampa, Florida WBC NABF/WBO Latino Heavyweight Titles. 115-111, 115-111, 113-113.
Win19-2 Flag of the United States.svg Kendrick RelefordTKO917/01/2004 Flag of the United States.svg Seminole Casino, Coconut Creek, Florida Referee stopped the bout at 2:35 of the ninth round.
Loss18-2 Flag of the United States.svg Joe Mesi KO127/09/2003 Flag of the United States.svg HSBC Arena, Buffalo, New York Williamson knocked out at 1:37 of the first round.
Win18-1 Flag of the United States.svg Robert Wiggins UD1010/01/2003 Flag of the United States.svg Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Connecticut 94-93, 97-90, 96-91.
Win17-1 Flag of the United States.svg Corey Sanders TKO526/07/2002 Flag of the United States.svg Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort, Chester, West Virginia Referee stopped the bout at the end of the fifth round.
Win16-1 Flag of the United States.svg Dale CroweTKO325/05/2002 Flag of the United States.svg Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas, Nevada Referee stopped the bout at 2:26 of the third round.
Win15-1 Flag of the United States.svg Abdul MuhayminTKO313/04/2002 Flag of the United States.svg Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort, Chester, West Virginia
Win14-1 Flag of the United States.svg Ed WhiteTKO129/03/2002 Flag of the United States.svg Denver Coliseum, Denver, Colorado
Win13-1 Flag of Ireland.svg Kevin McBride TKO518/01/2002 Flag of the United States.svg Paris Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada Referee stopped the bout at 2:48 of the fifth round.
Win12-1 Flag of the United States.svg Harold SconiersTKO130/11/2001 Flag of the United States.svg Reno Hilton Casino Resort, Reno, Nevada Referee stopped the bout at 2:59 of the first round.
Win11-1 Flag of Belarus.svg Andrei KopilouTKO316/11/2001 Flag of the United States.svg The Orleans, Las Vegas, Nevada Referee stopped the bout at 1:56 of the third round.
Win10-1 Flag of the United States.svg Derrick RyalsTKO325/08/2001 Flag of the United States.svg Flamingo Hilton, Laughlin, Nevada
Win9-1 Flag of the United States.svg Antuan ShazellTKO204/08/2001 Flag of the United States.svg United Palace Theater, Washington Heights, Manhattan
Win8-1 Flag of the United States.svg Marvin HuntTKO121/07/2001 Flag of the United States.svg Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win7-1 Flag of the United States.svg Antonio ColbertTKO106/07/2001 Flag of the United States.svg Reno Hilton Casino Resort, Reno, Nevada Referee stopped the bout at 2:00 of the first round.
Win6-1 Flag of Jamaica.svg Leroy BerbickTKO225/05/2001 Flag of the United States.svg Norfolk, Virginia Referee stopped the bout at 2:19 of the second round.
Win5-1 Flag of the United States.svg Bradley RoneUD418/03/2001 Flag of the United States.svg Riviera Casino, Black Hawk, Colorado
Win4-1 Flag of the United States.svg John Ray LewisTKO121/01/2001 Flag of the United States.svg Riviera Casino, Black Hawk, Colorado
Loss3-1 Flag of the United States.svg Willie ChapmanTKO406/10/2000 Flag of the United States.svg Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win3-0 Flag of the United States.svg Ronnie SmithRTD224/08/2000 Flag of the United States.svg Coeur d'Alene Casino, Worley, Idaho Smith retired at the end of the second round.
Win2-0 Flag of the United States.svg Gregory DialKO204/08/2000 Flag of the United States.svg Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada Dial knocked out at 2:18 of the second round.
Win1-0 Flag of the United States.svg Paul DowdyTKO130/06/2000 Flag of the United States.svg Denver Coliseum, Denver, Colorado

Accolades

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "A Touch of Sleep". 5280.com. August 28, 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Perhaps the most stinging blow suffered by Davarryl Williams". AP News. March 13, 1997. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  3. 1 2 "DaVarryl Williamson". BoxRec.com. Archived from the original on June 17, 2015. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Storytelling Series | City of Englewood, Colorado". www.englewoodco.gov. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "BoxRec: Davarryl Williamson". BoxRec . Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  6. ↑ "BoxRec: Bout: Joe Mesi vs Davarryl Williamson". BoxRec . Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Joe Mesi vs Davarryl Williamson 2/3". YouTube . April 28, 2009. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  8. ↑ "BoxRec: Bout: Wladimir Klitschko v DaVarryl Williamson". BoxRec . Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Klitschko wins split decision after head butt". BoxRec . Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  10. ↑ "BoxRec: Oliver McCall". BoxRec . Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Saturday, 1 October 2005: Reno Events Center, Reno, Nevada, USA". BoxRec . Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  12. 1 2 "Byrd Wins Snoozer over Williamson". ESPN . October 2, 2005. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Ray Austin vs. Davarryl Williamson". BoxRec . Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  14. ↑ "COLORADO SPORTS HALL OF FAME TO INDUCT SIX NEW MEMBERS McCaffrey, Callan, Williams Headline Class of 2022". International Sports Heritage Association. October 20, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
Preceded by United States Amateur Heavyweight Champion
1996-1998		Succeeded by
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