Carl Williams (boxer)

Carl Williams (November 11, 1959 – April 7, 2013), nicknamed "The Truth", was an American boxer who competed as a professional from 1982 to 1997. He challenged twice for heavyweight world titles; the IBF title against Larry Holmes in 1985; and the undisputed title against Mike Tyson in 1989. At regional level he held the USBA heavyweight title from 1987 to 1991.

Carl Williams
Statistics
Nickname(s)The Truth
Weight(s)Heavyweight
Height6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Reach85 in (216 cm)
NationalityAmerican
Born(1959-11-11)November 11, 1959
Belle Glade, Florida, U.S.
DiedApril 7, 2013(2013-04-07) (aged 53)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights41
Wins30
Wins by KO21
Losses10
No contests1
Medal record
Men's amateur boxing
Representing  United States
World Cup
1981 MontrealHeavyweight
North American Championships
1981 ShreveportHeavyweight

Early years
"I've been fighting all my life. It was just a matter of deciding I wanted to pursue it in the ring instead of on the street,"

—Williams on his choice of boxing.[1]

Williams spent his childhood in South Jamaica, Queens. He was raised by his grandmother. After his grandmother died, Williams began to box at the age of nineteen, training with the Daniel M. O'Connell Park Gym in Saint Albans, New York (also known as the New York City Recreations O'Connell Center,) walking six miles to his gym and back each day, and showing a natural talent and determination.[2] "He's a natural, no question about that," said his trainer, Vic Hanson.[1]

Amateur career

With a couple of amateur fights under his belt Williams won two New York Golden Gloves Championships. Williams won both the 1980 New York Golden Gloves Sub-Novice Heavyweight Championship and the 1981 Heavyweight Open Championship.

Highlights
  • Williams stopped (RSC 2) John Kibelka of the New York City Recreation in the finals of the 1980 Sub-Novice Heavyweight Championship.
  • Three knockouts and one decision propelled Williams into the 1981 Golden Gloves.[3] In 1981 Williams stopped (RSC-2) Ronald Turner of the 25th Precinct in the heavyweight finals of the 55th New York Golden Gloves at 2:08.[3][4]
  • Williams won the heavyweight Intercity Golden Gloves over Craig Bodzianowski of Chicago, April 27, 1981 at the Madison Square Garden.[5] "punching like a cruise missile," in words of sports writer Tom Hanrahan[6]

At that time he wanted to fight the '81 open champ, Mitch Green from Bronx, who has since turned pro.[3]

His other notable achievements include:
 Gold at the North American Championships (201 lbs), Shreveport, Louisiana, September 1981:[7]

  • 1/2: Defeated Patrick Fennel (Canada) RSC 3 (the fight was halted after a physician examined a cut over Fennell's eye and ruled he was too badly hurt to continue[8])
  • Finals: Defeated Roberto Gomez (Cuba)

 Gold at the Boxing World Cup (201 lbs), Montreal, Canada, November 1981:

  • 1/2: Defeated Nam Hee Kim (South Korea) KO 1
  • Finals: Defeated Alexander Yagubkin (Soviet Union) by unanimous decision, 5–0

Williams finished his amateur career with 22 fights, completing a record of 21–1.[9]

Professional career

Williams soon turned pro, signing a contract with Ron Katz of the Top Rank. After the initial successes he moved to a suburban motel in White Plains, New York, in order to concentrate on training, and stay away from big-city temptations. He was trained by Carmen Graziano.[10][11]

Williams' first title shot was against Larry Holmes, a fight he lost in a controversial decision. His next fight was a victory against Jesse Ferguson. He then suffered a devastating knockout loss to Mike Weaver, which took him sixteen months to regain his shape and get back to the ring.

Williams is perhaps best known for having fought and lost to Mike Tyson (whom he first faced in sparring sessions, August 1, 1983, six years before the title fight, while Tyson was a 17-years-old amateur and Williams was 23 years old with a professional record 11-0)[12] in a battle for the undisputed heavyweight championship. The first round knockout loss to Tyson in 1989 was a devastating defeat for Williams. Midway through the round, Tyson slipped a jab from Williams and loaded up with one of the most devastating counter-punches of his career, smashing Williams and sending him down for an eight count. The referee waved off the fight and Williams immediately launched a mild protest to the official and ringside judges but to no avail. He believed that the fight was stopped too early and he was not given more of an opportunity to demonstrate to the official that he was not disoriented after the knock-down. In a post fight in-ring interview, Williams appeared to be uninjured, spoke clearly, and expressed his disappointment that he was not given the opportunity to "show my stuff." Williams also called for a rematch, however this never occurred.

After the defeat by Tyson, Williams became a journeyman heavyweight. His other notable fights include losses to Larry Holmes, Tim Witherspoon, Tommy Morrison, and Frank Bruno, and wins against Bert Cooper and Trevor Berbick.

Williams retired in 1997 with a professional record of 30-10-0-1 with 21 knockouts.

After retirement

Williams worked for Allied-SpectaGuard in New York City at the World Trade Center as a security agent and field supervisor. After the September 11 attacks, Williams worked for Verizon in Queens, New York, as a security guard. Later he worked for Forte Security Group in New York City, as a security guard at the Copacabana and Marquee nightclubs until he became ill.

Death

Williams died on April 7, 2013, of esophageal cancer. He was survived by a daughter, Carla, and a son, Daniel. He was predeceased by his 12-year-old daughter Nijah, who died of leukemia.[13]

Williams was the inspiration for a parody character on the Fox program In Living Color, Carl "The Tooth" Williams, portrayed by Jamie Foxx, a boxer so named because he only had one tooth. Williams would live his everyday life in his boxing apparel, making all appearances while singing the opening line to "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang."

Professional boxing record
Professional record summary
41 fights 30 wins 10 losses
By knockout 21 6
By decision 8 4
By disqualification 1 0
No contests 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
41 Loss 30–10 (1) Anthony Green TKO 7 (8) Oct 30, 1997 Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, Nee York, U.S.
40 Win 30–9 (1) Marion Wilson UD 10 Jun 13, 1997 Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, New York, U.S.
39 Win 29–9 (1) Domingo Monroe PTS 8 Nov 27, 1996 Whitman Armory, Whitman, Massachusetts, U.S.
38 Win 28–9 (1) Lou Turchiarelli TKO 2 (12), 2:15 Aug 2, 1996 Huntington Hilton Hotel, Melville, New York, U.S.
37 Win 27–9 (1) Sean Hart DQ 3 (10) May 31, 1996 Hilton Rye Town Hotel, Rye Brook, New York, U.S.
36 Loss 26–9 (1) Melvin Foster UD 10 Mar 17, 1995 Fernwood Resort, Bushkill, Pennsylvania, U.S.
35 Loss 26–8 (1) Alexander Zolkin TKO 7 (10), 2:55 Jul 22, 1994 Southern Belle Casino, Tunica Resorts, Mississippi, U.S. Referee stopped the bout at 2:55 of the seventh round.
34 Loss 26–7 (1) Frank Bruno TKO 10 (10), 0:29 Apr 24, 1993 National Exhibition Centre, Solihull, England
33 Loss 26–6 (1) Tommy Morrison TKO 8 (10), 2:10 Jan 16, 1993 Reno-Sparks Convention Center, Reno, Nevada, U.S.
32 Win 26–5 (1) Jimmy Lee Smith TKO 3 (10), 2:59 Nov 3, 1992 Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut, U.S.
31 Win 25–5 (1) Ossie Ocasio UD 10 Aug 20, 1992 Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
30 Loss 24–5 (1) Jerry Jones UD 10 Mar 22, 1992 Harrah's Marina Resort, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
29 Win 24–4 (1) Marshall Tillman TKO 2 (10), 2:37 Jan 12, 1992 Harrah's Marina Resort, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
28 NC 23–4 (1) Kimmuel Odum NC 10 Oct 15, 1991 Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. Originally a UD win for Williams, later ruled an NC for unknown reasons
27 Loss 23–4 Tim Witherspoon SD 12 Mar 8, 1991 Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. Lost USBA heavyweight title
26 Win 23–3 Melton Bowen TKO 5 (12), 2:00 Jul 24, 1990 Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. Retained USBA heavyweight title
25 Loss 22–3 Mike Tyson TKO 1 (12), 1:33 Jul 21, 1989 Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. For WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight titles
24 Win 22–2 Mike Rouse TKO 3 (12), 1:20 Nov 10, 1988 Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, U.S. Retained USBA heavyweight title
23 Win 21–2 Trevor Berbick UD 12 Jun 27, 1988 Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. Retained USBA heavyweight title
22 Win 20–2 Rodney Frazier TKO 1 (12), 2:56 Jan 27, 1988 Golden Hall, San Diego, California, U.S. Retained USBA heavyweight title
21 Win 19–2 Mike Gans TKO 7 (10), 0:41 Oct 17, 1987 Harrah's Marina Resort, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
20 Win 18–2 Bert Cooper RTD 7 (12), 3:00 Jun 21, 1987 Resorts International, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. Won USBA heavyweight title
19 Loss 17–2 Mike Weaver TKO 2 (10), 2:37 Feb 16, 1986 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, U.S.
18 Win 17–1 Jesse Ferguson TKO 10 (10), 0:37 Aug 31, 1985 Atlantis Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
17 Loss 16–1 Larry Holmes UD 15 May 20, 1985 Lawlor Events Center, Reno, Nevada, U.S. For IBF and The Ring heavyweight titles
16 Win 16–0 James Tillis UD 10 Oct 23, 1984 Atlantis Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
15 Win 15–0 Terry Mims TKO 3 (10), 2:14 Aug 9, 1984 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
14 Win 14–0 Lou Benson Jr. RTD 2 (10), 3:00 Mar 7, 1984 Westchester County Center, White Plains, New York, U.S.
13 Win 13–0 Percell Davis TKO 4 (10), 2:20 Sep 9, 1983 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
12 Win 12–0 Woody Clark UD 10 Aug 16, 1983 Playboy Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
11 Win 11–0 David Jaco RTD 1 (10), 3:00 Jun 30, 1983 Sands, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
10 Win 10–0 Robert Hill TKO 3 (8), 2:15 Apr 24, 1983 Showboat Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
9 Win 9–0 Richard Cade TKO 1 (8), 2:59 Feb 18, 1983 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
8 Win 8–0 Leroy Boone UD 8 Dec 9, 1982 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
7 Win 7–0 Michael Greer TKO 3 (8), 2:13 Oct 22, 1982 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
6 Win 6–0 David Starkey TKO 3 (8), 2:57 Aug 20, 1982 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
5 Win 5–0 Barry Funches TKO 6 (6), 2:40 Jun 11, 1982 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
4 Win 4–0 Donny Townsend KO 1 (6), 1:29 May 28, 1982 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
3 Win 3–0 Louis Alexander TKO 2 (6), 2:24 Apr 30, 1982 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
2 Win 2–0 Dwight Triplett TKO 1 (6), 2:52 Mar 31, 1982 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
1 Win 1–0 Greg Stephany UD 4 Jan 22, 1982 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
Achievements
Vacant
Title last held by
Tony Tucker		 USBA heavyweight champion
June 21, 1987 – March 8, 1991		 Succeeded by
Tim Witherspoon
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References
  1. In this corner, a new heavy contender... by Tom Hanrahan, Daily News from New York, March 7, 1980, p. 177.
  2. Mike Tyson vs Carl Williams - ENTIRE HBO PROGRAM
  3. Williams issuing stern warning to Bodzianowski, By Tom Hanrahan, Daily News from New York, April 5, 1981, p. 97.
  4. Williams Wins Heavyweight Final. New York Times, March 21, 1981.
  5. New York Wins 9 of 11 Bouts. New York Times, April 28, 1981.
  6. A tale of two Golden cities, By Tom Hanrahan, Daily News from New York, April 26, 1981, p. 95.
  7. American boxers scored four wins in four outings. UPI, September 24, 1981.
  8. American boxers triumph, Biddeford Journal Tribune, September 24, 1981, p. 15.
  9. Carl Williams Amateur Record at the BoxingRecords. Last updated : April 12, 2006.
  10. Carl ‘The Truth’ Williams was as skilled a heavyweight as any that ever stepped into the ring by Tim Smith, New York Daily News, April 12, 2013.
  11. Carl 'The Truth' Williams: Boxer who fought Mike Tyson and Larry Holmes by Steve Bunce, The Independent, 17 April 2013.
  12. Mike Tyson - Most Brutal Boxing Sparring Wars
  13. http://www.boxing.com/ten_count_for_carl_the_truth_williams.html
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