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DaVarryl Williamson

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DaVarryl Williamson
Born
DaVarryl Jerome Williamson

July 25, 1968 (1968-07-25) (age 56)
Other namesTouch Of Sleep[1][2]
Statistics
Weight(s)Heavyweight
Height6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Reach80 in (203 cm)
StanceOrthodox
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.

Early and personal life

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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

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Amateur career

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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

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1996 Olympic Trials Heavyweight

  • Defeated Harold Sconiers KO 1
  • Defeated David Washington KO
  • Lost to Nate Jones on points

1996 Challengers Olympics Heavyweight

1996 Olympics Heavyweight Box-Offs

1997 United States Heavyweight Championships

  • Defeated James Jackson KO 1
  • Defeated Terry Smith KO 2
  • Defeated Calvin Brock KO 3

1997 World Championships in Budapest (Heavyweight)

  • Defeated Garth da Silva (N-Z) on points
  • Lost to Mark Simmons] (Can) on points

1998 Tournament in Tampere, Finland (Heavyweight)

  • Defeated Kai Brankarr (Fin) TKO 1

1998 United States Heavyweight Championships

  • Defeated Sam Sleezer TKO 2
  • Defeated Kevin Montly TKO 1
  • Defeated Stanley McClain KO 3
  • Defeated Calvin Brock on points

1998 Goodwill Games (Heavyweight)

  • Defeated Mocerino KO 1
  • Defeated Kshinin KO 2
  • Lost to Félix Savón (Cub) KO 1

1999: United States Heavyweight Championships

1999: Golden Gloves (Heavyweight)

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

  • Defeated Kevin Evans (Gal) TKO
  • Lost to Garth Da Silva (N-Z) on points

2000 Olympic Trials Heavyweight

2000 Challengers Round Olympic Trials Heavyweight

Professional career

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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

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27 Wins (23 knockouts, 4 decisions), 8 Losses (6 knockouts, 2 decisions)[3]
Result Record Opponent Type Round Date Location Notes
Loss 27-8 United States Eric Molina TKO 5 10/05/2014 United States USC Galen Center, Los Angeles
Loss 27-7 United States Tony Grano KO 4 23/06/2012 United States Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hollywood, Hollywood, Florida For WBC NABF Heavyweight Title
Win 27-6 United States Michael Marrone KO 7 23/04/2011 United States Nokia Theatre L.A. Live, Los Angeles, California Marrone knocked out at 2:30 of the seventh round.
Loss 26-6 United States Ray Austin TKO 4 31/10/2009 United States Treasure Island Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada WBC World Heavyweight Title Eliminator. Referee stopped the bout at 2:37 of the fourth round.
Win 26-5 United States Carl Davis TKO 5 24/04/2009 United States Scottrade Center, Saint Louis, Missouri Referee stopped the bout at 2:52 of the fifth round.
Win 25-5 United States Cerrone Fox TKO 2 18/09/2008 Panama Figali Convention Center, Panama City
Loss 24-5 Australia Kali Meehan TKO 6 06/10/2007 United States Madison Square Garden, New York City WBO NABO Heavyweight Title. Referee stopped the bout at the end of the sixth round.
Win 24-4 United States Maurice Wheeler KO 3 06/07/2007 United States Florida State Fairgrounds, Tampa, Florida Wheeler knocked out at 2:56 of the third round.
Win 23-4 United States Mike Mollo TKO 4 06/05/2006 United States DCU Center, Worcester, Massachusetts Referee stopped the bout at 2:59 of the fourth round.
Loss 22-4 United States Chris Byrd UD 12 01/10/2005 United States Reno Events Center, Reno, Nevada IBF World Heavyweight Title. 112-116, 113-115, 112-116.
Win 22-3 United States Derrick Jefferson TKO 2 30/04/2005 United States Madison Square Garden, New York City WBC Continental Americas/WBO NABO Heavyweight Titles. Referee stopped the bout at 2:41 of the second round.
Win 21-3 United States Oliver McCall UD 10 13/11/2004 United States Madison Square Garden, New York City 96-94, 96-94, 97-94.
Loss 20-3 Ukraine Wladimir Klitschko TD 5 02/10/2004 United States Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada Bout was stopped due to an accidental headbut. 46-49, 48-47, 46-49.
Win 20-2 Cuba Elieser Castillo MD 12 17/04/2004 United States Florida State Fairgrounds, Tampa, Florida WBC NABF/WBO Latino Heavyweight Titles. 115-111, 115-111, 113-113.
Win 19-2 United States Kendrick Releford TKO 9 17/01/2004 United States Seminole Casino, Coconut Creek, Florida Referee stopped the bout at 2:35 of the ninth round.
Loss 18-2 United States Joe Mesi KO 1 27/09/2003 United States HSBC Arena, Buffalo, New York Williamson knocked out at 1:37 of the first round.
Win 18-1 United States Robert Wiggins UD 10 10/01/2003 United States Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Connecticut 94-93, 97-90, 96-91.
Win 17-1 United States Corey Sanders TKO 5 26/07/2002 United States Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort, Chester, West Virginia Referee stopped the bout at the end of the fifth round.
Win 16-1 United States Dale Crowe TKO 3 25/05/2002 United States Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas, Nevada Referee stopped the bout at 2:26 of the third round.
Win 15-1 United States Abdul Muhaymin TKO 3 13/04/2002 United States Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort, Chester, West Virginia
Win 14-1 United States Ed White TKO 1 29/03/2002 United States Denver Coliseum, Denver, Colorado
Win 13-1 Republic of Ireland Kevin McBride TKO 5 18/01/2002 United States Paris Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada Referee stopped the bout at 2:48 of the fifth round.
Win 12-1 United States Harold Sconiers TKO 1 30/11/2001 United States Reno Hilton Casino Resort, Reno, Nevada Referee stopped the bout at 2:59 of the first round.
Win 11-1 Belarus Andrei Kopilou TKO 3 16/11/2001 United States The Orleans, Las Vegas, Nevada Referee stopped the bout at 1:56 of the third round.
Win 10-1 United States Derrick Ryals TKO 3 25/08/2001 United States Flamingo Hilton, Laughlin, Nevada
Win 9-1 United States Antuan Shazell TKO 2 04/08/2001 United States United Palace Theater, Washington Heights, Manhattan
Win 8-1 United States Marvin Hunt TKO 1 21/07/2001 United States Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win 7-1 United States Antonio Colbert TKO 1 06/07/2001 United States Reno Hilton Casino Resort, Reno, Nevada Referee stopped the bout at 2:00 of the first round.
Win 6-1 Jamaica Leroy Berbick TKO 2 25/05/2001 United States Norfolk, Virginia Referee stopped the bout at 2:19 of the second round.
Win 5-1 United States Bradley Rone UD 4 18/03/2001 United States Riviera Casino, Black Hawk, Colorado
Win 4-1 United States John Ray Lewis TKO 1 21/01/2001 United States Riviera Casino, Black Hawk, Colorado
Loss 3-1 United States Willie Chapman TKO 4 06/10/2000 United States Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win 3-0 United States Ronnie Smith RTD 2 24/08/2000 United States Coeur d'Alene Casino, Worley, Idaho Smith retired at the end of the second round.
Win 2-0 United States Gregory Dial KO 2 04/08/2000 United States Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada Dial knocked out at 2:18 of the second round.
Win 1-0 United States Paul Dowdy TKO 1 30/06/2000 United States Denver Coliseum, Denver, Colorado

Accolades

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  • Williamson was inducted to Colorado Hall of Fame 2022[14]
  • National Golden Gloves Champion - 1996, 1999
  • United States national amateur heavyweight champion – 1996, 1997, 1998 (first and only heavyweight to win the championships three times in a row)
  • 10-Time National Amateur Boxing Champion
  • Goodwill Games Silver Medalist - 1998
  • U.S. Olympic Team - First Alternate - 1996
  • U.S. Olympic Festival Champion - 1995
  • American Boxing Classic Champion - 1995, 1996, 1999
  • National Police Athletic League Champion - 1999
  • His professional opponents have a combined record of 337–150–6

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "A Touch of Sleep". 5280.com. August 28, 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Perhaps the most stinging blow suffered by Davarryl Williams". AP News. March 13, 1997. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "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. ^ a b c d e f "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. ^ a b "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.
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Preceded by United States Amateur Heavyweight Champion
1996-1998
Succeeded by