Exclusive Interview: Davarryl “Touch of Sleep’ Williamson.

“In 2005, I will become the heavyweight champion of the world.”

Davarryl Williamson may have just missed the chance to be seen on national television as part of the ‘struggle for supremacy’ card held at Madison Square Gardens on November 13th, but he certainly did not fail to capitalize on the chance to enhance his name by beating former world champion Oliver McCall. Known as a huge puncher, Williamson

proved he has more to his game than sheer firepower and when you factor the addition of promoter Don King into the equation, he might well receive the title shot he so desires in the New Year. I was fortunate enough to be able to talk with Davarryl today regarding his future in the ring and was able to get his opinion on some of the big names and hot topics that are dominating the heavyweight scene at the moment. Read on for this essential interview with the fighter they call, ‘Touch of Sleep.’

Saddoboxing: Davarryl, congratulations on your recent win on the “struggle for supremacy’ card at Madison Square Garden.

Davarryl Williamson: Thank you, thank you so very much.

SB: How did it feel to be a part of such a momentous night of boxing?

DW: Oh gosh, it was so very exciting and I believe it is really, really rewarding to Team “Touch of sleep.’ We’re very happy to have been a part of such a huge fight card in Madison Square Garden and all the, I would say the festivities that come with being a part of a card like that.

SB: As a fighter known for his punching power, how satisfying is it to have shown your boxing skills against a former world champion in Oliver McCall?

DW: I thought it was a really, really good opportunity, it was a good platform to showcase my boxing ability. I actually am a very good boxer and so that added another angle, another feather to my repertoire in terms of defense and being able to put punches together and movement.

SB: Even your nickname indicates your punching power, when did you first realize you had such destructive ability?

DW: I would say somewhere around 1995. Initially I was going by the name of DJ (which stood) for “Dangerous Jab,’ and it wasn’t my jab at all that was putting people to sleep, it was my right hand. So I became more of a student of the game, I began to develop and I started landing left hooks (to the head) and left hooks to the body as well as right hooks to the body that were also dropping people and knocking them down and knocking them out as well. Sometimes you hit a guy to the body and he takes a knee then the referee normally stops the contest because the guy doesn’t want to get back up and continue. So that was in 1995, and there were some friends that were saying, “hey man, you should change your name from Dangerous Jab.” It was actually (heavyweight contender) Lawrence Clay-Bey, he said, “You should change your name from Dangerous Jab to “Touch of Sleep’ because you hit so hard with both hands.” So he actually gave me the nickname “Touch of Sleep’ and I’ve been living with it ever since.

SB: Have you any idea whom you might be fighting next?

DW: I have no idea. All I know is that it looks like Don King and I will be putting our heads together to try and figure out what is the next move. We’re trying for a promotional deal with Don King and I think that we’re very, very close. We’re waiting for negotiations to be done, but I think we’re very, very close. I will wait and ask Don King to look into his crystal ball and to see where he sees me in the next couple of fights. I’m hoping for one portion ofthe heavyweight championship of the world.

SB: Of course.

DW: I’ve just fought two former heavyweight champions of the world so I’d like to fight someone who’s a heavyweight champion now.

SB: Exactly. Speaking of which, the Wladimir Klitschko fight was big in terms of recognition for you, is there any talk of a rematch of that fight?

DW: I don’t think so. I would love the rematch, I don’t think he wants it. I don’t think Wladimir Klitschko wants that rematch. I knew they made a mistake by taking me as an opponent at that time and I just wanted to cash in on that and I think I showed them too much. I was looking to show them whatever and win the fight but I showed them too much without winning and they would never give me that fight again.

SB: Recently, Klitschko has appeared to fade dramatically in fights, as a fighter, can you offer an explanation as to why this sort of thing suddenly happens?

DW: I have no idea, I mean it doesn’t happen to me so I couldn’t tell you how, you know, what goes through his mental psyche that would allow something like that to happen because it looked like he was in perfectly good shape. I don’t know, I wish I could. If I knew the answer to that I’d bottle it up and sell it.

SB: How do you spend your downtime after a big fight?

DW: Man, with my kids. My son just got done playing in a Super-bowl game, he’s seven years old, it’s a seven to eight year old football team and he just got done finishing up his football season so I’m very happy to see those guys make it to the Super-bowl but they came up a little short. They called a couple of touchdowns back for my son’s team and it was kind of a heartbreaker but I spend time getting ready for his basketball team where I’ll be acting as an assistant coach for a seven year olds basketball team so I’m really excited with that. My daughter, she has gymnastics, she has a hip-hop dance class and she has ballet and tap. So the kids keep me very busy because of school and extra-curricular activities and I also have a wife that keeps me busy as well.

SB: Boxing is the hardest game of all, requiring so many sacrifices to succeed. What motivates you to train hard and keep bringing your best to the ring?

DW: Yes, well, as long as you remain focused and remain hungry to do your very best each and every time, whatever you’ve got to say to yourself as a fighter. For me, I’ll say to myself right before I walk out to the ring, out of the locker room, I’ll say hey, if I’m ever going to be the heavyweight champion of the world I have to get past this guy. I have to beat this guy. Whether it’s Klitschko or Oliver McCall or whoever. I have to stay hungry and to keep your feet on the ground you gotta be hungry. You gotta feel like when you go out there, this is gonna be my last fight, you have to see every performance is if it is your last performance, You’re only as good as your last fight. If you lose your last fight it’s gonna be very hard to get another one that’s gonna be highly publicized or a big fight that’s worth anything and a meaningful fight.

SB: Which fighter or event influenced you to take up boxing?

DW: I think it was something where I can of found my knack, What I mean by that is that it was something that, I thought I would be a professional football player or basketball player. Things never materialized as much as I hoped it would there and I just picked up some gloves trying to keep in shape for football. And because of that I happen to be better at boxing than I ever was at football or basketball.

SB: Even in losing to Klitschko, you gained a lot of recognition and 2004 seems to have been a good year for you. What can fans expect from you in the New Year?

DW: I truly believe that in 2005, I will become the heavyweight champion of the world before July 1 of 2005.

SB: Absolutely, we’re hoping so and we wish you the best of luck.

DW: Well I thank you for your time and I certainly appreciate it and I’m hoping that you will keep watching “Touch of Sleep’ perform.

SB: Evander Holyfield was recently banned by the New York State Athletic Commission, what are your thoughts on that situation?

DW: Once again, I agree with the New York State Athletic Commission. I agree that hey you know, this is kind of like the last hurrah. He has done very well in his career of boxing and I think it’s appropriate at this time to say goodbye. And sometimes you know, someone else has to come in because he’s a warrior and he would never say no, he would never say finished, he would never say die. But, someone has to be that person and for me, instead of having the New York Boxing Commission, I have a wife that will say hey sweetie, it’s time. And I value her opinion truly with my heart and I wish that Evander had some people around him that would give him that same advice and say hey you know, this is it. You’re forty-two, it’s not bad but your last performances, you know, you won two of your last nine fights and just the way you looked in your last couple of performances, you know. These guys you know, when Holyfield was in his heyday, James Toney could never stay in the ring with him no matter how good a condition he was in. He certainly hasn’t looked like the Holyfield that we’re accustomed to seeing over the years.

SB: The Toney fight was a real beating, do you think that this is something that should have been done a long time ago, to basically step in for Holyfield and say that this is the end of the line?

DW: Oh you know, I don’t know about a long time ago but I think the time is present and it couldn’t be more accurate than to get him to stop right away.

SB: John Ruiz recently called for a heavyweight tournament to settle who is the top heavyweight, how does Davarryl Williamson fit into that picture?

DW: Ah well, he’s using the heavyweight champions so he’s excluding me from that but once again, stranger things have happened. I’m hoping that I could be in that picture to say hey John, how about a fight with Davarryl Williamson. If Vitali Klitschko doesn’t want to be in the tournament let’s throw in another guy who would like to be in that and I would certainly welcome that with open arms.

SB: Well, hopefully with your newfound affiliation with Don King something like that can materialize for you.

DW: I sure hope so.

SB: I just want to give you a few names to get your reaction to them if you don’t mind Davarryl?

DW: OK.

SB: Danny Williams.

DW: Danny Williams is a pretty good fighter, he found the person which was Mike Tyson that worked out for him in terms of styles make fights and he found the perfect guy who just wanted to slug it out with him and he took advantage of that. I don’t think that Danny Williams could hang in there with a guy that boxes and moves because most of his weight is in his waist and his legs so I don’t think he moves extremely well for his size.

SB: Hasim Rahman.

DW: Hasim Rahman is a close friend of mine and he has not, before this last fight shown the kind of tenacity and the kind of energy he has shown in his past fights. So for some reason, it looks like he’s born again, he’s taken a new approach and I’m so very, very proud of him for putting his all into his last outing and it looks like he’s here to be the heavyweight champion again. But time will tell if he has the opportunity in a couple of months.

SB: What about the WBC champion Vitali Klitschko?

DW: I think, talent wise, his brother, the guy I just fought is the better of the two. But I think that Vitali has the better chin and a huge, huge heart. I think he’s a big guy, a big man that has average talent. He has huge heart that takes him over the edge, over the top that helps him get by. Any time you have a great little man and a good big man you want to go with the good big man because he has heart and he wants to fight and he’s not going to quit on you.

SB: Before we wrap up this interview, would you like to add anything to your supporters and the industry?

DW: I want to continue to thank my fans and family for tuning in that just care enough to read about and wonder about how “Touch of Sleep’ is getting along and what’s his daily business in life and I certainly appreciate they will continue to tune in and continue to give me their support and their prayers and their commitment to supporting me and supporting me and my family. I just want to say thank you to all of those who have always kept the faith in ‘Touch of Sleep.’ And for the newcomers as well that are just getting a glimpse of Davarryl Williamson I am very honored and ask everyone to continue to log on to tosboxing.com.

SB: It’s been excellent talking to you Davarryl, we’d like to wish you the best of luck in your career and hope that things continue to go well for you, thank you.

DW: Thank you for your time, bye bye.

I would like to thank Kevin Mullowney for his assistance in making this interview possible and once again Davarryl Williamson. You can learn more about Davarryl at his website…
www.tosboxing.com

Jim Cawkwell can be reached at jam2lis@sprint.ca