The State of British Boxing: Williams-Skelton is on!

Frank Warren this week confirmed that a bout between Brixton bomber Danny Williams (32-4-27 KOs) and British heavyweight champion Matt Skelton (16-0-15 KOs) has been made. The two are set to battle it out for domestic supremacy at the M.E.N Arena, Manchester, as part of Sports

Network’s tantalizing June show, which is headlined by the Ricky Hatton-Kostya Tszyu showdown and is also slated to feature WBO featherweight champion Scott Harrison in action against Michael Brodie the night before. Speaking on the latest addition to the card, Mr. Warren had this to say, “This is a real fight for the fans and I’m delighted that it’s on.” So are we Frank, so are we. Britain’s leading promoter has in recent year’s endured wave upon wave of stinging criticism; he has had to duck, slip and block accusations that he is overly-protective of his fighters, and even more seriously, that the majority of his events fall short of providing the paying audience with sufficient value for money. The thickness of his skin has definitely been put to the test, but he is still standing and has answered his critics by putting together a truly mouthwatering line up for us.

2004 was a funny year for Danny Williams. In January, he lost his British and Commonwealth titles to a man whom he had already beaten twice, in the form of a slightly bemused Michael Sprott. I say bemused for two reasons, one, because of the strangeness of Williams’ bizarre and erratic showboating throughout the fight, and secondly, because when referee Dave Parris raised Sprott’s arm and controversially awarded him the victory, his face wore the unmistakable expression of a man who knew in his heart that he had not done enough to walk out of the ring as the winner. In truth though, Williams only has himself to blame for the loss. His uncharacteristic antics did not impress anyone and he fought so passively that at times it looked as though he was about to fall asleep.

What was going on in his mind is anyone’s guess, but a loss is a loss, Danny was forced to accept it and move on; either that or prepare himself for Williams-Sprott IV! Although the decision was debatable to put it mildly, it was great to see Sprott finally seize the titles that had been so elusive to him. I have so much admiration for the way he was able to psychologically overcome and put behind him the fact that he was facing a guy who had stopped him in each of their previous meetings. To go one step further and defeat him was a highly inspirational feat.

It almost sounds surreal in retrospect, but in the space of six months Williams amazingly went from losing to Michael Sprott at the Wembley conference centre, to knocking out “Iron” Mike Tyson in one of the fights of the year. His amazing triumph put British boxing on the map again, and landed him a title shot against WBC champion Vitali Klitschko. See what I mean about an odd year? And it wasn’t even over yet. Carrying the hopes of a nation on his back, and with the weight of expectation burrowing down on his massive shoulders, Williams gave his all but could not make a dent in “Dr. Iron Fist.”

Williams was floored in the first, third, seventh, and eighth rounds, as the Ukrainian giant administered a sickening beating before the mismatch was called to a halt. His long, heavy blows brutalized and disfigured Williams’ facial features to an almost unrecognizable extent, yet the Briton refused to give up and somehow managed to pick himself up from the canvas four times before the referee intervened; the heart he demonstrated will never be forgotten.

Meanwhile, back in England, Matt Skelton rose to prominence by capturing the British and Commonwealth titles. He did so with a twelfth round knockout over the affable Michael Sprott last April, and has since defended his newly acquired belts four times. A long-time kick boxer, Skelton has only been boxing professionally for a short while and is still trying to find his feet in the sport. With a style that could be described as rougher than sand paper, the former K-1 competitor attempts to make up for whatever technical deficiencies he may have by imposing his tremendous physical strength on his opponents and wearing them down. So far, his maul and brawl tactics have been effective, but how will he do when he squares off against the world-class Williams?

“I’m confident I will beat Skelton, he is what you see – just a brawler. I will be in fantastic condition for the fight and my experience, better boxing skill and harder punch will be the biggest factor in me winning this fight.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. Williams’ assessment of the fight is spot on in my opinion. He is going to give the crude and inexperienced Skelton a boxing lesson, jabs, hooks, and uppercuts are all going to land and I will be very surprised if the fight goes beyond five rounds. It is going to be a painful night for Skelton.

In next week’s edition of Don’s Weekly, I will be taking a look at the careers of Britain’s top three super middleweight talents: Joe Calzaghe, Robin Reid and Carl “The Cobra” Froch. Stay tuned.

Don Caputo can be reached at don_caputo@hotmail.com