Thread: Williams Vs Skelton: A match up of tremendous proportions

www.eastsideboxing.com

07.07.06 - By Jeff Bastasini: Commonwealth heavyweight champion Danny Williams (36-4, 29 KO's) will put his title on the line against 39-year-old Matt Skelton on Saturday night at the Millenium Stadium, in Cardiff, Wales. Neither fighter, however, are ranked high in the heavyweight world scene, with Danny Williams ranked only number # 9 and Matt Skeleton # 12, both by the WBO. Nevertheless, this fight means a lot in the UK, as it gives the winner a claim to the bragging rights as the best heavyweight in the UK, something that means a lot in terms of pride and respect. The two fighters have met previously, fighting on February 25, 2006, in a fight that Danny Williams, 32, won by a close 12-round split decision over Skelton.

For many people at ringside, this writer included, they felt that Skelton should have been given the nod in the final decision, chiefly due to Skelton's superior work rate over the course of the 12-round bout. Williams, although the much harder puncher, he took many of rounds off, appearing to need the rest for his then 267 lb bulky frame. With great size and strength, also comes the need for extended periods of rest, at least for Williams on this night.

The bout, much to my disappointment, was marked by constant fouls, much of it done by Skelton in the way of low blows and head butts, including a fair amount of slow, boring action by both fighters. After a rather dull 11 rounds, for a brief period in the 12th, violence finally erupted when Williams, looking well rested, suddenly came alive and hurt Skelton with a series of hard right hands to the head. However, Williams seemed to tire just as quickly, leaving Skelton on his feet and firing back as the final bell rang, ending the fight. Given Williams' youth, and superior experience against quality opposition, such as Mike Tyson and Vitali Klitschko, I expected more of Williams, figuring he would have been at least been able to dominate the older Skelton, if not knock him out.

Whatever the case, Williams appeared to be a shadow of his former self against Skelton; Gone was Williams' high work rate, and fearless attack-style offense. In its place, Williams appeared slow, fighting in almost a leisurely style, mixed with a look of extreme caution on his face. I couldn't understand Williams' fear, since Skelton, a fighter with a slight paunch and very little hand-speed, wasn’t throwing hard enough punches to make a dent in William's iron-like chin. Nevertheless, Williams got the win, as ugly as it was.

Since then, Danny Williams stopped Adnan Serin, a German-based fighter with Turkish origins, in the 3rd round, when the fight was stopped on cuts in May 2006. The fight wasn’t particularly close, although Williams looked slow and not very impressive, despite getting the win. Skelton is coming off a 4th round knockout win over Armenian fighter, Suren Kalachyan, in April 2006. The fight was a mismatch from the very start, with the well rounded Kalachyan not having the skills to compete with Skelton. However, Skelton looked sloppy throughout, taking unnecessary head shots when it appeared that he should have been able to take Kalachyan out as early as the first or 2nd round.

Well, let’s hope that we see more action from Skelton and Williams on tomorrow night, rather than what we’ve seen from them in recent bouts. Indeed, Williams promises to apply more balanced pressure and be a much busier fighter, as he has been reportedly sleeping in an oxygen tent. In theory, this should assist with William's stamina by raising the oxygen carrying ability for his blood cells. That's good enough for me. If Williams believes in it, so be it, although, I personally don't think it will matter one-hill of beans in the final outcome. What does matter more, though, is the fact that Williams is coming into the fight weighing in at 288 lbs, an all time high for him.

No doubt, if Williams was fighting a tomato can, I would be unfazed by his proportions, because with his power, it wouldn’t matter. However, Williams’ is fighting someone who is quite good, even if a little advanced in age, and given the closeness of their first fight, I don’t see the logic in coming in so heavy. Clearly, based on this weight, I think Williams is counting on stopping Skelton in the early rounds, which, of course, is a huge gamble to take, given the fact that Skelton has never been stopped. Indeed, if Danny Williams isn't able to catch up to Skelton in the early rounds, I can see Williams tiring badly as early as the middle rounds, and eventually getting stopped or badly out-pointed by Skelton.

I see Williams starting out fast, throwing every thing he has into trying to knockout Skelton in the first three rounds, and then, when Skelton withstands the huge barrage, I see Williams tiring out badly and taking a beating. That being said, I don’t think Skelton will stop him, seeing as he doesn’t have enough power or a consistent enough attack to knockout Williams, no matter how out of shape he may be. Prediction: Skelton by 12-round decision.

I think it is bizarre that Williams has chosen to come in so heavy....He is enormous!

I think Williams must be thinking that because he hurt Skelton last time out then he might be trying to hurt him again sooner and put him away quicker this time....either way, this bulk carries risks and it could easily backfire down the stretch....

I predict a Williams victory but this bulk makes me wonder...

cc Miles,

I really don't know why you are suprised about Danny though. He is a fat, useless, lazy, waste of space.

I mean that in the nicest possible way of course :P

Here's hoping Skelton can knock the big Brixton turd into retirement.

I wander what Danny's excuse for losing will be tonight?

Originally Posted by bilbo

cc Miles,

I really don't know why you are suprised about Danny though. He is a fat, useless, lazy, waste of space.

I mean that in the nicest possible way of course :P

Here's hoping Skelton can knock the big Brixton turd into retirement.

I wander what Danny's excuse for losing will be tonight?

Click right back, Bilbo.....You've always had a soft spot for Danny

Danny himself has more soft spots than ever....What use is this Oxygen tent contraption if you are gonna spend your time in there gobbling up Mr Kiplings finest cakery selections....

Well, I dont know why on earth I keep supporting him to win to be honest, but Im hoping he puts Skelton away before 6, otherwise he's gonna be wheezing and puffing until the final bell and it could be pretty grotesque viewing....

im new to this forum can someone tell me how i cool click someone ??

on may 30th i was at york hall bethnall green watching a friend fight, it was the martin power vs issac ward night there, williams was there to and he looked big, he had a gut on him

i'm a fan of his and have met and spoken to him about boxing, in his prime he weight 17.5 to 18 stone but seems now to have lost the plot with his weight, he had said he'd be around 18 stone for the rematch but at 288lbs ( 20 stone 8 pounds ) he will be in truble unless he lands a trademark right to the chin within the first 4 rounds

its a shame as i had hoped he get another shot at the world title

Originally Posted by ICE COLD BOXING

im new to this forum can someone tell me how i cool click someone ??

you need 100 posts first

ok thanks adam

Originally Posted by nuclear bull

on may 30th i was at york hall bethnall green watching a friend fight, it was the martin power vs issac ward night there, williams was there to and he looked big, he had a gut on him

i'm a fan of his and have met and spoken to him about boxing, in his prime he weight 17.5 to 18 stone but seems now to have lost the plot with his weight, he had said he'd be around 18 stone for the rematch but at 288lbs ( 20 stone 8 pounds ) he will be in truble unless he lands a trademark right to the chin within the first 4 rounds

its a shame as i had hoped he get another shot at the world title

this new all time biggest weight is just a bewildering to me....was it as though it was a training strategy to try and become bigger than ever?? Of course, it is provoking a negative respnse from the fans...its really beyond me why he would come in so heavy....

I dont get it!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjB6C...nny%20williams WILLIAMS VS SKELTON THE 12TH ROUND

very entertaining fight... but ugly as hell.. I expect this to be no different.

williams is known to be a big eater of cakes, chocs and fast food, but i expected him to nuckle down and work hard at this point of his carrear, seeing as he's looking for a last world title shot

i coulded beleave in york hall when he walked in with that gut 7 weeks away from tonights fight, i hope since then he's lost the fat belly otherwise his carrear maybe ended tonight, he's a nice fella and i'd hate for him to lose tonight

i cant see how a 6 foot 1 heavyweight is 288 pounds thats ridiculous

Originally Posted by ICE COLD BOXING

i cant see how a 6 foot 1 heavyweight is 288 pounds thats ridiculous

It is ridiculous....he's gonna tire down the stretch badly. i can only presume he is going to try and get the job down relatively early...

We could see a lot of hugging in the final rounds if it is still going....

Originally Posted by miles

www.eastsideboxing.com

07.07.06 - By Jeff Bastasini: Commonwealth heavyweight champion Danny Williams (36-4, 29 KO's) will put his title on the line against 39-year-old Matt Skelton on Saturday night at the Millenium Stadium, in Cardiff, Wales. Neither fighter, however, are ranked high in the heavyweight world scene, with Danny Williams ranked only number # 9 and Matt Skeleton # 12, both by the WBO. Nevertheless, this fight means a lot in the UK, as it gives the winner a claim to the bragging rights as the best heavyweight in the UK, something that means a lot in terms of pride and respect. The two fighters have met previously, fighting on February 25, 2006, in a fight that Danny Williams, 32, won by a close 12-round split decision over Skelton.

For many people at ringside, this writer included, they felt that Skelton should have been given the nod in the final decision, chiefly due to Skelton's superior work rate over the course of the 12-round bout. Williams, although the much harder puncher, he took many of rounds off, appearing to need the rest for his then 267 lb bulky frame. With great size and strength, also comes the need for extended periods of rest, at least for Williams on this night.

The bout, much to my disappointment, was marked by constant fouls, much of it done by Skelton in the way of low blows and head butts, including a fair amount of slow, boring action by both fighters. After a rather dull 11 rounds, for a brief period in the 12th, violence finally erupted when Williams, looking well rested, suddenly came alive and hurt Skelton with a series of hard right hands to the head. However, Williams seemed to tire just as quickly, leaving Skelton on his feet and firing back as the final bell rang, ending the fight. Given Williams' youth, and superior experience against quality opposition, such as Mike Tyson and Vitali Klitschko, I expected more of Williams, figuring he would have been at least been able to dominate the older Skelton, if not knock him out.

Whatever the case, Williams appeared to be a shadow of his former self against Skelton; Gone was Williams' high work rate, and fearless attack-style offense. In its place, Williams appeared slow, fighting in almost a leisurely style, mixed with a look of extreme caution on his face. I couldn't understand Williams' fear, since Skelton, a fighter with a slight paunch and very little hand-speed, wasn’t throwing hard enough punches to make a dent in William's iron-like chin. Nevertheless, Williams got the win, as ugly as it was.

Since then, Danny Williams stopped Adnan Serin, a German-based fighter with Turkish origins, in the 3rd round, when the fight was stopped on cuts in May 2006. The fight wasn’t particularly close, although Williams looked slow and not very impressive, despite getting the win. Skelton is coming off a 4th round knockout win over Armenian fighter, Suren Kalachyan, in April 2006. The fight was a mismatch from the very start, with the well rounded Kalachyan not having the skills to compete with Skelton. However, Skelton looked sloppy throughout, taking unnecessary head shots when it appeared that he should have been able to take Kalachyan out as early as the first or 2nd round.

Well, let’s hope that we see more action from Skelton and Williams on tomorrow night, rather than what we’ve seen from them in recent bouts. Indeed, Williams promises to apply more balanced pressure and be a much busier fighter, as he has been reportedly sleeping in an oxygen tent. In theory, this should assist with William's stamina by raising the oxygen carrying ability for his blood cells. That's good enough for me. If Williams believes in it, so be it, although, I personally don't think it will matter one-hill of beans in the final outcome. What does matter more, though, is the fact that Williams is coming into the fight weighing in at 288 lbs, an all time high for him.

No doubt, if Williams was fighting a tomato can, I would be unfazed by his proportions, because with his power, it wouldn’t matter. However, Williams’ is fighting someone who is quite good, even if a little advanced in age, and given the closeness of their first fight, I don’t see the logic in coming in so heavy. Clearly, based on this weight, I think Williams is counting on stopping Skelton in the early rounds, which, of course, is a huge gamble to take, given the fact that Skelton has never been stopped. Indeed, if Danny Williams isn't able to catch up to Skelton in the early rounds, I can see Williams tiring badly as early as the middle rounds, and eventually getting stopped or badly out-pointed by Skelton.

I see Williams starting out fast, throwing every thing he has into trying to knockout Skelton in the first three rounds, and then, when Skelton withstands the huge barrage, I see Williams tiring out badly and taking a beating. That being said, I don’t think Skelton will stop him, seeing as he doesn’t have enough power or a consistent enough attack to knockout Williams, no matter how out of shape he may be. Prediction: Skelton by 12-round decision.

Good reading , is there not any weigh-in photos?