It seems inevitable that the word “strength” will be mentioned a lot ahead of the December 2 match between British welterweight champion Troy Williamson and Northeastern rival Josh Kelly.
A word that is never easy to define, that is, when this fight is involved, it is imperative to focus on both the physical strength of the two fighters involved and their mental strength as well. same. For Kelly, 12-1-1 (7), you get the feeling that the mental aspect of the game is just as important as the physical, whereas, for Williamson, 19-0-1 (14), the part Much of his confidence comes from a belief that Kelly, a former Korean boxer, will not be able to match him physically when the pair meet in Newcastle in December.
Chances are, the winner, as always, will be the one who masters both the mental and physical side of the game. Until then, though, both will be looking to strengthen those aspects – body and mind – in the five weeks before the game.
“I just feel comfortable about it,” said Kelly, the challenger boxing news. “I feel ready and I am confident. It’s no different (with his previous two games this year). I feel like I’m in good flux and I don’t really need to get out of there. Even though I’ve only had 13 professional matches, I’m experienced enough to deal with all of this.
“It’s all part of the process,” he said of the growing interest in the Williamson fight. “It’s all part of the show. You have to do it in your stride and just relax and make it all fun. At the end of the day, it’s all about building this war.
“I feel like I have more experience in these situations than he does. I’m too experienced and too smart for anyone to understand me.”
Familiarity breeds many things, including contempt. It also provides insight and awareness into buttons to press and vulnerabilities to exploit, which Williamson knows better than most.
“We spent a lot of time together, going to many tournaments on the train together,” he said BN. “I went to Sheffield and played against him. We did a lot of rounds.
“Aside from boxing, I like Josh. He is a good kid. But it’s a business, right? This is the game that hurts. You have to put the friendship aside. Then we can shake hands and be friends again. Nothing personal. It is just business. This is my job.”
Speaking of business, Williamson goes without saying how important it is for a boxer to market and promote, to fans online or to the fans who gather at soccer stadiums across the country every single day. weekend. It is for this reason that he understands Kelly’s decision to stick with Sunderland Football Club, his hometown team, even as he struggles to believe that Kelly is actually interested in football.
“He said (in a previous interview) that he didn’t mind football, but what kind of man wouldn’t mind football?” Williamson said. “We all love football, don’t we? Everything is fake. Now suddenly he’s a Sunderland fan; Over the past few weeks, he’s been a huge Sunderland fan.”
Williamson, 31, continued: “I wore the Newcastle jersey in his last game (in July), but those who know me know what I’m doing. I never went out and said I support Newcastle. I only wear the top to get under his skin and ruffle a few feathers. It clearly worked. Everyone knows I’m from Darlington and trained in Middlesbrough.”
During their aforementioned sparring sessions, Kelly admitted that he remembers very little. However, he remembers he won the upper hand – “I have the edge over them” – which gives him more confidence before the pair reunite in a much more competitive sense before the end of the year. Furthermore, this belief is supported by a recent move to super-middleweight, a division in which he feels as comfortable as he once felt.
“I feel like this is my natural weight,” he says. “It’s great to be able to focus on the opponent and the upcoming fight instead of having to focus on those things and gaining weight. The final battle, I look the bigger of the two anyway. This is definitely my natural weight, I just took the steps to get here. I feel so much more comfortable here.”
Better than comfort, Kelly feels stronger. He feels stronger than he did when he competed in the welterweight division and beyond that, he hopes to feel stronger than Troy Williamson as the pair draw close in Newcastle.
“He was obviously a strong, playful kid, but I believe I will be stronger than him physically when he loses weight, because he struggles with that weight class,” Kelly said. “I think he will be shocked by that, and I think a lot of people underestimate my strength. But I fought super-medium and light-heavy fighters and was able to push them back. It takes more technique to do that. It’s not just physically strong or big. It is the ability to maneuver yourself into positions and impose your power on others.”
Caught somewhere between amused and offended, Williamson, upon hearing Kelly’s statement, could only laugh.
“I think that’s completely ridiculous,” he replied. “I don’t struggle to gain weight. I ate and slept with boxing and never went out partying or anything like that. I will have 10 weeks to gain weight and not gain weight. If you look at my last match (in September), I’m 12 stone 3 and not fat. I only weigh 12 stones because I only had one a week ago. This time I’ll do better weight training than ever.
“I think he had two fights in the super-welter. He really doesn’t fight anyone at 11 stones. You put him against the opponents I’ve fought in this weight class and I don’t think he’s going to get the job done.
In addition to strength, “toughness” is another word that is often repeated when referring to these two words, especially Williamson’s. He’s relied on his own toughness to get him through his battles against the likes of Ted Cheeseman and Mason Cartwright, and not only that, but he suspects it’s something missing in Kelly , a person he says is “very talented”.
“I don’t think he likes it when it gets tough,” Williamson said. “He likes to play the game at his own pace. When it gets tough, and he’s fired, and he’s taken out of his comfort zone, I don’t think he’s going to cope.
“I have the advantage in size, strength, punch, fitness and absolute determination. Also, hungry, if I’m honest. It showed in my previous matches where I lay down on the canvas and got up and got the job done. But when he had some tough moments in teamfights, he played half way and got a corner. I feel that will be an important factor when we fight.”
Perhaps Williamson’s biggest asset going into the fight this December 3rd is his solid grasp of reality. That means, while he’s as naturally confident as any champion set to defend the title, the Darlington man has enough of him to face and accept. Realize your situation, both the good and the bad. That, in many ways, is real The power of spirit.
“I’m under no illusions, I’ll probably be beaten (on the scoreboard) in the first few rounds,” he admitted. “He is very fast, he is very skillful. But it’s a marathon, a 12-round match, and at some point I’ll catch up with him. At that point, will he cope or will he fall? I think he’s going to fall in the laps after it starts to get tough.”
Kelly, of course, a 28-year-old who has battled most of his demons and, he believes, has conquered them, couldn’t disagree more with this prediction. To his mind, it wasn’t even a question. He will, when the time comes, if Time to get all the answers Williamson needed.
“I’m faster, more technical and a better fighter,” he said. “I think the only way for him is to try to win, move forward, tit-for-tat. He must have had that mentality when he joined. I’ve never been in a fight like that in my life and it’s a risky way of thinking, especially when you know the man you’re fighting is better than you are.
“If I’m training for an opponent that’s going to keep going, how can I Not Prepared for a high pressure battle? He couldn’t hit me because if he did, he would get hit. So he had to try and fight me. I’ve been in a lot of those wars now. I know the score and I know what’s going to happen. I will prepare for that.
“I believe that in the end he will continue to take a hit that he didn’t anticipate and end up getting injured and collapsing. A lot of people think I’m an impulsive athlete, that’s right, and I can do lap after lap, but I can also dig a little deeper. If he recklessly advanced, he would end up getting hurt. I believe that could be the deciding factor. But if he goes up for 12 rounds, he’s going to get hit on the head too.”
