Excitement can make or break a boxer’s career.
With that much in mind, they will garner fan followings, gain a reputation for value, and become icons of the versatile social media sites of the modern era. Massive, non-stop kills, brutal combinations, stalk and wreak havoc on their opponents, while displaying their own sense of vulnerability. Without it? Boxers may struggle to convert tickets or turn heads of larger promotional outfits. “He? No one wants to see him!” And Darlington’s British champion Troy Williamson (19-0, 13KOs)know all about the excitement and its resulting traction.
When chatting with Social boxing, he was lounging by the pool, enjoying the sun in Fuerteventura after a tough battle with Mason Cartwright. Despite promising himself to take a week off, Williamson has been out of action on a few occasions, to a split second. A boxer who has to save time before landing on a big show has to be even more wary of letting the moment pass – he knows only too well how cold it gets when the lights go out.
Williamson admits: “I’ve been waiting years, to be honest with you. “It’s frustrating, but you just have to be patient and trust the process, obviously. It all came together [for me] to the end. It’s pro boxing, so you’re training twice a day. The hardest part is just staying motivated more than anything else. I trained full time. But I’m flying right now if you say so. The tough pairing never stops and I’m still practicing as an opponent. For me, it’s just a title: British Champion. Until I get to the world title and can be called world champion, it’s definitely still a work in progress. ”
“I’ve always been focused on Mason; I always knew that the fight would go on and he wouldn’t back down. We train like the underdogs. We trained really hard for that fight, and it showed overnight. Apparently, I was knocked down in seconds [round] and I had to bite down on my gum pad and dig in, and it went 12 laps. You can see I’m getting stronger as the rounds go on and I’ve been very well prepared, but it’s hard to stay focused, you know, seeing the house, seeing everyone totally out. he. It’s strange “.
Williamson, 30, has never been dropped before. He’s never really been rocked – except maybe for a split second of his fight with Ted Cheeseman last October. You can talk about having a nice chin, you can speculate on how you would react under that kind of pressure and leave you with shame, pain, and shock. However, when your feet play with you and your shorts are trying on the fabric, it will sink or swim. The defending champion rose up.
It was a fight he expected to be tough, while the bookies laughed and listed the opposite: “If I was beaten, people would say, ‘Argh, you’ve been beaten by someone. there.’ I’ve never had that before. It’s all about learning and you never take your eyes off the ball. I should have listened to people and not trained hard – if I did, I would have been exposed. As simple as that. I follow Mason on social media and I talked to him when he was relegated, I know how good he is and what he has to offer – I think it’s just other people. [that underestimated him]. It’s like me before fighting Ted Cheeseman and that’s why everyone is writing me against Ted. No one saw my box, no one knew what I was talking about. ”
“Most people just see Mason Cartwright, ‘Never heard of him, Troy will smack him,’ this and that. That’s where the pressure builds; I know how good he is, but people don’t – not even the bookies. The bookies gave me a favorite 1/50th and it was ridiculous, to be honest with you. That’s really where the pressure is. The next time that happens, it’ll go in one ear and the other and I won’t hear all the hype. I wouldn’t believe I’m the most popular etc and that makes me a better boxer. It made me a 10 times better boxer. Onward and upward from here…”
And what about that takedown? To what extent did he come close to suffering his only professional defeat? “I think it was a flash crash; One minute I was standing in front of him, the next minute I was staring at the floor. I thought, ‘Whoa, I better get up!’ Honestly, it is weird. I didn’t see the footage coming, the first time I saw it was when I watched it again and it made my chin go red. And yes, I just had to show my heart and determination, I received a ferocious attack he shot at me. I think I still have two and a half minutes of the second half [left]. He threw everything at me! Everything was there, my head was clear, I survived the round and I just kept going from there. I don’t know what the odds are when he knocks me down – I hope you stuck something? ‘ Williamson laughed.
His amusing performance against Mason Cartwright only marked another exhibition of the super heavyweight champion thrills (and this time overflowing). After beating Edinburgh’s Kieran Smith last April, Williamson finally enjoyed a ‘coming out party’, declaring himself to boxing fans challenging Lord Lonsdale supremo, Ted Cheeseman. Many people love Cheeseman, but they don’t know enough about the Darlington native. At Liverpool on that autumn evening, they served a domestic classic. Williamson started off at frenetic pace and Cheeseman volleyed in reverse. The tip is pointed, the knuckles are white, and the last bell is never heard. After a brief, improved stint for Cheeseman, Williamson wrapped it up in a career-defining style. Excitement – guaranteed.
But what’s next for Troy Williamson? The ‘trojan’ knows he has a target behind his back; he is the hunted, not the hunter. And in closing, he explained that his victories at England title level were exceptional, but that he knew he was destined for more than that: “I don’t want to hang around, waiting for great feats to happen. whatever. I’m in no hurry but I want to stay active and fight for the European title – I know that’s open. Hopefully by the end of 2022 I want to have that European title under my belt. I welcome them all [world champions at 154lbs] – I think I have the ability to beat them all, I am very confident. At the end of 2022, I’ll be knocking on all these big battles. Make sure you get your popcorn and sit on the edge of your chair…”
Before venturing on a (hopefully) hunt for fish and chips – the only comfort food that eluded him at that point in the trip – he explained that securing his family’s future at the top of his priority list. He wants to be remembered as a warrior and a respectable human being, and says fame has never bothered him. He wants to be “a good person – that’s it.” So far, having ruled out the tense knockouts and recent punishing performances, Williamson relaxes back into his sun lounger, contented again. It was just excitement between the ropes – when he was fighting for something more.
