Wikipedia

Thomas Williams Jr.

Thomas Williams Jr. (born August 25, 1987)[1] is an American professional boxer from Fort Washington, Maryland. He challenged for the WBC and Lineal light heavyweight titles in 2016.

Thomas Williams Jr.
Born
Thomas Williams Jr.

August 25, 1987 (1987-08-25) (age 37)[1]
Fort Washington, Maryland, U.S.[1]
Other namesTop Dog
Statistics
Weight(s)Light Heavyweight
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Reach72 in (183 cm)
Boxing record
Total fights24
Wins20
Wins by KO14
Losses4
Draws0
No contests0

Professional career

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Williams turned professional at 2010 after a strong amateur career. He is managed by 2012 Boxing Writers Association of America Manager of the Year Al Haymon.[2]

Early career

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A 23-year-old Williams made his debut as a light heavyweight on November 6, 2010, at the Jaycees Community Center, Waldorf, Maryland against 34-year-old Daniel Shull in a scheduled 4-round bout. Williams won via unanimous decision (40-35, 40-35 and 40-36) on all three judges scorecards.[3] In 2011, Williams fought a total of five times, winning all of them, his opponents, Bennie Meeks, who Williams beat via first-round TKO, Mark Anderson via points, Lee Lee Pender via 1st-round knockout, Donnie Moore via 1st-round knockout and Reynaldo Rodriguez via 2nd-round knockout.

Rise up the ranks

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Williams faced his toughest test on November 26, 2013, at the BB&t Center in Sunrise, Florida against former two-time world title challenger Yusaf Mack (31-6-2, 17 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round fight. The fight went the distance with Williams winning via unanimous decision, the three judges scored it (99-91, 98-92 & 97-92).[4] Williams next fought 32 year old Cornelius White (21-2, 16 KOs) on January 24, 2014, at the Little Creek Casino Resort, Washington for vacant WBO NABO light heavyweight title. All the action took place in round 1 as Williams was knocked down first; however, Williams recovered and managed to knockdown White twice as the referee waved the fight off after 2 minutes and 49 seconds of round 1.[5] On April 24, 2014, Williams defeated Enrique Ornelas (34-6, 22 KOs) via 3rd-round knockout.[6]

Williams defended his WBO NABO title against 35 year old Spanish boxer Gabriel Campillo (23-6-1, 10 KOs) on August 1, 2014. Williams was ahead on 2 scorecards after 5 rounds (49-46, 49-46 and 47-48), but never came out for round 6, resulting in his first loss as a professional, bringing his record to 17 wins, with 1 loss. This fight was also an IBF Eliminator for the #2 spot.[7] Following his loss against Campillo, Williams reached out to famed boxing trainer and commentator, Theodore "Teddy" Atlas, and received advice that the test of a man and of a champion is, "...what you do after this, what you learn from this, [and] what you do from this moment on."[8] This advice was not lost on Williams.

Williams fought four months later in December against experienced 35-year-old Michael Gbenga at UIC Pavilion in Chicago. The fight went a full 10 rounds as Williams was announced the winner unanimously 98–91 on all three scorecards.[9] After 11 months hiatus, Williams returned to the ring in November 2015 at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, Biloxi, Mississippi against Umberto Savigne (12-2, 9 KOs). Savigne and Williams were both knocked down in round one. Savigne was down again in round 2 as referee Keith Hughes waved the fight off.[10][11]

Williams vs. Rodriguez

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Williams returned to the ring on April 30, 2016, on the undercard of Ortiz-Berto at the StubHub Center, Carson, California in a scheduled 10-round fight against former world title challenger Edwin Rodriguez (28-1, 19 KOs), whose only career loss was to undefeated super-middleweight champion Andre Ward. The fight was initially due to take place on the Thurman-Porter undercard on March 12 at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. The fight was postponed after Thurman was involved in a car accident.[12] The fight lasted 6 minutes, as Rodriguez was knocked down twice in round 2.[13][14][15]

Consecutive defeats

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Williams vs. Stevenson

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Promoter Yvon Michel announced on June 16, 2016, Williams would challenge 38-year-old lineal and WBC World light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson (27-1, 22 KOs) on July 29 at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City. This was Stevenson's seventh title defense.[16] Williams weighed in the heaviest of the two at 174.6lbs with Stevenson in at 173.6lbs.[17] In a brief slug fest, Stevenson knocked out Williams in round 4 to retain his titles in his seventh successful defense. Stevenson connected with a hard left to Williams' head in round one that floored him with approximately 30 seconds left, however Williams beat the referees count and survived the round. In round 4, Stevenson concentrated much of his attack to Williams body, even hitting an accidental low blow halting the fight for a timeout whilst he recovered. When the fight resumed, Stevenson continued to attack to the body. Whilst groggy, Stevenson connected with a left to the head, dropping Williams for a final time. The time of stoppage was six seconds before the end of the round.[18]

Williams vs. Browne

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On February 18, 2017, Williams lost his second consecutive fight. He was knocked down three times and eventually stopped in round 6 of the scheduled 10 round bout against prospect Marcus Browne (18-0, 13 KOs). Browne was ranked #11 by the WBC and WBO and #13 by the IBF at light heavyweight.[19] The fight took place at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. A the time of stoppage, Williams was behind on all three judges scorecards (49-4, 3 times), with Browne being deducted a point for hitting Williams after knocking him down with a jab. The referee counted to ten but quickly realized his error and gave Williams five minutes to recover and still counting the knockdown and taking the point. Browne earned a purse of $65,000 whilst Williams received the smaller amount of $35,000.[20] Following the fight, Browne called out WBC and Lineal light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson, who had previously knocked out Williams.[21]

Williams vs. Torres

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After a full year out, Williams returned on the undercard of Victor Ortiz vs. Devon Alexander on 17 February 2018 at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas. Williams suffered his third consecutive stoppage defeat, losing to Mexican boxer Humberto Velazco Torres. Williams was knocked out for the ten-count in round 4.[22]

Professional boxing record

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24 fights, 20 wins (14 knockouts), 4 losses, 0 draw, 0 NC
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
24 Loss 20–4   Humberto Velazco Torres KO 4 (10) 17 Feb 2018   Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas, USA
23 Loss 20–3   Marcus Browne KO 6 (10), 0:42 18 Feb 2017   Cintas Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
22 Loss 20–2   Adonis Stevenson KO 4 (12), 2:54 29 Jul 2016   Videotron Centre, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada For Lineal & WBC Light heavyweight title
21 Win 20–1   Edwin Rodriguez KO 2 (10), 2:59 30 Apr 2016   StubHub Center, Carson, California, USA
20 Win 19–1   Umberto Savigne TKO 2 (10), 1:48 13 Nov 2015   Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, Biloxi, Mississippi, USA
19 Win 18–1   Michael Gbenga UD 10 12 Dec 2014   UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois, USA
18 Loss 17–1   Gabriel Campillo RTD 5 (12), 3:00 01 Aug 2014   Little Creek Casino Resort, Shelton, Washington, USA Lost WBO NABO light heavyweight title.
17 Win 17–0   Enrique Ornelas KO 3 (10), 2:48 24 Apr 2014   Agua Caliente Casino, Rancho Mirage, California, USA
16 Win 16–0   Cornelius White TKO 1 (10), 2:49 24 Jan 2014   Little Creek Casino Resort, Shelton, Washington, USA Won vacant WBO NABO light heavyweight title.
15 Win 15–0   Yusaf Mack UD 10 26 Nov 2013   BB&t Center, Sunrise, Florida, USA
14 Win 14–0   Otis Griffin UD 8 18 May 2013   Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
13 Win 13–0   Kevin Engel TKO 3 (8), 1:31 02 Mar 2013   Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
12 Win 12–0   Jason Smith TKO 3 (8), 1:56 12 Jan 2013   BB&t Center, Sunrise, Florida, USA
11 Win 11–0   Ricardo Campillo TKO 5 (6), 1:19 08 Dec 2012   Business Expo Center, Anaheim, California, USA
10 Win 10–0   Harley Kilfian KO 1 (6), 1:41 04 Aug 2012   Exposition Hall, Mobile, Alabama, USA
9 Win 9–0   Ariel Espinal TKO 1 (6) 14 Jul 2012   Convention Center, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
8 Win 8–0   Jess Noriega TKO 1 (6) 12 May 2012   Convention Center, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
7 Win 7–0   Kentrell Claiborne UD 4 18 Feb 2012   American Bank Center, Corpus Christi, Texas, USA
6 Win 6–0   Reynaldo Rodriguez KO 2 (4), 0:56 10 Dec 2011   Convention Center, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
5 Win 5–0   Donnie Moore TKO 1 (4), 2:18 24 Sep 2011   Omar Shrine Temple, South Carolina, USA
4 Win 4–0   Lee Lee Pender KO 1 (4), 1:43 17 Sep 2011   Rec Center, Wilson, North Carolina, USA
3 Win 3–0   Mark Anderson UD 4 12 Aug 2011   Club Spotlight, Florence, South Carolina, USA
2 Win 2–0   Bennie Meeks TKO 1 (4), 2:00 21 May 2011   Rec Center, Wilson, North Carolina, USA
1 Win 1–0   Daniel Shull UD 4 06 Nov 2010   Jaycees Community Center, Waldorf, Maryland, United States

Personal

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Williams is the son of former heavyweight contender Thomas "Top Dawg" Williams Sr.[23]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Thomas Williams Jr". BoxRec.com. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Queensberry Rules - A Boxing Blog". Queensberry Rules.
  3. ^ "BoxRec - Thomas Williams Jr v Daniel Shull". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  4. ^ "TAVORIS CLOUD vs YUSAF MACK - SPANISH - Vìdeo Dailymotion". Dailymotion. 2011-06-30. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
  5. ^ "Thomas Williams Jr vs Cornelius White full fight Video 2014". AllTheBestFights.com. 2014-01-25. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
  6. ^ "Thomas Williams Jr vs Enrique Ornelas - full fight Video 2014 pelea". AllTheBestFights.com. 2014-04-25. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
  7. ^ "FNF: Campillo hands Williams first pro loss". Bad Left Hook. 2014-08-01. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
  8. ^ "Lessons Learned". thomaswilliamsjr.com. Retrieved 2016-07-29.
  9. ^ "Although he always thinks knockout first, Thomas Williams Jr. finds positives in going the distance". PBC Boxing. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
  10. ^ "Thomas Williams Jr vs Savigne - full fight Video 2015". AllTheBestFights.com. 2015-11-14. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
  11. ^ "Thomas Williams Jr. blasts Humberto Savigne for second-round TKO". PBC Boxing. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
  12. ^ "Edwin Rodriguez-Thomas Williams Set For Thurman vs. Porter - Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. 30 January 2016. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
  13. ^ "Williams stops Rodriguez in two". Bad Left Hook. 2016-04-30. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
  14. ^ "Rodriguez vs Williams Results & Highlights | April 30, 2016". PBC Boxing. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
  15. ^ "Thomas Williams Jr. obliterates Edwin Rodriguez » Boxing News". Boxing News 24. 2016-04-30. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
  16. ^ "Stevenson to defend title vs. Williams in Quebec". 14 June 2016. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  17. ^ "Official Weigh-ins". Sky Sports. July 29, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  18. ^ "Stevenson stops Williams in 7th straight defense". 30 July 2016. Retrieved 2016-07-30.
  19. ^ "Browne vs Williams Jr - News, Tape, Ringwalk, TV, Streaming & Tickets". Box.Live. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
  20. ^ "Marcus Browne Knocks Out Thomas Williams in The Sixth - Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. 18 February 2017. Retrieved 2017-02-19.
  21. ^ "Browne To Adonis Stevenson: Give Me My Shot, I Want The Strap - Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. 19 February 2017. Retrieved 2017-02-19.
  22. ^ "Fight Night - Ortiz vs Alexander". PBC Boxing. Retrieved 2018-02-19.
  23. ^ "Stiff Jab". Stiff Jab.
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