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Williams’ future bright after sensational knockout
By Joe Scalzo
With just over two minutes left in the fourth round of Friday’s 10-round lightweight bout on ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights,” Boardman’s Dannie Williams faked a left jab against his opponent, Antonio Cervantes.
Cervantes then threw his own left jab and Williams immediately countered with a straight right hand that connected flush on Cervantes’ left cheek.
Cervantes buckled forward briefly, then hit the mat seat-first before his head bounced off the canvas.
It all happened in about a second. Referee Steve Smoger didn’t even bother counting. And before Cervantes had even hit the ground, Williams had dropped his hands and started celebrating.
The knockout landed Williams in “SportsCenter’s” top 10 plays of the night and provided the sensational moment he was looking for in his first TV appearance.
“What we needed was what happened,” said his trainer, Jack Loew of the Southside Boxing Club. “I think that fight opened up a lot of doors for Dannie.
“Everybody loves to see power like that.”
Williams (19-1, 15 KOs), who was fighting in St. Charles, Mo., just outside his hometown of St. Louis, also knocked Cervantes down in the first round.
“I thought it was real important for his first time on TV to go out with a bang like that,” said Loew, who has trained Williams since he moved to Youngstown two years ago. “We would obviously have taken a good 10-round decision if we had to go that route, though.
“Everything leading up to the bout was perfect. The weight was perfect, the training was perfect. Everything fell into place. We had a feeling we were gonna have a good night.”
Cervantes stayed down for a few minutes after the knockdown but appeared to be OK.
“I don’t want to see anybody get hurt,” Loew said, “but I’d rather see him hurt than my guy.”
Afterward, Loew said ESPN analyst Bernard Hopkins, the longtime middleweight champion, pulled Williams aside and told him, “You’re gonna have some instant success here. Handle it well.”
Loew said ESPN has already approached Rumble Time about having Williams headline a “Friday Night Fights” show and Shobox — Showtime’s boxing series — is also interested.
Williams, who is promoted by Rumble Time, is eyeing an early October bout, which would allow him to fight again in December.
“Dannie has to realize now he’s finagling his way to the top so you have to pick the right fights and the right networks,” Loew said.
Williams has already fought four times in 2011 and was coming off a 10-round unanimous decision win over Oscar Cuero at the Covelli Centre on July 1. He injured his right hand in that bout but came out of Friday’s fight with nothing more than a swollen knuckle.
“His hands are fine,” Loew said. “Nothing like last time. But when you’re a puncher, that happens.”