Danny Williams' Berlin Blues

By David O´Swan

14.02 - Danny Williams' hopes of a potential world title challenge were severely dented in Berlin last saturday night, after suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of European heavyweight champion Sinan Samil Sam. The British and commonwealth title holder, had been setting his sights on mixing it up with one of the Klitschko brothers, but that must seem like a distant horizon for the 29-year-old from Brixton, whose European title bid ended, after the hard hitting Sam stopped him near the end of the sixth round.

Williams, a hot favourite ahead of the fight, started the contest brightly enough, signalling his intent to keep the somewhat overweight champion at arms length, with a succession of ram-rod left jabs finding the Turk's face.

It wasn't long though, before Sam began to find his range, and he countered Williams' opening salvo with his own jabs and clubbing right hands.

By the end of the round, Sam, the 1999 world super-heavyweight gold medallist had Williams on the back-foot and it was clear, even at this early stage of the fight that the stone-and-a-half weight difference was not proving advantageous to Williams.

The second round, was much of a much ness with the plodding Turk cutting down the ring space, catching Williams with a variety of left and rights.

The Londoner's corner were now becoming alarmed at their man's sluggishness, and it wasn't long before his trainer Jim Mcdonnell - himself a former European champion, began cajoling Williams into upping the tempo of the fight.

Williams, began the fourth up on his toes, but after he was caught by a left hook early on in the round, Williams was nailed by Sam, when a swinging right smashed into his head forcing him to take a count of six.

By now, a partisan crowd in Berlin's Estrol convention centre were baying for an early finish, and Sam nearly obliged when another huge right put Williams down again for the same count.

The British champion looked to be suffering from shell-shock at this stage, and he raised his arms aloft to show referee Sergio Silvi that he was able to carry on, but the signs were, that the end was not too far away, for a man who had never been in so much trouble throughout his eight years as a professional.

Williams, tried to respond in the fifth, firing in a couple of classy left hooks to Sam's head, but another haymaker to the chin from the relentless Turk sent him reeling into the ropes for a further standing count.

Jim McDonnell, was screaming for Williams to use the ring space in the sixth, but after referee Silvi had given Sam time to recover from a low blow from Williams, the Brixton bomber finally imploded after a barrage from Sam ended his misery, with the contest stopped two minutes and 46 seconds into the round.

A jubilant Sam, ecstatic at retaining his crown, leapt into the air, while a devastated Williams slumped in his corner, inconsolable and looking somewhat sheepish, this after widely predicting he would bring the European title back to the UK.

After the fight, Williams blamed inactivity for his failure, a view endorsed by his trainer "Danny's got to box more regularly, he's suffered from too much inactivity, but he's a soldier and he'll bounce back from this" said Jim McDonnell.

As the dust settled, Williams was reflective in defeat : "I just couldn't get my shots off tonight. I really should have beaten him -but I'll re-group and I'll be back. He seemed to raise his game against me and he fought well. I wasn't overconfident -and even after the first knockdown I thought I would win -but it was just a bad day at the office."

Following this loss, it is likely Williams will try to re-establish himself as a potent force amongst the top heavies in Europe by dominating the domestic scene in Britain.

However, for a boxer whose past fights have illustrated what a mobile and durable heavyweight he is, then Williams and his camp must surely look at the extra poundage he was carrying for the most important fight he has ever contested, and eliminate the long absences and inertia -in and out of the ring.

Sam, meanwhile seems certain to be a hard nut to crack, and although still a relative novice by heavyweight standards, his come-forward style and the power he packs in both hands, could have some of the more experienced heavies around at the moment casting anxious glances over their shoulders.