By Steve Trellert

03.10 - Viewing a Boxing Schedule can be both an experience of heightened anticipation or a moment of bitter frustration, particularly in regards to the Heavyweight division. The big boys clearly get the greatest exposure and would easily win a 'name as many fighters as you can from each division' competition amongst both casual and veteran boxing fans. Of course this has the drawback of exposing just how inactive Heavyweight fighters have become in our modern era. Don't believe me? Name a realistic top ten fighter with a confirmed opponent right now? Cannot do it? How about top twenty? Top 30? Ok, maybe on one hand, or two fingers. Mount Whitaker and Davarryl Williamson fit the bill, but two out of 30 fighters at one time is quite pathetic when you think about it and the latter fighter had to just cancel making it one. Where are the other twenty-eight? Are they all CIA operatives using boxing as a front? Did they get lost in Evander Holyfield's home outside of Atlanta? Or did they all fall into a collective coma after watching the latest John Ruiz fight? Wherever they are one thing is certain, most of them are not fighting anywhere near as often as they should. I understand boxing is a particularly brutal sport that needs both recuperative and training time, but one or two fights a year just does not cut it. To most contenders this most certainly applies, but to Davarryl "Touch of Sleep" Williamson it most certainly does not.

Viewing a Boxing Schedule where Davarryl is concerned is the inverse of the norm. The question here is when is he not scheduled to fight? This is particularly surprising when one considers his age as Williamson is a surprising 34 years old. If we include his yesterday cancellation of the fight with Elicier Castillo, he was scheduled to fight for the fifth time in less than seven months. This is amazing at a time when an action packed year for a contending Heavyweight is largely considered to be three fights. Also admirable is the fact that Davarryl fought two opponents within the same month twice last year. Some may claim that he has failed to make his mark as of yet and is fighting frequently to do so before father time arrives. Yes, this is true, but is this something to be ashamed of? Of course not, especially at a time when others are procrastinating away their twilight years through general inactivity instead of 'Carpe Diem'. Has Henry Akinwande and Larry Donald made their mark? How about Lawrence Clay-Bey and Corrie Sanders? Clearly not, and because of this how can they expect the public to take them seriously when they seem so apathetic towards their careers? Meanwhile, Davarryl Williamson is working hard and fighting frequently to make up for lost time, gee, what a novel concept. Respect does not come easy in this business and he is earning it one step at a time. This is the first reason to give 'Touch of Sleep' his due, the second is his undeniable ability to create excitement in the ring.

My first glimpse of Davarryl Williamson was on Fox Sports against the gatekeeping guardian journeyman Dale Crowe. Mr. Crowe is the kind of fighter who helps separate the wheat from the chafe through an aggressive style and iron chin that had never failed to keep his legs upright even against top notch opposition. To everyone's surprise, Williamson, under pressure, caught Dale with a straight right hand that placed him on the floor. This was to be repeated until the referee stopped the fight and Davarryl given the win. Williamson then moved on the face a revitalized Corey 'T-Rex' Sanders who had just built up a tremendous amount of momentum by defeating Paea Wolfgramm, Terrance Lewis, and the once highly regarded Oleg Maskaev in succession. Once again Davarryl pulled the unexpected by not only defeating the favored Sanders, but also knocking out a man who had physically manhandled him the first few rounds, knocked him down, and outweighed him by approximately 100 lbs. As with the Crowe fight, the bottom line proved to be retaining his composure under fire and effectively using his sledgehammer of a right hand. Forget Menthos, this Foo Fighter has a lifesaver.

Just yesterday it was announced that Davarryl Williamson had to pull out of his fight with Castillo due to a family emergency. In terms of boxing this was a bit of a disappointment for many that wanted another look at this man on the rise. On reflection though Castillo was probably not a step in the right direction at this point in time as he was largely 'made to order' in terms of style. Castillo is relatively stationary and flat footed so he would provide a relatively easy target for the right hand unless he chose to ran away like he did against Tim Witherspoon. He also is a relatively light puncher and likely could not knockout Williamson without sustained combinations. Additionally he is a hooker to Davarryl's 'down the pipe' straight punching style, and we all know straight punches almost always arrive before hooks do. Of course Castillo would not have been a slouch by any means and a more than acceptable fight after taking two large steps upward, but something a little more difficult would clearly do more to whet the appetite. In any case, with an ability to turn around a fight on a dime, the public is highly unlikely to fall asleep watching a 'Touch of Sleep' fight, or even when reading a boxing schedule.

If you have any comments on this article either post them on Eastsideboxing.com or contact me at Vancanste@aol.com