By Chris Straight – Like many other fighters… welterweight Terrell Williams (6-0-5 KO’s) followed his brother into the gym. Dwain “Tyger” Williams was a California State Middleweight Champion in the last decade, and the first in his family to box. However, the elder Williams was done as a boxer before he turned 24. His brother was just turning pro around the same age. The younger Williams may have come to boxing early, but like many, left and came back to it later. Although he is the youngest of 6 children, he has been forging his own path ever since. Chris Strait of www.convictedartist.com talked with the young prospect, prior to his fight September 20, 2012 at Florentine Gardens in Hollywood, CA.
CS: Where are you from?
TW: Los Angeles… West L.A. but I train in Van Nuys now.
CS: When did you first start fighting?
TW: I was 8 years old. I had around 60 amateur fights (only 6 losses), but most of them were before I got into high school. Then I stopped boxing altogether.
CS: When did you come back?
TW: I was 21, and had maybe 6-8 more fights, tops. I went into the golden gloves, then decided to turn pro.
CS: You’ve had a lot of gaps in activity for a fighter with only 6 fights. What led to that?
TW: I had to work. I was working 10 hour days as a forklift operator.
CS: But this will be your third fight in as many months.
TW: Exactly, and I hope to fight a couple more times before the end of the year.
CS: How is your support system different now?
TW: I have a backer in John White, and my trainer Shaheed Suluki. Also, my brother is a big part of my life and career, as is my wife.
CS: You just got married, too, right?
TW: Yes, and she supports me 100%. Both emotional, and cooking for me, etc. getting me ready for fights.
CS: What do you know about your opponent on Sept 20?
TW: Not much, but I know he started out as a unbeaten prospect, then had a losing streak.. so he’ll be trying to score the upset to get his career back on track.
CS: You have a 5-knockout streak going now. is that something you aim for?
TW: I’m enjoying it, but I always train for distance. If the knockouts keep coming.. that’s a blessing, but I’m ready to go the distance. I’m a boxer-puncher, and lately the fights have been going the way I want them to.
CS: Any tense moments yet?
TW: Just the nerves of the pro debut.. and pre-fight. With every fight, that gets easier, but I just try to overcome nerves prior to the fight. Once the bell rings, I’m fine.
CS: How soon can you see yourself in serious contention?
TW: About a year and a half.. Hopefully get to 10-0 by end of this year, and then 8 or 9 fights next year.
CS: Who have you been working with? Sparring partners?
TW: A lot of people, I go to ‘Wild Card’ for sparring, too. Javier Molina, “Lucky Boy” (Wale Omatoso), Zach Wohlman, Mike Dallas Jr, Ty Barnett, and just my team: Matt and Jesse Villanueva, Ismail Sillakh…
CS: Can people follow you on social media?
TW: I know I need to get with the times (laughs), but I’ve been slow to do that… by the next interview, I’ll have all of that, but for now, no. I just want to thank Andy Price (former welterweight contender) for helping get me started, and him and Shaheed for believing in me, and knowing that I had something.
Terrell Williams takes on Las Vegas’ Lawrence Hughes (4-4-3 KOs) on September 20, 2012 at Florentine Gardens in Hollywood, CA.
Tickets to HOLLYWOOD FIGHT NIGHT can be purchased online by going to www.hollywoodfightnight.com or by calling (626) 388-8888. HOLLYWOOD FIGHT NIGHT takes place on Thursday, September 20, 2012 at the Florentine Gardens, located at 5955 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood, California.
Doors Open at 7:00pm, First Bout at 7:15pm sharp. Tickets to HOLLYWOOD FIGHT NIGHT start at $45. All bouts are subject to change.