02.03.04 – Interview by Ben Carey: A championship fight on his home ground at Hereford could be a future fixture for British featherweight champion Darren “Dazzo” Williams after he effortlessly swept aside the challenge of former champion Jamie McKeever at the Bridgend Sports Centre, Wales on Saturday night.
Over a 1,000 punches were exchanged in an entertaining duel but after 12-rounds there was only one winner with Williams rightfully receiving the nod by 116-113 on referee Ian John-Lewis’s scorecard. British Eastside recently caught up with Dazzo to gain his comments on his victory over McKeever, Roy Rutherford and his plans for the future.
ESB: Dazzo, congratulations on an excellent display. Both you and your trainer Steve Robinson must be delighted with your performance against Jamie McKeever?
DW: Thanks very much. Steve Robinson has been right at the bottom to the very top and he knows what a fighter’s going through. At first Steve tried to get me to fight the way he fights but I’m not that sort of fighter. But against McKeever I was able to take things from Steve such as landing left hooks and right hands over the top. There’s not a lot of movement from McKeever, he keeps his hands very low and he’s there to be hit but we knew he was durable. You can catch him with counter left hooks and right hands because he’ll come on to you. I’m a counter puncher but I can go backwards and I can come forwards, I can do a bit of everything. At the end of the day though I’m a counter puncher.
ESB: Were you surprised that Ian John-Lewis only made you a 116-113 winner. The consensus was that you had won by a wider margin.
DW: I agreed with my corner who thought I won ten rounds and he won two. I have full respect for Ian John-Lewis, he’s a brilliant referee, but I don’t know where he got three rounds from.
ESB: You really took charge from the off. His eye was rapidly swelling as early as round 3. It was becoming one-sided. Did you think you could have forced a stoppage?
DW: I thought I could a few times. We were in the showers afterwards and I told McKeever that he’s got a jaw like a piece of iron. I remember hitting him with a right hand in the second round and it hurt my hand. I could feel my knuckles swelling up, my hand is swelled up now. I could hit a few people like that and they would go. I’m not a knockout artist but I know I’ve got a bit of a sting on me.
ESB: McKeever had been out of the ring for 9 months since losing to Rutherford. How significant a factor was this in determining the outcome of the fight do you think?
DW: I think it was a factor. At the end of the fight I could see he was knackered.I went on the ropes to let him come on to me and my other trainer Dai Gardiner was asking me “What are you letting him come on to you for?” but I told him McKeever wasn’t bothering me. Obviously I wouldn’t put my chin out because I know he’s got a bit of a dig but he wasn’t bothering me and I could see he was fading. But McKeever’s true heart and grit, it’s what he’s known for really.
ESB: Midway through the fight you elected to switch southpaw. What was your reasoning behind this?
DW: It was just to muck him around. I felt fitter than I did against Rutherford. I mean I’ve done 8 rounds before in only my 2nd fight so I know what it’s like to be chucked in at the deep end. Against Rutherford it was my first 12-rounder so I had to pace myself and it was hard but on Saturday I really felt fit in there. I didn’t switch southpaw to be flashy or anything because I’ve got respect for all my opponents. Even if I lose I respect them. I was just trying to play mind games with him, trying to confuse him and it worked.
ESB: It’s about time you received some credit. What would you like to do next? How about a fight against the winner of Nicky Cook vs Cyril Thomas for the European title or a rematch against Roy Rutherford?
DW: I’d love to have that sort of fight against Nicky Cook down the line. My personal opinion is that Nicky is going to win it (the European title later this month). I’d like to fight him for the British, Commonwealth and European titles put together.
As for Roy Rutherford, I think I did enough to beat him and I’m happy with one fight against him. People on SKY like Barry Mcguigan annoy me. When asked to comment on my performance the first thing he mentioned was that he thought I was lucky to beat Rutherford. They seem very against me and I don’t know what I’ve done to upset them. Even Jim Watt was the same. When I fought Rutherford I caught him with three jabs on the trot and he turned round and said that Rutherford had landed a jab on me. I thought “eh?” I’m not asking for credit but I don’t know what I’ve done to upset them.
ESB: Roy Rutherford is desperate for a rematch with you and thinks he was the victim of a controversial decision. What’s your take on that?
DW: Well he’s going to have to put money up for a rematch. The public aren’t crying out for a rematch but I’m not bothered I’d fight him again if I had to. A lot of people who saw me after that fight came up to me afterwards and said they thought I’d won it. I thought I’d done enough. The referee who refereed the Rutherford fight (Paul Thomas) also refereed my eliminator against Stephen Chinnock. I thought I’d won that fight by five rounds but he only gave it to me by one. He was a fair refereeing appointment for the Rutherford fight then. I saw Rutherford after the fight and I told him I wanted to have a drink with him so he let me buy him a coke in the bar. In front of my trainer and my wife he told me that I deserved it (to win).
ESB: Do you feel you’ve more than proved yourself at domestic level then?
DW: Boxing News (magazine) referred to it (the domestic British featherweight scene) as a merry-go-round. In Chinnock, Rutherford and McKeever I’ve beaten three men who were all stood in line, I’ve done them. What I’d like personally is to fight for the European title against Nicky Cook.
ESB: When are we likely to see you back in the ring?
DW: I’ve spoken to Tommy Gilmour and he told me that my next fight’s going to be in Hereford, probably sometime in May. I think I’ll pack the venue out. Hereford’s not a boxing town but they’ve got boxing fans there and they showed up for my fight on Saturday and the atmosphere was brilliant. They are country folk around here and its taken us two years to get it but we’ve got it now, we’ve got the atmosphere.
British Eastside would like to thank Stefan Hitchinson and Dazzo Williams for making this interview possible. For more information about Dazzo, visit his web site at http:www.dazzowilliams.exactpages.com