23.07.04 – Former undisputed heavyweight champion and current WBC No. 8/WBA No. 10 contender, Mike Tyson, will take his initial step toward reclaiming a world title when he takes on WBU International Champion Danny Williams in a 10-round showdown live on pay per view, Friday, July 30. The TYSON-WILLIAMS pay-per-view telecast from Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ky., will begin at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Straight Out Promotions will present the event, which will be distributed by SHOWTIME Pay Per View and carries a suggested retail price of $44.95.
Rounding out the pay-per-view telecast, Women’s International Boxing Association (WIBA) Super Middleweight Champion Laila Ali will make her second title defense when she takes on Monica Nunez, and Nelson Dieppa will defend his World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior flyweight crown for the fourth time when he battles Ulises Solis.
Tyson (50-4, 2 NC, 44 KOs), of Catskill, N.Y., will make his first start since scoring a devastating first-round knockout over world-ranked Clifford “The Black Rhino” Etienne, Feb. 22, 2003, on SHOWTIME. Tyson floored his opponent just 49 seconds after the opening bell. Etienne could not make it to his feet and was eventually helped up by Tyson as the fight ended.
The bout was Tyson’s first start since losing to heavyweight kingpin Lennox Lewis on June 8, 2002, in Memphis, Tenn. In his first bout in eight months, and second outing in 20 months, Tyson saw his six-bout unbeaten streak (4-0-2) come to an end.
Prior to the Lewis bout, Tyson dominated local favorite Brian Nielsen by registering an impressive seventh-round TKO Oct. 13, 2001, on SHOWTIME from Copenhagen, Demark.
Tyson seemed headed for certain victory on Oct. 20, 2000, after knocking down Andrew Golota in the first round and having his way for most of the second. Golota, however, abruptly bolted from the ring before the bell sounded to start round three. The pay-per-view bout in Auburn Hills, Mich., was later ruled a no contest.
On June 24, 2000, Tyson knocked out Lou Savarese just 38 seconds into the first round at National Stadium — Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland. It was the second-fastest knockout of Tyson’s career (the quickest was 30 seconds against Marvis Frazier on July 26, 1986).
Nearly five months earlier on Jan. 29, 2000, Tyson made his European debut with a second-round knockout over Julius Francis before a capacity crowd of 22,000 in Manchester, England.
Tyson was the youngest man in history to capture the heavyweight championship when, at the age of 20, he knocked out Trevor Berbick on Nov. 22, 1986 to win his first WBC title. The following year in Las Vegas, he unified the heavyweight division by capturing both the WBA and International Boxing Federation (IBF) belts. He won the WBA crown with a 12-round decision over James “Bonecrusher” Smith on March 7 and the IBF belt with a 12-round decision over Tony Tucker the following Aug, 1.
Williams (31-3, 26 KOs), of London, England, captured the vacant WBU International heavyweight crown in his last outing by scoring a third-round technical knockout over Augustine N’Gou in Bethnal Green, England, on May 13, 2004. After opening his pro career with 14 consecutive victories, including 12 by KO, Williams won his first pro title, the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) Intercontinental heavyweight championship, by registering a 12-round decision over Antoine Palatis on Oct. 10, 1998, in Bethnal Green.
More than 14 months after defeating Palatis, Williams added the vacant British Commonwealth title to his collection with a 12-round decision over Harry Senior on Dec. 18, 1999, in Southwark, England. The hard-hitting Brit then overcame a dislocated right shoulder to stop Mark Potter in the sixth round and successfully defend his British Commonwealth crown on Oct. 21, 2000. He also earned the vacant British heavyweight title in the process.
After defending his British championships six times from June 2001 through September 2003, Williams was dethroned in his third outing against Michael Sprott on Jan. 24, 2004, in Wembley, England. Following 12 rounds of non-stop action, the referee awarded Sprott a narrow 115-114 decision. Williams, who has tallied seven first- and seven second-round knockouts, will make just his third United States start.
Ali (17-0, 14 KOs), of Miami Beach, Fla., is the second youngest of Muhammad Ali’s nine children. Like her famous father, the 5’10” Ali has quick feet, a stiff jab and a preternatural self-confidence. This dangerous combination of mental and physical strength has propelled Ali to an unbeaten record and a WIBA title since turning pro less than five years ago. In her ring debut on Oct. 8, 1999, she scored a 31-second knockout over April Fowler in Verona, N.Y. Following the bout, Ali struck a pose reminiscent of her dad as she stood over her opponent with her fist cocked and a scowl on her face.
On Aug. 17, 2002, Ali captured the WIBA super middleweight title with a second-round TKO over Suzette Taylor. Less than three months later, Ali successfully defended her crown for the first time with an impressive eighth-round TKO over Valerie Mahfood on Nov. 8, 2002. On June 21, 2003, Ali defeated Mahfood for the second time in seven months when she recorded a sixth-round KO on the undercard of Lennox Lewis — Vitali Klitschko at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.
After scoring a fourth-round KO over legendary Christy Martin to close out the 2003 campaign on Aug. 23, Ali stopped her sixth consecutive opponent by tallying a fourth-round TKO over Sheree Eplion on July 17, 2004.
Nunez (9-1, 5 KOs), of Irvington, N.J., by way of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, is currently riding a three-bout winning streak. The 20-year-old Dominican turned pro just three months after her 16th birthday in June 2000, and has moved up in weight with much success from 119 pounds in her rookie campaign to 162 pounds in 2004. After opening with six consecutive victories in her hometown, Nunez suffered her lone defeat when she dropped a four-round split decision in her United States debut against Roselin Morales on Oct. 23, 2003, from Allentown, Pa. In her last outing, Nunez registered a six-round majority decision over Shelley Burton on June 26, 2004, in Las Vegas.
Dieppa (20-1-2, 12 KOs), of Vieques, Puerto Rico, captured the WBO junior flyweight title by scoring a come-from-behind, 11th-round knockout over Andy Tabanas on April 14, 2001, in New York. The champion then closed out the 2001 campaign five months later in New York by successfully defending his belt with a 12-round unanimous decision over Fahlan Sakkririn on Sept. 29.
In his second title defense, Dieppa retained his crown with a second-round technical draw against Jhon A. Molina on Aug. 24, 2002. Fighting in front of his home crowd at Roberto Clemente Walker Stadium in Carolina, Puerto Rico, Dieppa won the first round easily. However, the champion was cut badly on the forehead from an unintentional headbutt late in the second round. After Dieppa received the cut, referee Roberto Ramirez immediately summoned the ringside physician, Raul Casas. The doctor took a quick look and waved the fight off at 2:38 of the second round.
Following a 2003 campaign in which he dieted down to 108 pounds three times in preparation for separate bouts that never materialized, Dieppa returned to the ring for the first time in nearly 19 months on March 20, 2004. Displaying no effects of the layoff, the champion floored Kermin Guardia in the opening stanza to successfully defend his WBO junior flyweight crown for the third time.
Solis (18-0-1, 13 KOs) of Guadalajara, Mexico, won the Mexican 108-pound championship by stopping Juan Keb-Baas in the ninth round on Aug. 9, 2003, in Mexico City, Mexico. Following a successful title defense on Sept. 13, 2003, Solis added the FEDECENTRO 108-pound title to his resume with an eighth-round TKO over Lee Sandoval on Oct. 24, 2003. In his two 2004 outings, Solis retained his Mexican crown twice by scoring consecutive knockouts over Gabriel Munoz (third round on March 6) and Adalberto Davila (first round on June 25).
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING’s Steve Albert and Al Bernstein will call the action from ringside with Jim Gray serving as roving reporter. The executive producer of the SHOWTIME PAY PER VIEW telecast is Jay Larkin, with David Dinkins Jr. producing and Bob Dunphy directing.
Tyson — Williams will be produced and distributed by SHOWTIME Pay Per View.