13.12.04 – International Boxing Federation No. 12-rated heavyweight contender DaVarryl “Touch of Sleep” Williamson (21-3, 17 KOs) signed a promotional agreement with Don King Productions today. “This is the right move for me,” Williamson said. “Don King has proven time and time again he can make things happen in boxing, especially in the heavyweight division. He represents three of the four world heavyweight champions, and I want to face one of them for a world title.
King is also enthusiastic about inking Williamson.
“DaVarryl is a great boxer and family man, and I think he’s earned the right to fight for a world heavyweight title,” King said. “He’s a thinking man’s fighter,” King said, referencing the fact the boxer holds a master’s degree in administrative services from Northern Michigan University.
Williamson, 36, posted won a unanimous 10-round decision over former World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Oliver McCall during his last appearance at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 13.
He has been victorious in three of his last four appearances, the loss coming to World Boxing Organization heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko where one judge had Williamson winning when the fight was prematurely stopped at the end of the fifth round after a clash of heads resulted in a gash above Klitschko’s right eye that went almost to the bone.
Williamson took up the sport of boxing at age of 25, after a tryout with the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts failed to yield a contract. He compiled an amateur record of 120-17-1, with 103 KOs and winning three consecutive U.S. National heavyweight titles, a silver medal at the 1998 Goodwill Games, and a spot as first alternate on the 1996 U.S. Olympic team.
While training for the Olympics, Williamson was a student athlete at Northern Michigan University’s Olympic Education Program, which afforded him the opportunity to obtain a master’s degree—but he had to remain an amateur boxer. He turned professional in 2000 and has proven himself as one of the top heavyweights in the world today.
Williamson is married to his wife of five years, Shalifa, and they are the parents of two children: a son, Dantel, and a daughter, Alayana.