By James Slater: Former Cruiserweight turned heavyweight contender Johnathon Banks and former IBF heavyweight title challenger DaVarryl Williamson were to have met on the Dec. 10th Wladimir Klitschko-Jean Marc Mormeck card in Germany. However, as fans know, that fight fell through due to “DR. Steel Hammer” coming down with gallstones. The world title fight is now re-set for March, but the potential rumble that is Banks-Williamson will now go down as the chief support to Vitali Klitschko’s WBC title defence against Brit Dereck Chisora in Munuch on Feb. 18th..
And while Banks-Williamson is no greatly significant match-up, the bout could turn out to be a somewhat interesting affair.
29-year-old Banks will be defending his NABF strap, as well as fighting to maintain his high ranking. Now 7-0-1(4) as a heavyweight and 27-1-1(18) overall, the Detroit boxer has blown both hot and cold as a heavy. Against 43-year-old Williamson, 27-6(23), Banks should be able to dominate. This is not to suggest Williamson cannot punch, because he can, but at his age, and after so much inactivity (just one fight since October of 2009: a 7th-round KO over Mike Marrone this past April), the man named “Touch of Sleep” looks likely to struggle if he is unable to land something big early on.
Williamson has all the experience in the world, having been in with the likes of Chris Byrd (LU12 in an IBF title shot), Wladimir Klitschko (LTD5 back in 2004) and former WBC champ Oliver McCall (WU10) – but his best days came back in the early to mid 2000s. Against Banks, Williamson looks set to be out-speeded and outboxed. Banks is no huge puncher as a heavyweight (although he did score an eye-catching, one-punch KO over Travis Walker a while back; also on a Klitschko under-card), therefore Williamson, who has been stopped four times, doesn’t figure to be blasted out quickly.
Banks should get his man out of there by the mid to late rounds, however. In fact, he may need to if he’s to convince the promoters he is deserving of a title shot. Banks’ career cannot afford another performance like the one he gave when drawing over 12 awful rounds with Jason Gavern. Fortunately, Williamson is a guy who usually comes to fight.
I go for Banks to come through a few lively early rounds, before stopping “Touch of Sleep” in around 7 or eight-rounds.