Darryll Williams reunited with old trainer ahead of crack at vacant British title.
richard@slpmedia.co.uk Darryll Williams will fight for the British super-middleweight title next month – and has spent £8,000 to be reunited with his first trainer.
The unbeaten Forest Hill puncher, 28, has headed to Clydach, a village on the outskirts of Swansea, to work again with David John.
Williams (17-0) faces Zach Parker (16-0) at Glasgow’s SSE Hydro for the domestic belt.
Sauerland Boxing, who represent Derbyshire’s Parker, won the purse bid for the bout and it will be on the undercard to their World Boxing Super Series show in Scotland.
“I’m the away fighter,” said Williams. “The judges will be rigged to him and the referee will be rigged to him. I’ve got to go in there and do a hell of a lot of damage.
“If it’s not a knockout win then it’s got to be that he has been beaten up so there is no odd decision.
“I don’t think there is anything spectacular about the boy. He’s good, 16-0 and done what he has done up to here – but he hasn’t fought anyone with the slightest bit of ambition to win.”
It was John, who ran Double Jab gym in Forest Hill, who worked with Williams when he first pulled on a pair of gloves.
“He understood me as a person and the fighting style he gave me was specific to my personality,” said the English champion, who has previously been under the tutelage of British ring legend Ricky Hatton.
“I’m not saying other trainers I’ve been with were bad, but they don’t understand me or my style.
“A lot of the time they say: ‘You can’t move like that, you can’t do that’. But why can’t I?
How do you know I can’t bounce on my toes for 12 rounds? Muhammad Ali did it. So did Sugar Ray Leonard and Sugar Ray Robinson.”
Williams has struggled for fight dates with only one bout since he defended his English title against Jahmaine Smyle in July 2017 – a second-round stoppage of journeyman Raimonds Sniedze.
Winning the British strap should make him more of a wanted man.
“I bloody hope it does – I don’t know what I have got to do if it doesn’t,” is his response.
“The weight class is pretty open – two years ago it was really hot, there were a lot of guys who were troublesome.
“You’ve got George Groves, Callum Smith, James Degale and Chris Eubank Jnr who are at the top level, but there isn’t anyone below that I’d say I could target.
“Right now this guy [Parker] is perfect for me. People have watched my fight against Smyle but that isn’t my fighting style. What we’re doing now means I’ll be completely different. They are not preparing for what I’m going to do.”
John has been back with Williams since February.
“We have always gelled,” said the trainer. “We had to split before due to a personal thing on my behalf. I was going through a relationship which wasn’t very good.
“But for four years before that we were inseparable. If I was in the pub he was next to me.
“He has spent £8,000 to come and train with me – no sponsor. He has done it all off his own back.
“The inactivity isn’t perfect but we’ve just got to deal with is. It is unfortunate because it is other people pulling out and circumstances – that’s just boxing.
“He’s had only two rounds in a year and a quarter
“Darryll will be at the top of his game. If Parker thinks Darryll is a walk in the park then he is in for a rude awakening.
“Darryll is a natural fighting man and I can’t see the rust or his timing being an issue.
“Parker has known about this date for over two months and we’ve only had five weeks to prepare.
“He has been holed up in Derbyshire since the summer and is going stir-crazy.”
Peckham’s Johnny Garton challenges for the British welterweight title tomorrow against Gary Corcoran.
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