25 years ago today: Daniel Peter "Brixton Bomber" Williams vs. Mark "The Great White Shark" Potter

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Most boxing fans outside the UK first became aware of Danny Williams in 2004, when he upset the great (but declining and inactive) Mike Tyson. It's tempting, since Williams fought on nearly two decades past that high-water mark - until just a couple of years ago* - to consider that "early" in his career. As his British fans are well aware, however, Williams had battled for nine years already on the domestic scene.

*in what still feels like a bizarre fever dream, Tyson has in fact fought more recently than Williams has, in that best-forgotten Jake Paul debacle after a 19½ year retirement.

His first grab for the BBBofC heavyweight title saw him fail to wrest it from Julius Francis, who thus obtained the coveted Lonsdale outright. Eighteen months later, the second time proved the charm for the now 21-1 (and critically, not yet obese) Brixton Bomber. Nevertheless, it wasn't without its difficulty or drama.

The popular East London brawler - challenging for the Commonwealth belt in Williams' first defense after four consecutive non-title tune-up eight-rounders, as well as the vacant British title - came in with a 14-2 (10) record, having never been stopped and riding a three-win streak that saw him pick up the Southern Area championship by stopping another Danny W., the Peckham super heavyweight "Big" Danny Watts.

Remarkably, the bout was sanctioned for both the Commonwealth and BBBofC titles despite Potter coming in on just a few days' notice. He was a late substitute for Michael Holden of Manchester. Holden defeating reigning British titlist Julius Francis in their rematch in March of 2000, and was supposed to unify with Commonwealth belt holder Williams but for reasons now indiscernible had to withdraw and was stripped - leaving the door ajar for Potter go from zero pieces of hardware to a pair of them in one fell swoop.

Potter came out gangbusters at the opening bell, launching a series of left hooks on the body and looping rights on the chin and scoring what really ought to have been ruled a knockdown just 5 seconds in. Williams weathered this adversity, and in the second round turned it all completely around with a knockdown of his own - this one counted officially. This ebbing and flowing extended into the third - with Williams dislocating his right shoulder! It would pop "in and out" repeatedly over the subsequent few rounds, leaving Danny with effectively a single reliably functional arm.

Shockingly, he would win by knockout in the 6th with a left uppercut after his right shoulder again uncoupled itself from its socket. It remained firmly embedded in the annals of UK fighting history as among the most memorable, miraculous, and unlikely victories - given the myriad ways Williams could've lost the contest. He was down on all the judges' cards - so a decision loss loomed heavily had he not taken it out of their hands. He was also docked three points by referee John Coyle - flirting with a DQ. The ringside physician at any point could have declared a TKO by way of injury with the state of his right arm. And to top it all off, Potter managed to rock & hurt him repeatedly, and another few rounds may have given him the opportunity to land a knockout blow.

As it happens, Williams pulled it off - and it remains perhaps his most storied win until the one over Tyson (although his next outing after Potter, halting the unbeaten Kali Meehan in thirty seconds, is the more impressive and important result). This was Williams in his prime and full glory, before that sad stretch from 2009-2023 where he campaigned well past prudence's limits.

As for Potter, he remained a well-loved regional figure and later became a referee, trainer, and cagefighter with a 5-2 pro MMA record. He also battered and stopped Eric "Butterbean" Esch in 2008, in an unsanctioned bout you won't find on either man's BoxRec page. He passed from stomach cancer in 2022, and a memorial ten bell salute was sounded out for him on the John Ryder vs. Zach Parker & Hamzah Sheeraz vs. River Wilson-Bent card at the O2 Arena, a sporting gesture from Frank Warren.

There have been a few instances in this sport of competitors overcoming an arm injury to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat with just one good hand - but this is certainly among the most thrilling of those.

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IMO for what it's worth, Williams would have stopped Mike Holden half as soon as he did Potter. In his career the Mank giant went a scheduled ten or twelve round distance thrice with Julius Francis, but was stopped thrice (by Michael Sprott, Matt Skelton, and a fresh faced rookie Dillian Whyte) and was dropped by Czech southpaw journeyman Tomáš Mrázek in their draw.