Danny Williams vs Frank Bruno

Harsh...

Derek had an ability, much like Danny. And like his namesake he could sleepwalk though fights he should win. But Danny's heart would give him the edge IMO.

I have a hunch that Danny just walks though Notice. Horace was a good boxer, but Currie showed perhaps Notice had issues with his chin.

Currie was a solid Area level fighter, Williams would feel very comfortable fighting Hughroy.

That said, it is sort of fight that Williams could labour in, and make an easy fight harder than it should be.

 

I'm not being harsh. I'm being fair to some British heavyweights who perhaps never gained the exposure Williams received.

Williams never proved himself a better class than those guys. He's been a domestic British-level fighter his whole career, until the last couple of years where he's not even that.

Like I said, I wouldn't EXPECT him to win against those fighters. That doesn't mean I'd necessarily expect him to lose.
He's on that level.

 

Danny clearly at his best fought at least a level above all of them.

As mentioned Currie was an area level fighter, who's step up to anything resembling world class saw him stopped by 'Maguila'; and painfully thrashed by Mason.

Derek Williams show odd glimpses of potential (beats Quarless, Thunder, Bey and Currie), but always found a way to blow it (Wills, Chanet (twice) and not even turning up to fight Lewis).

At least against the top level Danny gave it a go, and did get a good win of sorts against a Tyson who was supposed to steamroll him.

Notice never really had his heart in the game, and from what we saw it is very hard to judge how he would coped at Heavyweight. A good win over Wamba, but a knockdown against Currie. Maybe on that small plank of evidence, a trip down to Cruiserweight would of been the way to go.

 

Danny Williams would beat Frank Bruno, athletically he was more gifted and also technically.

Danny Williams was a better combination puncher, and had faster hand speed. When he came in 100% condition........

 

Williams would make Bruno look like a superpowered Ike quartey, en route to getting his face horribly caved in with jabs and clubbing rights.

 

I always assumed Bruno to have been a class above
Williams.

Williams was essentialy a commonwealth level fighter while Bruno was at least world class.

 

Williams was more athletically gifted than a lot of the people that beat him like Francis, Samil sam etc. Williams threw nice looking punches when he let his hands go but too often just stood there doing nothing and his defence was very poor. I was screaming at him to lift his low left hand up while Samil Sam landed right hand after right hand on poor old Danny.

Bruno fought and suceeded at a much higher level than Williams ever acheived. Williams for all his natural gifts was often overweight and was basically a good domestic level fighter, he never even proved himself on a european level.

Bruno was easily a level or 2 above Danny williams despite his superior natural athleticism.

 

It's not clear at all.

Williams was beaten up by Sinan Samil Sam, who's no better than Rodrigues.
Danny Williams would have been knocked out by Mason.

Currie's the least accomplished fighter I mentioned, but he beat Evangelista in Spain (who was coming off a win over Snipes), Quarless (2 or 3 times), Banjo. Similar sort of wins to Danny's best.

Danny wouldn't last long against Lennox Lewis. He lost Julius Francis once, and was stopped once by Audley Harrison. Stopped by Sam, that already mentioned. Lost to Sprott once, maybe should have lost to him twice, same with his fights against Skelton.

It was a great. But we know Tyson was finished.
His best win is probably over Kali Meehan.
I can't rate him just for "giving it a go" when he was so thoroughly and brutally outclassed by Vitali klitschko.

 

Danny Williams in 100% shape, Was faster, More technically gifted, better combination puncher, had MASSIVE MASSIVE HEART no matter what.

He would spark Bruno out in my opinion.

 

It is!

I liked old Hughroy, he was a trier. But also lazy and sloppy.

If you want to compare yourself to Danny Williams, you do not get knocked out badly against two rank novices and you do not drop a decision to a 13-16 American, who had lost five of his last six fights!

Derek had the ability, quite a few commentators were figuring he was going to give Lennox fight. But then boom, he froze, he did not even try.

And he never ever recovered from that defeat, unlike Danny who despite putting in some poor, disappointing performances, came back to a decent level a number of times.

We knew Tyson was totally done after the fight granted, but pre fight, I suspect most still would of had him in their top 10.

The Meehan fight does indeed look good, something neither Hughroy or Derek had on their resume (a devastating KO win, against a fair name).

Also, I did not see Derek suck it up and turn around fights against less superior opposition. Danny as you rightly point out, struggled sometimes against opposition he should not of. But unlike Derek, he tend to find a way to get his hand raised at the end of the fight.

Also to not rate his give it a go attitude against Vitali? I can see where you are coming from. But that same attitude got him though the first couple rounds with Tyson and though the Potter fight.

Derek was fun, but we never expected any of our Heavies to do anything in the 80s. And Derek did not fail to disappoint.

It was a bit different by the 90s. Lewis, Bruno, Hide and Akinwande had raised the bar, and although never on that level, Danny unlike Derek, gave it a go.

 

bruno's jab sets up a ko victory

 

When would that have been then?

 

Won't deny that aethestically Danny Williams was pleasing to watch when for the odd minute or 2 he put it all together. But he was horribly inconsistant, a constant under performer and almost always well overweight.

He would fire a pretty combination and then stand there admiring his work giving his opponent the opportunity to get back in the fight. He was defensively very niave and just wasn't that smart a boxer. He got beat by guys that if he was 100% and gave it his all he would simply destroy. He was very frustrating to watch because you knew if he just let his hands go and just simply upped his workrate he would blow his opponent away but he simply couldn't or wouldn't do it.

I prefer to judge fighters on who they beat and the level at they competed at rather than their potential natural ability. Whenever Bruno fought at domestic level or lower he destroyed guys, only when he fought world level opposition was he tested and beaten. I can't see Bruno struggling with domestic level opposition like Potter, Francis and Sprott and I can't see Danny Williams being remotely competitive with Lennox Lewis.

Bruno would win and win easily behind that thudding jab and big right hand a punch Williams was susceptible to.

 

I suspect Currie didn't have much amateur experience.
One of those novices who knocked him out actually beat Bruno in the amateurs.
I know Currie wasn't much good, and I'd rank him below Danny Williams, but I think he's far closer to Danny than Danny is to Bruno - and I wouldn't count on Williams beating him.

Derek's record, and ability, is just as good.
Sure, he went downhill after the Lewis defeat (a decline that actually included a defeat to the experienced Bert Cooper and a 3-round robbery with Jose Ribalta in his next two fights).
I don't think Derek Williams froze against Lewis, I think he didn't box him enough, had a mixed up game plan and got overpowered.
You're being harsh in your assessment of him there.

I think Derek's win over Thunder is easily comparable to Danny KOing Meehan. Both were quite obscure scalps at the time, who went on to be fringe contenders.

Derek "gave it a go" too.
Actually I think Danny Williams benefitted from the exploits of Lennox Lewis, and was given serious hype as a "world title hopeful" at various junctures of his career, quite undeservedly.

 

recently i found myself unlucky enough to be watching some old tapes and came across derek williams vs chanet II in its entirity and it made me remeber how i felt watching it for the first time, by round six i was thinking how is a man with the better boxing ability being beaten by this semi-skill french caveman who can only be described as a clubfighter.williams total non effort in this fight left me quite bemused and the only piece of action that happened throughout the fight, was in the crowd toward the end of the last round when a fight broke out between some of wiiliams travelling support and chanets french gypsy followers . lets not also forget that after getting beaten by chanet in thier first fight derek williams had claimed he had been drugged and wanted this rematch