Michael Williams, Jr. vs. DeMarcus Deon Corley

October twenty-sixth in Fayetteville, NC. Ten rounds scheduled at welterweight.

Williams has every advantage imaginable. He is 25 years old and his opponent at 50 is literally twice his age. He is 6 foot 1 inch with 74" of reach; his opponent is 6" shorter verticly with arms 4" stubbier. This event is titled "Homecoming II" in honor of Williams Jr., a Fayetteville native, and organized by his promoter. He is 22-1, losing only to capable Puerto Rican southpaw (this is significant, btw) John Bauza.

And yet we are out here praying for a miracle. Chop is 2-7 in the last seven years. Of late his focus has largely shifted from the sport to his new calling as social media chef (yep). We're just nineteen months away from his professional debut's three decade anniversary.

Even so - if anybody can make our jaws collectively drop and pull off an upset like this at such a wizened stage of life ...it's gotta be the man that Floyd Mayweather Jr. always insisted was his most difficult opponent. He may be old, but has remained active in the ring and in good nick - and has seen it all, facing dozens of prospects as the B-side, winning some and losing some. His number of points victories alone is equal to Williams' total bouts (23) - and that's along with 28 by stoppage, 35 losses and one draw. Experience differential goes crazy. 86 rounds boxed to 626.

Let's go Chop!

 

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You're thinking of Mike Tyson.

https://www.craiyon.com/image/vCWd2YIlRf-MxRAls0iNOA

 

He wants to have at least 90 pro fights before he retires. Currently at 88 total with 35 of those defeats, so if he loses twice more he'll be at 37.

 

That might actually make him boxing's final centurion (which I believe is still currently Yori Boy?)

 

Damn, wow, and TJW already has a date penciled in for January of next year.

I knew that some of the last generation's (active primarily 20, 15 or 10ish years ago) British journeymen were up there in triple digits - most notably Kristian "Mr. Reliable" Laight, who boasts the almost unbeatable record of most defeats at 279, of 300 bouts (just shading out Reggie Strickland with 276, in 363 outings). I'd figured most of that workaholic old guard had retired, but am now remembering also that Campas' unique claim to fame putting him in a class almost by himself in the modern era was being a centurion not in the sense of matches fought but of victories. YBC hit that mark twelve years ago when he knocked out Mauro Lucero, heading in 99-16-1 - and if memory serves it had been a while already since anybody had notched a hundredth win.

German Iván "Panteonero" Meraz Lima keeps an insane schedule. His sixteen fights since Covid probably outstrips any ranked contender, but these have been extremely lean years by his standards. Over the first decade-and-half of his career he averaged more than double that at 8.3 fights annually.

2005: 4 (and that's with debuting in July)
2006: 7
2007: 10
2008: 13
2009: 7
2010: 8
2011: 11
2012: 7
2013: 9
2014: 6
2015: 8
2016: 7
2017: 10
2018: 8
2019: 10

When folks say "they don't build 'em like that anymore" the answer is that in fact they do - but in very limited supply.

 

Corley should absolutely not go chasing after Campas for the hundred wins mark; he's barely more than halfway.