Phil Williams vs. Al Nicolas Sands II RBR

Live from the Grand Casino in Hinckley, Minnesota.

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This is yet another installment of the "IB has a masochistic streak and is sometimes drawn to circus act match-ups like a moth to flame" series.

 

Phil "The Drill" Williams might be a familiar name to longtime followers of the Midwestern regional subsection of the USA domestic scene. He debuted in 2006 at super middleweight at the age of 28 and for a brief moment had boxing insiders holding their breaths thinking we had an elite puncher on the rise. Then he was exposed by fellow unbeaten KO artist Marcus Oliveira (remember him?). The game of "wait, does he suck or not?" would then continue with many twists & turns over the next few years, as he knocked out former contender Antwun Echols, only to lose on points to Matt Vanda, then by early KO to Donovan George. He seemed to sort of have Caleb Truax's number, holding the future belt holder to a split draw and then an MD in a rematch loss, both 10-rounders...and then he got blown out by Anrzej Fonfara. Then he in turn destroyed former prospect Dion Savage and then drew with deluxe journeyman Derrick Findley.

His last meaningful win came in 2015, when he blitzed Sands in two minutes and change.

Sands, the "Haitian Temptation", a career long cruiser, is probably best remembered as Diablo Włodarczyk's first stay-busy/tuneup opponent after beating Ola Durodola. Sands lasted only four minutes versus Diablo...

 

Phil Williams vs. Al Nicolas Sands II, 8 rounds @ cruiserweight

 

This is for the Minnesota State 200lb championship, 3rd defense of Williams.

Incidentally, the only previous titlist was Sands (became the inaugural champ in 2013 and defended once before dropping it to Williams in their first encounter).

 

Round 1

Williams is employing a blend of shoulder-roll and peek-a-boo as he works his way in close, throwing southpaw 1-2s past Sands' left jab and then ripping big hooks at the head before Sands flurries and scrambles outside to reset. Sands is jabbing down into the guard of the shorter Williams and showing a right cross but pulling it halfway, telegraphing and then seemingly changing his mind and just feinting with it as Williams seems poised to react.

10-9 Williams

 

Round 2

Williams is thrusting up southpaw jabs into the left armpit of Sands, having a hard time reaching him as Sands uses his considerable height advantage, boxing smart on the outside. Sands bats down at Williams' right glove with his left, enclosing the back of it within his palm and pushing it down and out with a sweep aside. Sands is jabbing into the air in front of Williams, really not landing any but keeping Williams contained. A few love-tap rights on the crown by Sands from afar.

10-9 Sands

19-19

 

Round 3

Williams is shuffling forward, pushing up the high right jab and getting raked down with that left of Sands' clawing out and down at his forearm. Sands bending his legs slightly on the outside and reaching underneath Williams' guard with some jabs on the body. Sands tries a long right hand on the nose and Williams sways in reverse, showing a little upper-body slickness to dodge with his arms down, but Sands is too far away for him to effectively parlay the slip into a counter. Sands is controlling distance with his jab (not connecting but habitually making Williams raise his right arm, turned over perpendicular to his chest, and flinch with his eyes closed) and long light straight right while tiptoeing around on the outside, not even all that gracefully, just managing to pace Williams.

10-9 Sands

29-28 Sands

 

Round 4

Williams is starting to wing big lacrosse stick lefts at Sands now as he bears down upon him, grazing with a few, but Sands is able to creep his way outside and get behind that jab again. Sands is waving his left arm out, noodling it to disrupt Williams' right up-jabs every time he throws. Sands opens up with a flurry and backs Williams into the ropes, his facial expression growing more bestially aggressive, but Williams nips that all in the bud with a single partially blocked left knocking Sands back several involuntary steps to ring center. Williams is stalking and flipping jabs up into Sands' guard, then smoothly back-stepping away from Sands' 1-2. Williams fakes a right hook dashing in and instead tosses a high left at the forehead, but Sands folds himself over to his left and then swings himself around still bowed over to clinch.

10-9 Williams

38-38

 

Round 5

Williams is trying and failing to cut the ring off and land something big. Sands is throwing and missing badly with his jab and 1-2 as he takes awkward, wide, gangly lateral steps - like he can't walk and chew gum at the same time - but he is able to either clinch or yank himself back from harm's path before Williams can plod up to him and throw a bomb, every time. Lots of boos from the crowd. Williams is slipping the left jab and sidling up close to Sands, then flipping a right jab up at the head only for Sands to lean away from it and start pumping out the left in soft multiples, which for some reason Williams backs away from, giving Sands too much respect. Williams pressures and makes Sands miss about ten jabs in a row at close range, simply with quick neck-pulls. But isn't throwing a damn thing.

10-9 Williams, close

48-47 Williams

 

Ulises Sierra, Jr. would have both of these clowns outta there by now.

...and yes, I realize he's campaigning two divisions (and 32lbs) below.

 

Round 6

Williams is popping that southpaw jab up into Sands' bottom lip and then jerking himself outside before Sands can retaliate, combining his quickness (above the waist anyway) with a high guard and the natural advantage of being a shorter moving target than Sands is comfortable throwing his elevated 1-2s at. Sands catches him with a couple on the way out, though, eliciting oohs from a very bored crowd ready to chomp at the bit at the merest suggestion of action here. Sands is missing jabs as he stomps after Williams, and displays none of Williams' head movement when the smaller man cuts to his left and zips inside to raise a few right jabs into the face before scurrying off again.

10-9 Williams

58-56 Williams

 

Round 7

Williams is holding the right arm up straight in front of his face and collecting Sands' errant left jabs on it like so many paperclips flying toward a magnetic obelisk. Sands is sort of jogging to his left, sometimes giving his legs a little shake to get the blood flowing as he's barely even having to leave first gear to play keep-away from the cement-footed Williams. HUGE swings by Williams all of a sudden, big looping power shots with the left and right, but Sands ducks them all, then swiftly ties up. Sands now starts to rip big uppercuts in the pocket after hanging onto Williams and wrestling him a bit to sap his strength and leave him immobilized. Sands now targets Williams' body with right hands stalking from outside.

10-9 Sands

67-66 Williams

 

Why'd I commit myself to doing this? Even knowing there's just one round left, I'm still all like..

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You put up a live feed of two pro boxers I've so much as heard of, and I'm like a sailor turned siren chow.