Roy Williams in today's heavyweight division

Just out of curiosity, is he still alive?
In prison? or what?

 

Williams took more right hands from Shavers than all of Earnie's other opponents combined. Through the first several rounds, Shavers built up a huge lead by repeatedly slamming that right into the left side of Tiger's body. After absorbing all that punishment, Williams came out for the ninth round as if none of it had ever happened. When Earnie was taking that standing eight count in the final round, Tiger was prematurely celebrating with upraised arms, arms which should have been too sore to lift. That was no attrition knockout Shavers managed to pull out at the end. Round ten was a self contained event where Roy's last second collapse was concerned.

Frazier would have gone nuts, hitting Tiger with hooks to the body until the power in his left gave way to slapping. Joe would have won a lopsided decision, but he'd be completely expended by the final bell.

Aside from Shavers, Roy was only decisioned by tall opponents who could move and jab. Williams would have felt right at home with modern sized super heavyweights. Holmes, Henry Clark, Mike Boswell and Charlie Polite were 6'3" each. Dunn and Middleton were 6'4." Merritt, Santemore, and Robie Harris were 6'5," and Mac Harrison was 6'6." Tiger was definitely a man who picked on people his own size.

His chopping hook was clearly his best weapon. Stay away from it by jabbing, and punching straight, then the decision should come. Earnie secured an insurmountable lead about as quickly as he could have produced it. Front running can work against a sparring partner mentality like Roy's. Just be sure to have enough left to get to the final bell. If Shavers and Williams had had a rematch, Earnie could have opened up an identically insurmountable early lead by expending himself much less than he did.

Yes, he was really a career long glorified sparring partner, but he had a far more impressive competitive career than the likes of Turnbow and Scrap Iron. With proper guidance and motivation, who knows? He was as tough as any man in boxing during his day. What he absorbed to the body from Shavers was insane. (Ali had some bad ass spar mates and exhibition partners in Turnbow, Ellis, Lyle, Tiger, Holmes, Young, Dokes, ect... Some of his easier bouts must have seemed like a walk in the park by comparison.)

 

Whatever gets you through the night. Multiple first hand sources ay you are wrong. On this one I'm going with them.

 

LOL...Klompton is a far more reliable source than you are. Klompton has accomplished plenty of great things for readers/fans of boxing over the years in the boxing community.

Why don't you post some of these first hand accounts from the fighters you said spoke so "highly" of Williams, perhaps it will help your case a bit more.

 

He was average, not so good as contender. He'd be same now. Only thing going for him was he was used as oppenent for a few big names, lost each time.

 

You really do have trouble following the course of a conversation , don't you ? Why keep starting with me ? I honestly feel like I'm picking on a kid in special ed ... let it go ..

 

My thoughts exactly. :good

 

You use the word "kid" a little bit too much. You into that sort of thing? You a pedo? Level 3? Don't let Mom and Dad see your stash of kiddie porn hidden under your bed.

 

I respect where Grant is coming from and admit that some in the boxing community had a lot of impressive things to say about Williams. I just dont agree. Ive seen Williams fight, Ive seen him spar, Ive read accounts from the training camps and from his fights. He was what he was. He had his opportunity to show us what he was made of and he did. Its as simple as that. In way he was like a lot of sparring partners who get a big rep in the gym but cant produce when they are in the limelight. Maurice Harris was like that. That kid could box his ass off and was one of the most sought after sparring partners. BUT, when it came to actual fights he has a pretty shitty record and some pretty pathetic performances. Charlie Weinert back in the teens and twenties was considered one of the greatest ring technicians ever but you never hear his name today because despite how talented he was he had a very spotty record. He would string together five or six nice wins and then start getting his contender status back and then suffer defeat that sent him back to square one. Actually Weinert still has a more impressive record than Williams. Guys like this always get a cult following because a few people see them do their thing in the gym, the word spreads and it becomes almost myth. The reality is that these guys never attain a lofty status because they probably never would. Did some guys fear Williams? Im sure they did, I have no reason to doubt them. BUT, based on what??? His record doesnt give the impression that he was to be feared. He lost at all stages of his career to less than stellar competition. His sparring? Ok, lets say he gave as good as he got against an aging Ali over a couple of days. Big deal. Ali was famous, particularly at that stage of his career, for letting his sparring partners beat the living **** out of him in the misguided belief that it would toughen him up. For the majority of their sparring bouts Ali beat Williams' ass to the point of cruelty. Thats a fact. So he had two good days in sparring a past his prime Ali. Does that mean he was as good as a past his prime ali? Do we judge his whole career and what he may accomplish based on two days sparring? Based on Larry Holmes (who ended up beating him) fear of him? His showings against Spinks in sparring? Lennox Lewis was knocked out cold in sparring for the first Rahman fight by one of his sparring partners (I think it was Maurice Harris if memory serves) does that mean said sparring partner would suddenly be able to take this HW division by storm?

 

suzie why do you hate He Grant so much....

 

Hate's a strong word. I prefer to use the term "Dislike" with the word extremely emphasized.

 

K I appreciate the kind phrasing but t's not where I'm coming from. It's from the mouths of the men who sparred with Roy daily ... Larry Holmes, Earnie Shavers and Joe Frazier ... They all said to me directly that Roy had exceptional ability. They all said he was extremely strong, a murderous puncher and tough as nails.. All said they dreaded sparring with him because he could and did hurt them badly ...

I never said he accomplished anything as a pro ... I said he was a messed up guy who lacked the breaks, discipline , will and focus to dedicate himself to the game and accepted his lot in life as a sparring partner taking pick up fights on short notice, under trained, in other fighters backyards for extra bucks, ect .. he was an opponent as a pro but that was not the full story on Roy Williams ... he had talent and he had skills and he had gifts ... he just could not put it together .. in the history if this game there have been dozens and dozens of lost souls like him .. for every Dempsey that finds his Kearns there are ten times as many Roy Williams lost to history ..

 

I'm amused by this guy ... he's obsessed with me and he's a last word freak ... he can't let anything go without adding some lowbrow comment....I'm surprised that I've gotten under his skin the way that I have because he almost never enters my mind unless I chance upon something he has written ... it's a riot ..