Three Days In The Life of Boxing Phenom, Michael Williams jr / 150 “Pt 1”
By Scottie “The Context” White
Though the Christmas holidays were approaching like the final seconds of a championship round, it wouldn’t deter me to give boxing fans a snap shot into a holiday schedule of blood, sweat, and dedication in the life of Fayetteville North Carolina own, WBF Champion titleholder ” Michael Williams jr.”
If your eyebrows twitch a bit in excitement, then we’re probably on the same mental canvas of reflection in linking up this fighter to the alias of “BUCK50 or BoyWonder” in their respective collaborative notoriety. Oh yea, did I mention he’s the youngest current WBF welterweight champion in the history of the sanctioning body, a prodigy of a boxing legend, Olympian silver medalist, four-division world champion, and a boxing anomaly who begin his career at light middleweight division. Follow me now, one of the only boxers to compete from LMW from the inception of his career, then excelling through the boxing ranks up to, and earning, the coveted heavyweight world championship. BTW, he’s a future boxing “Hall Of Famer” Yes, we’re absolutely speaking about the one and only boxing super star, “All Time Great”Roy Jones jr.”
Which leads us to this holiday segway, “World Combat Sports” media excursion with “TEAM Williams jr” and his loyal supporters hailing from the Carolinas- on this boxing rocket ship with his Father Michael Williams Sr whom to many refer to as “300”, since day one, piloted this father/son tandem team in a levitated state in a stratosphere which pinnacles towards boxing greatness. Though Williams Sr would downplay this ten-hour plus trip as minimal concern on the cusp of Christmas eve, but for all of it embodies the unconditional love for his son, that special bond in sacrificing the depth of “the well” ensuring it runneth over at all times in a relentless work ethic to properly raise his son boxing career. 300 percent in everything he does is his mantra which reciprocated half of it to his son moniker of “150”percent, half of his Father emulated bar for excellence.
Quickly as he arrived at my doorstep in Georgia, we were off. Noticeably a very familiar passenger was aboard, good friend with team Williams jr- Elias Briley, a current mix martial arts featherweight champion who sacrificed a portion of his holiday liberty away from family to attend training for the first time on the compound of Roy Jones jr boxing training facility in Pensacola FL.
Our itinerary more like a mobile speed bag, as my launch pad became a distant memory gassing forward, super agog having the opportunity in witnessing boxing prodigy Williams jr training regime under the watchful lens of Roy Jones jr. One can hear all the rumors to the sun drops, but the visual light to his meticulous training expertise is most important, the countless remediation and technical points of proficiency that would finally buoy a special epoch in my media fruition. As I pressed forward jabbing away miles in tow, the team engaged in a less physical round of sparring with comedic tit for tat clowning, humorous jokes about anything that was visual accessible for giggles. As the daylight retired brushing shoulders with its evening constituent, we were finally inside Florida state lines. Much serious for me in a sense, my last interaction with Roy Jones jr was prior to Williams jr ring-walk as they converse last minute details on fight night. A legendary presence in the corner of Williams jr for his championship bout, under the canopy of Vegas Grand Boxing promotion fight card in Charlotte NC.
Changing angles, I knew meeting one of boxing all time greats in passing, would be much different in the confines of his training enforcement. So here we are a couple of miles out in a desolate area absent of any residential neighbors in sight, as we wheeled a short distanced up, there it appears only to those who are familiar, if not we all would have driven strait past a gateway of historic boxing greatness. As we convoyed past the gate on a winding road, there it appears in the distance. The grand oasis of a boxing legend, an eye opening wow factor shared in my own yelp of solitary glee. Team Williams jr slowly pulls up to a huge enclosure of Roy Jones jr boxing training facility. This may have been my initial experience but not for Williams jr who has been a prominent student under the tutelage of Roy Jones jr for several months. As we exited into the facility, at first glance appears Williams jr intensely reciprocating a formulated set of punch combinations, engaging precise hand and foot accountability through the binocularity in close proximity of his mentor-trainer Roy Jones jr.
What was evident as I acclimated to the first 15 minutes of training, is Roy Jones Jr correctness to the precious details, a focal point of proper technique which flickers a reflective disciplinary ruler to a similar dynamic of expectations, a cache of demands Roy Jones jr endured early while trained by his father. Roy Jones jr isn’t overly animated in his boxing instructions, but exude a sharp rise and inflection in his voice that slices strait to the point.
Williams jr, I noticed listens attentively in the frame of his boxing stance at all times, so once Roy Jones jr awaits execution, it extenuates smoothly from Williams jr stopping point, that requires a quick synapses recall prior to advancing forward on demand. Williams jr projects an assiduous acclimation to his corrective instructions, a sustainable expression of stoic transparency while sponging these precious dividends of advice from an boxing all time great. For Williams jr, this is one of many collective lock and key teachable moments that will surely enhance his wall street each outing, as he continue to halogen such a bright road forthcoming in his youthful boxing career. Stay tuned for Part 2……….
