DaVarryl Williamson added to Don King’s 'Struggle for Supremacy'
 Exclusive Interview by Benny Henderson Jr. (November 10, 2004)  
DaVarryl 'Touch of Sleep' Williamson
Just one month after DaVarryl 'Touch of Sleep' Williamson's run-in with Wladimir Klitschko – a fight that was stopped prematurely due to a clash of heads that resulted in a fifth round loss – he is ready to step back in the ring with former heavyweight champion Oliver McCall. DaVarryl now joins a long list of heavyweights that include IBF heavyweight champion Chris Byrd, WBA heavyweight champion John Ruiz, Andrew Golota, Hasim Rahman, Evander Holyfield, Jameel McCline, Kali Meehan and Larry Donald who will all be fighting on Don King’s 'Struggle for Supremacy' fight card that will be televised via HBO Pay-Per-View on November 13th. Even though his bout with McCall will not be televised in the PPV event, Williamson is ready and excited about his first trip to Madison Square Garden and hopes to capitalize on McCall’s lay off. The Colorado native feels that he should have won the fight against Klitschko but instead of pondering on the past he now looks forward to the future and hopefully getting a promotional deal with business giant King. McCall, who is best known for his two outings against Lennox Lewis, will be stepping in the ring for the second time since his year-and-a-half long hiatus from the sport. Williamson isn’t taking this fight lightly for the simple fact that you never know which McCall will show up: the one who had the nervous breakdown in the Lewis rematch or the one who upset Lennox Lewis, destroyed Oleg Maskaev and beat heavyweight great Larry Holmes. Williamson, who had a tremendous career as an amateur going 120-17-1 (103) and has a professional record of 20-3 (17), started his career late in life at the age of thirty-three and has wins over Corey Sanders, Kevin McBride and Eliecer Castillo and fought nine times in 2001 and five hard fought bouts in 2002. After being completely destroyed by Joe Mesi in the first round of their 2003 bout, Williamson came under fire for his chin and skill, but you have to respect a guy who is willing to fight anybody under any circumstance especially in this day and time. In an exclusive phone interview Doghouse conducted with DaVarryl he talked about his upcoming bout with Oliver McCall, being a part of the massive heavyweight card, his past bouts and his thoughts on a possible contract with Don King. Here is how it went.

Benny Henderson Jr.: Hey DaVarryl you mentioned in our last interview that you could possibly be fighting on the November 13th Don King Pay Per View, now it is here and you are going to facing former heavyweight champion Oliver McCall, give us your thoughts.

DaVarryl Williamson: Well Benny, we have been fortunate and things have seemed to work out and I am very happy. I am very glad that I was able to get on this card; I think that this is a good stage or platform to be fighting in, in terms as exposure. You can fight in Las Vegas and there is always amount of media hype but now it is Madison Square Garden. We wanted to be a part of this card obviously for the televised portion of the cards but I don’t think that Oliver McCall and I have made the TV cut. However hopefully they will show some highlights of the evening of all the fights. I just think this is a wonderful opportunity to get back on stage a month later from my show in Las Vegas. So to be on stage with this massive heavyweight card you want to be out in the audience or the stage and I prefer to be on stage. I can go out and take care of business and then my wife and I can sit back and watch the other main events and TV attractions. So this is a perfect stage. A lot of people are going to win and a lot are going to lose, and I am really hoping to be in that winning column so we can continue to move forward. And I think being close to Don King he will create the opportunity for once I am able to get by Oliver McCall.

BH: Are you singed with Don King now as him being your promoter?

DW: No, I signed with him for this fight in terms in that I agreed in the bout agreement, and then he has a one-fight option that will last until March 31st of next year. Obviously we may tear that one up and reach a promotional agreement because I don’t have a promoter just yet. It is all depending upon me winning and looking good against Oliver McCall. Don King really doesn’t have to audition to anyone because his record speaks for itself. I am basically auditioning for him to be a part of his stable and others as well.

BH: With Don King there are a lot of people that are naysayers of the man, he knows that and we all know that. People have made negative comments on his way of handling his business and so on. Are you worried in any aspect of his business handling and do you feel that you will be treated fairly?

DW: I think Don King treats people according on how they come on board, meaning that if you come on board and some fighters and it really hard to say this Benny, but there are some fighters that are not really looking to fight, they want to move up in the rankings and get championship fights and they don’t want to fight anymore. You have a guy like myself who is hungry and sincerely will say that he will fight anybody, I mean, I am fighting two former word champions a month apart. You have to say hey, this guy really wants to fight and I think Don King along with my lawyer and publicist who do a wonderful job along with my wife and Team Williamson have a solid foundation here, and I think if Don King looks into my eyes and say hey this guy is honest and sincere and we get out team I think we are in really good shape.

BH: Do you feel that you are being taken seriously in the boxing world? I mean don’t take this the wrong way but to be honest with you when you were brought in to fight Wladimir Klitschko you must have been brought in to be a stepping stone as an easy win to be a confidence builder. Now Oliver McCall is trying to come back and maybe he is thinking he can use you as a stepping-stone to get ranked. Do you feel that these fighters are taking you seriously or they are just over looking you?

DW: [Laughs] I hope they are, I’m hoping they are over looking me, and I really am, I mean that sincerely. Because I have to go out there and prove day in and day out that hey I am a real heavyweight to be reckoned with, and I have to continue to prove myself over and over again. But it is ok, I mean we are doing it the hard way, this isn’t been the easy road to get to where we need to get to. We have definitely taken the hard way, it doesn’t matter Don King, Gary Shaw or Wladimir Klitschko it just doesn’t matter. There are a lot of fights that I have been involved in that they didn’t think I would win. Kevin McBride and Antuan Shazell and Robin Wiggins, fighting him in his hometown, and Eliecer Castillo, fighting him in his hometown in Florida which as close as you can get to Cuba without going to Cuba on his promoters card. I mean fighting Kendrick Releford in Florida on a Warriors card, which he has a promotional relationship with. I mean that’s right Benny, I can’t say wow, all I can ask for is that you give me a fair opportunity to get in the ring. One guy, me and my opponent and the referee in the ring, that is it, that is all you can ask for. This business is hard but it is fair, and I have all the goods to deal with it.

BH: Well I appreciate your answer. I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful, I just think it is a good legit question.

DW: Oh most definitely, you know I might have been brought in there to help regain his confidence and they may be brining me in for Oliver McCall to try to build him up, but I am going to do everything in my power to go the other way [laughs] to build myself up, you know what I mean. The Wladimir fight didn’t go as they wanted it too, he got the win but it was near the way he wanted it to go. I mean if you look up he’s on the ground, again. You can say what you want but he cannot be happy with they way he squeaked that out. And Emanuel Steward and anybody who is involved with him cannot be satisfied with that.

BH: Looking at McCall what do you see? I mean he has beaten some big name fighters as in Lennox Lewis, Henry Akinwande and Larry Holmes. He is a former world champion but now he is thirty-nine and I asked McCall in an interview if he thought he still had something to offer to this division at his age and he feels that he does. Do you feel he has something to offer, looking at Oliver what do you think of him as a fighter?

DW: I think he is a very durable fighter, he is tough as nails. But it is hard to tell which Oliver McCall will show up; there are a couple of different ones out there. We saw the one who beat Lennox Lewis for the heavyweight championship of the world and then we saw the one who went through some emotional withdrawals in the rematch. So we are not absolutely sure which one will show up, but I am going to be ready for the best one ever. No, he is not what he used to be but he is still a very good fighter. We are looking forward to showcasing our talent.

BH: You just fought Wladimir Klitschko a little over a month ago and now you are getting in the ring again. It wasn’t the hardest fought battle but physically how are you doing?

DW: I am feeling wonderful, I mean did you look at my face after the fight or my body and then looked at his face? I mean who really won this fight, who took a beating. This guy because of that fight can't fight until March or April of next year whether he decides to fight in December or not. He probably won’t be able to spar until November 15th and he wouldn’t want to fight a month later. I am as healthy as a horse and I am looking forward to it, if you have truly looked at my resume I fight a lot during a course of a year. I fought five times in 2002, and I mean really good fights. I fought Dale Crowe, Corey Sanders, Abdul Muhaymin, Kevin McBride and Dave White, all those guys which were ten rounders in one year. I mean this is my MO, DaVarryl stays really active; you stay on top of your game.

BH: What are your keys to victory against McCall?

DW: My fight plan is to hit him more than he hits me, hit the target till the target is no longer there and once I do that I will be victorious.

BH: Anything you want to add to this or you want to say to the fans?

DW: I am always thankful towards the people that support Touch of Sleep, I want to say thank you for your support and love and keep tuning it. I certainly appreciate them logging in on to T.O.S. boxing.

I would like to thank DaVarryl for his time and thoughts; it was as usual a pleasure. For more info on 'Touch of Sleep' he would like to welcome you to his website: http://www.tosboxing.com
© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2004