LOUISVILLE, IL - Unheralded Englishman Danny Williams stunned former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson with a fourth-round knockout of the former champion in their non-title fight at the Freedom Hall.
The loss will definitely put a wrench in the plans of Tyson who was fighting to regain the world title in an attempt to get him out of a $38 million debt.
The fight was a barnburner from the opening bell, with Tyson landing some huge left hooks early, only to receive return fire, as Williams got over his initial stage fright and began slugging himself.
Tyson, who managed to rock Williams three times in the first round, awkwardly twisted his left knee and was never the same from there on out. Lacking the ability to move side to side, Tyson became a stationary target for Williams who began to gain confidence.
An earlier and tentative Williams was now willing to trade with Tyson along the ropes and after the first round it was clear the scheduled ten round bout would not go the distance.
In the third round, Williams lost a point for hitting Tyson on the break and later for a low blow, but the damage was done. Seconds later the action was stopped, as the ref and the ringside physician investigated a inch long cut over Tyson's right eye.
However the blood fired up Williams, who as a 6-1 underdog, overpowered Tyson late in the fourth round, knocking him down with a barrage of shots to the body and head. Tyson was unable to defend himself at the end, as an overhand right sent him back into the ropes.
An exhausted and frustrated Tyson slumped to the canvas with his arms resting on the bottom rope and blood streaming down his face. The valiant veteran tried to make it to his feet, but he couldn't beat the referee's blatantly slow count.
Referee Dennis Alfred halted the count to usher Williams back to his corner before stopping the fight as a discombobulated Tyson looked out on his feet.
Tyson's record drops to 50-5 (44 KOs), while Williams, recording the biggest victory of his life, improved his record to 32-3 (26 KOs).
"My game plan was to box," Williams said at the post fight press conference. "But, when I got hit, I just thought, 'let's go to war.' I knew I could do it."
Williams, fighting in Muhammad Ali's hometown, could not explain his emotions, but always believed he had a fighting chance.
"People forget this isn't a peak Mike Tyson," Williams said. "This was a Mike Tyson who was 38 years old. I was sure I was going to win. I trained for this kind of fight."
As for Mike Tyson, his goal of financial relief may temporarily or even permanently be halted for now.
When asked if it might be time for Tyson to call it quits, his trainer Freddie Roach replied, 'Definitely a possibility. I am not going to lie to him. I am going to tell him the truth. I'm not sure where we are going to go from here. He's 38 years old. We are going to sit down and have a real serious conversation about where he wants to go."
However others feel this is just a temporary setback and if it were not for the injury, Tyson may well have been on his way to a knockout victory.
One thing is for sure, as long as Tyson continues to reinvent himself, there will always be millions of fans waiting to watch.
Undercard Action:
Unbeaten super middleweight Laila Ali pounded out a ninth round TKO over tough Monica Nunez, 9-2. Ali, 18-0 (14 KOs) retained her IWBF super middleweight title, as she dominated the fight in everyway until Nunez' corner finally threw in the towel. Official time was :42 seconds of round nine.
WBO Jr. flyweight champion Nelson Dieppa, 21-1-2 (12 KOs) retained his title with a majority decision over previously unbeaten Archie Solis, 18-1-1 (13 KOs). Dieppa shut out Solis 120-108 on two of the three cards, while the third card was declared a 114-114 draw.
Tyson's record drops to 50-5 (44 KOs), while Williams, recording the biggest victory of his life, improved his record to 32-3 (26 KOs).