King Arthur’s return

Dean Juipe

Thursday, Feb. 7, 2002 | 10:15 a.m.

There comes a time when even exceptional fighters go into decline, yet Arthur Williams feels he's anything but deteriorating.

Williams, who has lived and fought out of Las Vegas since 1990, is a former International Boxing Federation cruiserweight champion who is committing himself to one last hurrah. At 37, he says he has the firepower and the desire to do it.

"I'm giving it one more shot," he said after a workout this week at Nevada Partners. "I've had some bad experiences with promoters and things, and I've tried to hold my own through trials and tribulations.

"But my family motivates me and I don't want to let them down. I feel I can become a world champion again."

Williams is 34-6-1 but is coming off a Sept. 7 loss to O'Neil Bell on national television from Hankinson, N.D. The 26-year-old Bell, 17-1, won that fight when referee Jay Nady stopped the bout at 2:30 of the 11th round.

Unbeknownst to TV viewers and even Williams' casual friends was the fact he had to lose eight pounds in the final two days that preceded that bout.

"I was fine when I left Las Vegas but eight pounds overweight when I got (to North Dakota)," he said. "I guess I drank a lot of water on the flight."

He laughed at the recollection, but at the time it was anything but funny.

"What people don't understand is that I was hurt by trying to get that weight off, and you can't fight when you're weak. I ran and ran and ran to lose those eight pounds and I burned myself out.

"When he started fighting dirty and head butting, that really wore me out."

Williams was to have fought Ramon Garbey last Saturday in Miami on the Roy Jones Jr. card, but Garbey pulled out a week before the bout and a replacement was never found.

"I wish Roy could have found someone else for me to fight because I'd worked my butt off for four weeks," Williams said. "I'd signed a contract and trained hard.

"When I heard Garbey had pulled out, it made me think he might have heard about me working hard or had somebody spying on me."

Williams got right back in the gym and is hopeful of landing either a Feb. 23 fight on a card in Virginia or getting a spot on local promoter Johnny McClain's March 24 card at the Stardust.

Either way, he's anxious to make amends for the loss to Bell and re-establish himself as a prominent contender. Presently, Williams is ranked No. 6 by the World Boxing Association, No. 7 by the IBF and No. 10 by the World Boxing Council.

The most recent Sun rankings have him at No. 13.

"I really shouldn't have taken that fight (with Bell)," he said. "I took a chance and made a mistake.

"I can't afford to do that anymore."

He admits he took Bell lightly.

"I'm an experienced fighter and I was relying on that, but I kind of hurt myself," Williams said. "That loss woke me up. I realized that this is boxing and it's a business and you've got to be ready at all times -- like I used to.

"I'm looking for redemption."

He said more diligent training is the key.

"If I don't train hard, that's my weakness," he said. "I found out I was wrong to think I could always get by on my experience.

"When I do train hard, I feel unstoppable and that I've gotten better with age."

Always a good puncher with sufficient skills, Williams has taken part in four world title fights. He lost twice in Las Vegas to then-WBA champ Orlin Norris in 1994 -- once by disputed decision and once by third-round TKO -- before regrouping with a 1998 win over Adolpho Washington that put him back in the championship picture. A KO-9 win over then-IBF champ Imamu Mayfield in October of that year in Biloxi, Miss., gave Williams his long-desired championship belt, but he lost it when Vassilily Jirov stopped him in seven rounds in June of '99 in Biloxi.

A rematch clause on the latter fight was never honored.

"I got screwed around on that," Williams said. "But if Jirov ever gives me another fight, I'll beat him."

He'd like to fight two or three times this year and "be ready for a title fight no later than the end of the year." If that were to happen, he said "I'd be able to say 'I did it' and could retire, win, lose or draw."

The cruiserweight division has long been on the receiving end of complaints and is largely ignored by the casual fan. Of the current 190-pound champions, Jirov (IBF) seems to be coasting, Virgil Hill (WBA) is inactive for lengthy stretches and Juan Carlos Gomez (WBC) is tinkering with a move to heavyweight.

All of which leaves "King" Arthur not only angling for a shot at regaining his crown but wishing the situation within the division were better.

"The big promoters have a lot to do with that," he said. "They don't promote the division like they should. There are some good fighters in the top 10 but we don't get any attention, and it's a shame.

"I'm hoping the situation gets better, at least before I retire."