Title fight underdog is coming on strong

Friday, Dec. 10, 2004 | 10:11 a.m.

THE PRINCIPALS: Vitali Klitschko (34-2, 33 KOs) vs. Danny Williams (32-3, 27 KOs).

SITE AND TIME: Mandalay Bay Events Center, Saturday. Doors open 3:30 p.m. Pay-per-view broadcast begins 6 p.m. Main event approximately 8:30 p.m.

AT STAKE: Klitschko's WBC heavyweight championship.

TV: HBO pay per view ($49.95 suggested retail price).

TICKETS: $50-$650.

BETTING LINE: Klitschko minus 400; Williams plus 300.

UNDERCARD: Miguel Cotto (21-0, 17 KOs) vs. Randall Bailey (28-4, 27 KOs), 12 rounds, WBO junior welterweight championship; Carlos Navarro (25-3-1, 20 KOs) vs. Agapito Sanchez (35-9-2, 18 KOs), 12 rounds, junior lightweights; Carlos Hernandez (44-4-1, 24 KOs) vs. Juan Carlos Ramirez (34-6, 14 KOs), 10 rounds, junior lightweights; and three other bouts.

He is a sizable underdog in Saturday night's heavyweight title fight, and it's no mystery why. Danny Williams, by all accounts, is taking a major step up in class.

Sure, he knocked out Mike Tyson in July to put himself in position to fight for the world championship. But that surprising stoppage generated more questions about how far Tyson's skills have deteriorated than praise for Williams.

As recently as January, Williams lost his British Commonwealth title by 12-round decision to Michael Sprott, a lightly regarded foe Williams had twice previously defeated.

Even so, Williams (32-3, 27 knockouts) insists he's the guy who will single-handedly rejuvenate boxing's heavyweight division, beginning Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, when he challenges WBC champion Vitali Klitschko (34-2, 33 KOs).

The difference is all in his head, Williams said.

"I am calm and relaxed; my head is clear, just like before the Tyson fight," Williams said. "My attitude is to be relaxed and that is when you will see the best Danny Williams."

That's in contrast to Williams' mental state before fights earlier in his career, when he would psyche himself out, in the most literal sense of the phrase.

"I used to put too much pressure on myself," said Williams, of Brixton, London. "I couldn't eat the day before (a fight). I'd be smashing things up in my room, going like a madman."

Willliams said he spent "hundreds of pounds" on visits to a hypnotherapist in an effort to control the psychological damage he was inflicting on himself.

"I finally realized I had the solution in my own head," Williams said. "I realized on my own that I had to stop putting so much pressure on myself and learn to relax before the fight."

Williams was asked if his struggles with mental preparation played a role in any of his three career losses -- to Sprott this year, to Sinan Samilsam in 2003 or to Julius Francis in 1999.

"All of them," Williams said.

The turning point came against Tyson on July 30 in Louisville, Ky. Although some saw Williams as a handpicked opponent by the enigmatic former champion in his latest comeback attempt, Williams weathered an early barrage from Tyson to score a fourth-round KO.

Some observers have speculated that Tyson was severely hampered by a knee injury he sustained in the first round of the bout. In a recent interview at Mandalay Bay, however, Williams accused Tyson of simply quitting in the fight.

"I do believe so," Williams said. "Mike Tyson was one of the all-time greats. If he was at his best, I lose. As he is now, he quit. ... There was nothing wrong with his knee."

Williams said he plans to make the most of the opportunity his victory against Tyson has presented.

"I went from zero to hero in one fight," he said. "I'll be walking down the street and 20 people will rush me. I've been honored by the attention I'm getting, but I know I need to be a lot better for this fight.

"The Danny Williams that beat Mike Tyson couldn't beat Vitali Klitschko."

Jimmy McDonnell, Williams' trainer, said the amount of time Williams had to prepare for this fight and the quality of sparring partners he used will work in his fighter's favor.

"In England, people spar one time with Danny and you never see them again," McDonnell said. "They're a little bit tougher in America. ...

"Throughout his career, Danny has always taken fights on short notice. For the first time he's had 10 to 12 weeks to prepare for a heavyweight championship fight. If the fight goes past four rounds, forget about it -- this kid's the best athlete you've ever seen in the heavyweight division."

Klitschko, 6-foot-7, weighed in at 250 pounds Thursday; Williams, 6-1, weighed in at 270. The total of 520 pounds is a record for a heavyweight title fight, beating the 504 1/2 pounds established by Klitschko and Lennox Lewis on June 21, 2003. Willliams' 270 pounds matches Primo Carnera's 1934 record for the highest individual weight in a title fight.

Lewis, who will be calling the action from ringside as a member of HBO pay per view's broadcast team, said Williams' weight could work to his advantage Saturday.

"I remember when I was fighting (Klitschko) and I hurt him, he just threw his weight on me," Lewis said. "I wanted to knock him out and he threw his weight on me and I had to push him off and then throw the punches to knock him out, which was real difficult."

Klitschko is a minus 400 favorite in the fight; Williams a plus 300 underdog.

"I believe that Danny can do it, but he has to believe in himself and go out there and do it," Lewis said. "But it is not an easy task."

Williams described his mindset as calm and confident -- and free of pressure.

"I've been doing a lot of visualization of hurting my opponent," he said, "so when it happens, I'm not surprised."