Williamson finds hope in year of the underdog

Friday, Oct. 1, 2004 | 10:30 a.m.

From Caesars Palace

Heavyweights

Klitschko...minus 500

Williamson...plus 350

Will go 5 rds...even

Won't go 5 rds...minus 130

Super middleweights

Lacy...minus 170

Vanderpool...plus 140

Will go 12 rds...minus 160

Won't go 12 rds...plus 130

Junior middleweights

Ouma...minus 220

Phillips...plus 180

Will go 12 rds...minus 140

Won't go 12 rds...plus 110

Heavyweight contender Wladimir Klitschko is a 5-1 favorite in Saturday's fight against DaVarryl Williamson, a 36-year-old slugger last seen by most boxing fans lying flat on his back a year ago, the victim of a first-round knockout against Joe Mesi.

If his trainer's words were any indication, however, overconfidence won't be an issue for Klitschko.

As if to offer a dire warning to his fighter, Emanuel Steward delivered a litany of the fallen during a news conference Thursday at Caesars Palace.

Roy Jones Jr.

Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson.

Mike Tyson.

All great former champions. All knocked out in stunning upsets. All in 2004.

"This year it seems like it's an advantage to be the underdog," Steward said. "The odds don't mean anything, especially with heavyweights. One punch, and the odds are all over with."

Klitschko (42-3, 39 knockouts) and Williamson (20-2, 17 KOs) will meet in a 10-rounder in the headliner of a tripleheader at the new outdoor Amphitheatre at Caesars.

In the other featured attractions, Verno Phillips (38-9-1, 20 KOs) squares off against Kassim Ouma (19-1-1, 13 KOs) in a junior middleweight championship bout, and Syd Vanderpool (35-2, 23 KOs) and Jeff Lacy (16-0, 13 KOs) mix it up in a super middleweight title fight.

The first undercard bout is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.

Both heavyweight boxers acknowledged that a single, well-placed shot by either man could decide the fight, even in the early rounds.

"One punch could change the complexion of the entire fight," said Williamson, who turned pro in 2000 after taking up boxing at age 25. "They're saying it could all depend on which one of us lands the first punch. They're saying both of our chins are suspect."

It's easy to understand why they're saying those things.

Klitschko, of Kiev, Ukraine, held the WBO heavyweight title for 2 1/2 years after defeating Chris Byrd in October 2000. But his stock has dropped like Merck's after losses in two of his past four fights -- he was stopped in the second round by Corrie Sanders in March 2003 and in the fifth round by Lamon Brewster in his most recent bout, in April.

After losing to Brewster in a fight he had been winning on the scorecards, Klitschko made strange allegations suggesting he had somehow been drugged. No basis was found for the allegations, and Klitschko has since distanced himself from them, at least publicly.

Klitschko, whose older brother Vitali owns the WBC heavyweight belt, said Thursday that he believes he's up against a desperate fighter.

"This is the biggest fight of his career," said Klitschko, 28. "He sees that I've been upset in two fights recently, so he is really confident. He's a fighter who doesn't have a lot of time left to fight. He knows he's running out of chances, so this is the fight where he'll leave it all out there."

Klitschko, who has a doctorate in sports science from the University of Kiev, insisted he's prepared to fight into the later rounds against Williamson, even as he left open the possibility of a short night.

Williamson is also well-educated, with a master's degree in administrative services. He said part of his motivation comes from the loss to Mesi that ended his 15-fight winning streak last September in Buffalo. Williamson has since fought twice in Florida, winning both bouts.

"I actually think I had improved considerably before the Mesi fight, but I might have underestimated him a little bit, and I didn't get a chance to prove it," said Williamson, who was born in Washington, D.C., and lives in Denver. "I'm looking to show people that I have improved, to show them what I can accomplish.

"I think right now I might be the best-kept secret in the heavyweight division."

George Durbin, who has trained Williamson for seven years, agreed, saying his fighter has the potential to emerge as a real crowd-pleaser.

"The dude can box, he can slip, he can counterpunch," Durbin said. "He's a real artist in the ring. The key thing for DaVarryl, when he gets in there, is to forget about the crowd, the cameras, the lights, any distractions. Just concentrate on the fight for three minutes at a time.

"I tell him, keep your head about what's right in front of you, and the rest will take care of itself."

In the junior middleweight title bout, Phillips makes the first defense of his IBF belt in a rematch against Ouma, the No. 1 contender. In their first meeting, Ouma won a 10-round decision.

In the clash for the vacant IBF super middleweight championship, Lacy aims to become the first member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic team to win a world title.