FORMER WORLD CHAMPION TO TRAIN PROSPECT JUSTIN DELOACH
IN FOURTH FIGHT ADDED TO VANDREDI, MARCH 25,
SHOBOX: Jenerasyon an nouvo difuze
“I’m scared all over again, like this is my first fight.” – Paul Williams
Super Welterweight DeLoach Takes on Undefeated Local Favorite Dillon Cook;
Promising Meets Aaron Herrera in Main Event;
Viv sou chotim® Nan 10:30 p.m. AK/PT
NEW YORK (Mas 15, 2016) – Former two-time world champion Pòl Williams, who’s pro career came to a sudden and tragic end when he was paralyzed from the waist down after a motorcycle accident in May 2012, is back in boxing as a trainer.
The popular Williams will work the corner of once-beaten Justin DeLoach (13-1, 7 Ko) when DeLoach faces undefeated super welterweight and local favorite Dillon Kwit (16-0, 6 Ko) in the opening eight-round bout of what is now a ShoBox: New Generation a quadrupleheader sou Vandredi, Mas 25, ap viv souChotim (10:30 p.m. AK/PT, reta nan Kòt Lwès la) soti nan Buffalo Run kazino nan Miami, Okla.
DeLoach is the first boxer to be trained by Williams, the former 154-pound southpaw who has been confined to a wheelchair since the accident.
“I guess I was being selfish at first,” Williams said. “I didn’t want to deal with the fight game. I wanted to be the one fighting. But that changed.”
Williams was reluctant to train fighters for a long time. Li teGeorge Peterson, who managed and trained Williams from the time the boxer was a skinny kid with little amateur experience until his career ended, that helped persuade “The Punisher” to return to the ring. Williams trains his pupil at a private gym in his hometown of Aiken, S.C.
“You know me, I really didn’t want to do this,’’ Williams said. “But finally after three or four years of George practically begging me to try and do it, this opportunity came along and I decided to give it a shot.
“Everything is about timing. I started thinking about it, George kept asking me and messing with me about it, one thing led to another, and I finally said I’d take a stab at it.
Williams, who is enjoying his new job description, admits there are some pre-fight jitters.
“I’m scared all over again, like this is my first fight. Koulye a,, I have to think about everything that Mr. Pete was thinking about when I was fighting. I have to try and teach Justin what I knew how to do.
“George and I accomplished a lot. He made me a world champion; before that, no one knew who he or I was. We were just a couple of guys from Aiken, S.C. We gave fans fights to remember.
“I was the fighter the press labeled as ‘Most feared in boxing.’ But that’s over for me now. I’m jumping into a whole new thing. It’s been an adjustment but I’m glad I’m doing it.’’
In his role as a trainer, Williams’ mindset has changed drastically from his fighting days. “Look, I always feel good,'' Li te di. “What’s happened has happened. Li se sa li ye. This is my first time stepping back into the world. Mwen renmen boksè.
“What I don’t want to see is a fighter getting hurt. This is a hard sport. I know when I was in there I was always going for broke. But I want Justin, all fighters actually, to come out of the ring the same way they came in. Genyen oswa pèdi, I don’t want to see anybody get hurt.’’
On DeLoach, Williams te di, “He’s a good fighter and now he’s in the spotlight. I want to do my best in the training world to get him at his peak. I hope he does his best. I’d love to one-up George with Justin.’’
Becoming the best takes strenuous work on a daily basis, and Williams was no stranger to putting in the hours.
“I never took a shortcut,'' Li te di. “You take shortcuts, you know what’ll happen. I took the long road home when I was fighting and fans, avyon de gè, everybody knew what to expect when I stepped in the ring.
“Justin isn’t like this, but one thing I know is that fighters think they’re slick. Oke, you can’t pull anything over me. Mwen te gen, seen it all.’’
Epi, kòm toujou, he’ll have George Peterson by his side.
“I’m just helping Paul,’’ said Peterson, who will serve as Williams’ assistant trainer. “So far, he’s doing great.”
It will be the ShoBox ak 2016 debu — and toughest fight to date — for both DeLoach and Cook.
DeLoach was a top amateur, competing in the USA Boxing National Championships in 2012. He won a National Silver Golden Gloves title when he was 13.
The 22-year-old DeLoach, of Augusta, Ga., has won three in a row since suffering his lone loss to Cesar Villa sou Feb. 6, 2015. That was before he started training with Williams.
“This has been a total blessing, and I say that every day,” DeLoach said. “Thank God. He’s the one who brought the two of us together, that’s the main thing. Paul loves it, just to be back. I think he was scared at first, his reputation was at stake and so was mine.
“But he’s been so helpful – just in the mental side of things. I was already a good boxer but he’s taken me to another level mentally. He’s been pushing me, criticizing me, giving me instructions and picking my brain.”
DeLoach and Williams grew up just 30 minutes down the road from each other.
“Me and Paul, we’ve known each other our whole lives,’’ DeLoach said. “I’m from Augusta, Ga., and he was right across in Aiken. We knew each other when I was coming up as an amateur. He came to my last pro fight that was in San Antonio. When I saw him, I got so excited. We started to talk and I said something like, 'Hey, Pòl, wouldn’t it be cool if we got together?'
“Once I came home, we started working together and he’s been training me since. I think we’re going on about three months now. It’s an unbelievable feeling to be able to work with one of my favorite fighters.”
Nan pwomnad dènye l ', DeLoach won a shutout four-round decision overSantos Benavides dènye Dec. 12. DeLoach, a pro since March 2013, fought six times that year and four times each in 2014 ak 2015.
“I’m really looking forward to fighting for the first time for him,” DeLoach said. “I’ve gone crazy waiting for my break and an opportunity like this to fight on SHOWTIME. I know it’s not easy fighting in your opponent’s backyard, but with Paul, George Peterson and me and my skills, we are confident it will be a good fight.’’
Kwit, 25, is from Seneca, Mo, which is located about 20 minutes from Buffalo Run Casino where he has fought six times. A top amateur, he won six Golden Gloves titles, a Junior Golden Gloves National title, a Heartland title and four regional Silver Gloves titles. He is popular at Buffalo Run and will be making his premium network television debut against easily his most dangerous assignment as a pro. Cook’s brother, Izayi, a welterweight with a record of 15-1-1, will box on the non-televised portion of the event.
Dillon Cook turned pro in August 2012, fought twice that year, seven times in 2013, four times in 2014 and three times last year. Five of his last seven took place at Buffalo Run, including two out of three in 2015. He’s coming off a lopsided eight-round decision overRahman Yusubov dènye Nov. 14.
“I couldn’t be more excited about making my ShoBox premye, right at home, at the Buffalo Run Casino,” Cook said. “This is a huge opportunity for me, and I plan on putting on a spectacular showing, for all my fans there that night and everyone watching on TV.”
Nan la ShoBox evènman prensipal, unbeaten super lightweight knockout artist and emerging rising star, Regis "Rougarou" PWOGRAM (16-0, 13 Ko), Houston by way of New Orleans, will meet experienced Arawon "Jewel a" Herrera (29-4-1, 18 Ko), of Valladolid, Meksik, in a 10-round match.
Four undefeated fighters will clash in the two other eight-rounders on the telecast: Difisil-frape Ivan "bèt la" Baranchyk (9-0, 8 Ko), nan Brooklyn, N.Y., ap fè fas Nicholas “King Beamen” Givhan(16-0-1, 10 Ko), nan Kalamazoo, Mich., in a super lightweight scrap and Ukrainian Ivan "Volk" Golub an (10-0, 8 Ko, 5-0 nan mond seri de Bòks), nan Brooklyn, N.Y., satisfè Marlon Aguas (9-0, 6 Ko), nan Kito, Ekwatè, nan yon match wèltèr.
Tickets for the event promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Tony Holden Productions are priced at $45, $55 ak $75 epi yo disponib pou achte nan buffalorun.com ak nan stubwire.com.
Barry Tompkins pral rele nan ShoBox aksyon soti nan rinsid akSteve Farhood ak ansyen chanpyon nan lemonn Raul Marquez sèvi kòm analis ekspè. Pwodiktè egzekitif la se Gordon Hall akRich Gaughan pwodwi ak Rick Phillips dirije.
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Sou ShoBox: New Generation a
Depi kreyasyon li nan mwa Jiyè 2001, kritik aklame chotim seri a boksè, ShoBox: New Generation a te chin an tap jenn talan matche difisil. Nan ShoBox filozofi se televise enteresan, foul moun-plezi ak alimèt konpetitif pandan y ap ofri yon tè ki pwouve pou kandida vle detèmine pou goumen pou yon tit mond. Gen kèk nan lis la k ap grandi nan la 65 avyon de gè ki te parèt souShoBox ak avanse Garner tit mond an gen ladan: Andre Ward, Deontay Wilder, Erislandy Lara, Shawn Porter, Gary Russell Jr, Lamont Peterson, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Oma Figueroa, Nonito Donaire, Devon Alexander, Carl Froch, Robert Guerrero, Timote Bradley, Jessie Vargas, Juan Manuel Lopez, Chad Dawson, Paulie Malignaggi, Ricky Hatton, Kelly Pavlik, Pòl Williams ak plis.