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Dannie Williams In
Crossroads Fight
vs. John Molina, Jan. 11 On ESPN2
Christmas came early for lightweight power-broker
"Dangerous" Dannie Williams in the form of an ESPN Friday
Nights Fight main event showdown on January 11 against John
"The Hammer" Molina Jr. (24-2, 19 KOs) in a explosive
crossroads fight for both boxers, at Indian School in Santa
Fe, New Mexico.
"I've been waiting to get back into a meaningful fight,"
Williams said from training camp in Youngstown, Ohio, "so I
can get back in the lightweight picture. That's what this
fight is all about. I look at this fight like all of my
fights as the biggest of my life."
Williams (22-2, 18 KOs) is only two fights removed from a
disappointing loss by 10-round decision to Hank Lundy
(21-1-1) for the North American Boxing Federation (NABF)
title, while Molina suffered a devastating first-round
knockout in his last fight to World Boxing Council (WBC)
135-pound champion Antonio DeMarco. Both of these fights
aired on national television, setting back the fighters'
respective careers.
Williams, who was WBC No. 9 rated going into the Lundy
fight, has regrouped, winning his most recent fight this
past October by way of a seventh-round knockout of Rynell
Griffin.
Molina's most significant win, ironically, was an 11th round
stoppage of Lundy in 2010 for the North American Boxing
Organization (NABO) lightweight title. The previously
unbeaten Lundy (18-0-1), who was dropped in the eighth, had
a substantial lead on all three judges' scorecards (98-91,
98-91, 97-92) when Molina finished him off in the 11th as
the referee halted the fight with Lundy trapped on the ropes
and hurt.
"I'm really up for this fight because he's the guy who beat
the guy who beat me," Williams noted. "I'm going to show the
boxing world that my Lundy fight was a fluke. Molina's last
fight was disappointing. I don't think he can take a big
punch. It's not like Lundy can hit. DeMarco hit him with
some good punches, but I can't wait to see how he reacts
when I hit him."
The fight between Williams and Molina, who have combined to
knock out 37 opponents in 46 total wins, has the potential
to start 2013 off with fireworks. "A loss derails either
fighter's career and the winner gets right back in the
picture," Williams' head trainer Jack Loew remarked. "With
these two guys, no matter what game plan is set, once they
get touched, their manhood takes over. They're both
warriors, real fighters, and this can be a very exciting
fight. Dannie just has to fight for 10 rounds, although this
isn't the type fight that figures to go the distance.
Against Lundy, we had a great game plan and it worked for
two or three rounds. Then, Dannie hit a wall and for
whatever reason, he stopped fighting.
"This is a crossroads fight for both fighters. This isn't
like being a cat with nine lives. This is the third
opportunity Steve's (co-promoter Steve Smith) gotten Dannie
on national television, the first against (Eloy) Perez
(LDEC10 in 2009), and then Lundy. This fight could mean the
difference between ever getting a world title shot or not.
I've let Dannie know what this fight means and the pressure
is on him to win. Dannie has to be professional and go into
this fight in a better mind set than he did against Lundy.
He can't dance around and box. He has to come forward and be
aggressive. Dannie Williams is always going to be a power
puncher."
Co-Promoted by Rumble Time Promotions (President Steve
Smith) and DiBella Entertainment, the 28-year-old Williams
has overcome numerous obstacles growing up in the Peabody
Projects in Saint Louis, Missouri. He showcased his
potential as an amateur, capturing a gold medal in the 2004
National Golden Gloves Tournament, and defeating undefeated,
former World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight champion
Brandon "Bam Bam" Rios.
"What I know for sure is that Dannie will fight the fight of
his life and come out with a big win in dramatic fashion,"
Smith added. "I do want to thank Doug Loughrey (boxing
programming director), of ESPN, for keeping this fight
together. ESPN fans are going to love the non-stop action,
as long as it lasts. Dannie just had an off night against
Lundy. Dannie Williams is a beast with power in both hands
and good boxing skills, too."
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