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Keys Ready For "Biggest Match To Date"
At Battle At The Boat 125
If Andre Keys wants to continue his upward trajectory in the
sport of boxing, he will have to get passed his toughest
test to date in former world title contender Dannie
Williams.
Keys, who has won 11 consecutive fights, will face Williams
in the main event of Battle at the Boat 125 at the Emerald
Queen Casino in Tacoma, Wash. on Friday, Jan. 17.
Keys brings a record of 12-1 with 5 knockouts into the
10-round welterweight bout, while Williams, who made his
return to boxing earlier this year following a six-year
hiatus, sports a stellar 23-3 record with 18 KOs.
“This is very exciting for us at Brian Halquist Productions
and Battle at the Boat. We have looked at Andre since he was
an amateur and now, he is the main event for the second
time. This is a big fight for Andre. This is a don’t miss
fight for boxing fans,” promoter Brian Halquist said.
“A win against a former top contender would be a big boost
for Andre’s mindset and his record rankings. It is very
important,” said Keys’ trainer Nathaniel Glenn.
Tickets are available through the EQC box office and all
Ticketmaster Outlets. Preliminary bouts will start at 8 p.m.
Doors open at 7 p.m.
Keys, a native of Tacoma who was a multiple-time national
champion as an amateur, is coming off the biggest win of his
career, having defeated Manuel Monteiro by unanimous
decision in a 10-round bout on Nov. 9.
“(This showed me) Andre is ready to go 10 strong rounds
under the pressure of his home crowd. He has always been
poised and patient in his temperament, and I think the extra
rounds allowed that layers of his game to showcase,” Nate
said. “I was most pleased with his 10-roound fitness and
stamina. He looked very professional.”
The win over Monteiro, who entered the contest with a strong
7-1 record, was the 11th straight for Keys. He has not lost
in nearly four years.
“My team has been working a lot on my 2020 schedule,” Keys
said. “This is my biggest match to date. I look forward to
January 17 and I’m focused on one fight at a time.”
Keys’ next fight will be against the most experienced
fighter he has faced.
Williams grew up in St. Louis and learned how to box at the
same gym that produced Devon Alexander. He began his
seven-year amateur career at the age of 13, winning 127 of
his 154 amateur fights, and was an 11-time national
champion, culminating with by winning the 2004 National
Golden Gloves title in the 132-pound weight division.
He won his first 12 pro fights with one of his early wins
coming at the Emerald Queen Casino in 2008 when he stopped
undefeated Gadiel Andaluz by TKO.
Williams suffered his first defeat against Washingtonian
Eloy Perez in a bout for the vacant World Boxing Council
United States featherweight champion on Sept. 12, 2009. He
responded to the loss by reeling off nine consecutive
victories, highlighted by a win over Manuel Leyva for the
interim World Boxing Council Continental Americas
lightweight title in 2011, before losing to Henry Lundy in
2012.
Williams build his record to 22-2 before losing to John
Molina Jr in 2013 in a fight for the vacant World Boxing
Organization NABO lightweight title.
It marked his last fight since returning to the ring in
April when he defeated Ronald Rivas by majority decision in
his hometown of St. Louis.
Now with nine full months of training, the ring rust is
gone, and Williams looks to climb back into title
contention. A win over rising star Keys would go a long way
in making that a reality.
“My opponent is a former top contender with 18 KOs to his
record,” Keys said. “He has good skills and a lot of
experience. I will be in top shape and look to be a
technical boxer on fight night.”
In addition to the main event, Battle at the Boat 125 will
include a 6-round welterweight semi main event between
Antonio Neal and Niko McFarland, a 144-pound undercard bout
between undefeated fighters Jose Cervantes and Cody Brown
and a 170-pound fight between Juan Jackson and Joe Aguilar.
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