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06/19/2005 Archived Entry: "Aaron Williams Signs Contract, Intrigues Crowd in Highwood!"
Aaron Williams Signs Contract, Intrigues Crowd in Highwood!
By Juan C. Ayllon
(From left to right) Front: Albert Falcon, Aaron Williams, and Pat Doljanin;
Rear: Dan Barnett and Scott Borre (Juan C. Ayllon photo)
Highwood, IL, June 18, 2005 – The well-heeled North Shore crowd inside Viti’s Mexican Cantina buzzed with a sense of anticipation and piqued curiosity as they gazed at the young heavyweight fighter seated before them.
Wearing a dark suit, former amateur boxing standout Aaron Williams exuded a winsome and quiet confidence as he answered questions regarding his amateur career, training and plans as he makes his transition to the pros. In addition to fielding questions, he was there to sign a contract with Warehouse Boxing LLC, co-managers Pat Doljanin and Albert Falcon, and sponsors Dan Barnett and Scott Borre. In turn, he was also collecting a beautiful, brand new car as a signing bonus.
Pat Doljanin oversaw the affair and spoke highly of his new charge, whose pedigree included a slew of national titles, a Bronze Medal at the 2004 Olympic Trials, and winning his division at the Junior Olympic Championships. Williams compiled a 93-10 record as an amateur.
At 19 years old, Williams intends on parlaying his talents into a cruiserweight championship in the next several years before turning his attention to terrorizing the heavyweights. Warehouse Boxing LLC, his sponsors and Hall of Fame Trainer Jesse Reid have every intention of helping make that happen by supporting him financially so that all Williams has to do is train and box.
The crowd quieted down as “Team Williams” officially began the press conference. Following an apology that trainer Jesse Reid could not make it out for the festivities, Pat Doljanin began.
PAT DOLJANIN: Aaron was a phenom as an amateur. 93 and 10 was his record. [He won] a Bronze Medal at the U.S. Olympic Trials. He floored the eventual representative for the U.S. Olympic Team, Devon Vargas. He floored him with a left hook to the body. And then—it was the second or third round—mysteriously, the scoring system went down [laughs]. And, lo and behold, Aaron got on the short end of that decision.
Everyone that we’ve talked to, prior to coming to this point…has nothing but good things to say about Aaron: his work ethic, his performance, his character. And, I think as you get to know him in the little time that we have today, you’ll see that he’s a fine young man and a gentleman and something that the sport of boxing needs right now. He’s a young man who carries himself well, speaks well and handles himself well. He’s a credit to the sport.
Aaron was trained for a while by Emmanuel Steward. You may know this, Emmanuel was pretty much a legend in boxing; he trained Lennox Lewis, Tommy Hearns, Hilmer Kenty and was the godfather of boxing at the Kronk Gym which, at the period of the 70’s and 80’s, there wasn’t a place that was cranking out all the World champions [that they were].
Aaron lived with Emmanuel Steward. Emmanuel was his trainer for a while as an amateur. But, as you can imagine, the Lennox Lewises of the world, and the Prince Naseem Hameds, and the rest that he was training were a little more priority than a 17, 18 year old phenom.
So, we’re lucky to be working with him. Aaron’s going to be fighting June 24th in Las Vegas, he’ll be fighting July 1st in Calgary, Canada and he’ll have his homecoming of sorts—he’s originally from Cleveland, Ohio—in Cleveland July 15th with a number of his contemporaries who have all turned pro about the same time. So, we’re hoping that Aaron will be four and oh by the middle of July.
We’ll open it up for questions for Aaron. Feel free to fire away.
On why he’s choosing to start out at cruiserweight:
AARON WILLIAMS: I plan on being at cruiserweight for a few years, try to get bigger and stronger, try to fight heavyweights and be heavyweight champion in four or five years, whenever I get bigger.
On whom he compares himself stylistically to:
AARON WILLIAMS: I compare myself to Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson and Tommy Hearns.
PAT DOLJANIN: I noticed a lot of Ezzard Charles as I was watching work out the last couple of days, too [laughs]! He is a Detroit fighter through and through, there’s no question!
We’ve talked about that and Jesse’s [Reid, their trainer] made—I thought—some interesting comparisons, some people may say some lofty comparisons. He said, “Aaron reminds me of two fighters: one of them being [WBO Heavyweight Champion] Lamon Brewster—I think Lamon more from a personality standpoint, because Lamon is another person who is very affable, carries himself very well, he’s a gentleman through and through, he’s a good athlete; the other one was Evander Holyfield.
I said, I think that’s a little bit of a leap of faith. But, Evander started out as a cruiserweight and grew into what I guess nowadays would be considered a small heavyweight and handled himself quite well. He went 36 rounds with Lennox Lewis and…
I think that Aaron is only 19 years old. [laughing] He’s going to fill out and he’s going to grow into that division and I think that even at 220, 225, I think he’s going to be fine. Personally, I’m not a believer in the “super-sized” heavyweight; the Klitschkos and the Velou’s [?] and the guys that are 6’ 7” and above, I’m not sold on these guys. I don’t think you need to be that big and, I think from a talent standpoint and a conditioning standpoint, that’s really what’s going to make the difference.
And the one thing that I’d asked Jesse about—and I said, okay, maybe those comparisons are great. He finished it up by saying, ‘There’s one difference: Aaron’s a better athlete than all those guys!’
I’ve seen him in Vegas before and I’ve really had a chance to study him in the last couple of days. And, if you would have seen him skipping rope in a ‘catcher’s crouch’—have you ever seen Russian dancers before? He was skipping rope [laughing] in that way! He is one of those kids if you give him a football, a baseball, a golf club, he’s going to do well at it. He’s a natural athlete. So, enough of gloating and—ah—[crowd laughs] showering praise on Aaron!
On whether it’s necessary to start out first in the cruiserweight division:
Kelvin Davis (left) vs. Guillermo Jones (Ed Zajac photo)
AARON WILLIAMS: Well, I think it is, though, like ‘cause so much is going on, we’re really too busy right now. And I think by the next year and a half, I’m going to be up there right with them and there’s going to be some changes going on and I’m coming to take over [laughter] and go into the heavyweight division.
PAT DOLJANIN: If I can just interject for a moment—and I hate to interject—[loud laughter] but, uh [laughs], Aaron sparred with [IBF Cruiserweight Title holder] Kelvin Davis prior to the Guillermo Jones fight and I’ve been telling him that Aaron softened him up for Jones [laughs]! The truth be told though, Aaron more than held his own. Granted, though, it’s 18-ounce gloves and headgear, but Aaron acquitted himself quite well and he’s got quite a reputation.
Las Vegas is the boxing capitol of the world and we have two other fighters that train out of Las Vegas, as well. I wouldn’t have my fighters train anywhere else, possibly other than California. So, he’s in great company. He’s worked with [former WBC Heavyweight champion and current contender] Hassim Rahman, who’s going to be coming to Chicago in August to fight for the world title. This kid can fight and we’re anxious and excited and we think he’s going to do quite well.
On a possible timetable he might have from starting out as a cruiserweight and going for a heavyweight title:
AARON WILLIAMS: Right now, I’m just going to take my time and fight, start getting the good positions for titles. You know, I’m going to let time tell when it’s going to be, when the time comes for a title, wait, and go up to heavyweight. I’m going to let time tell me all that. I’m not going to rush. I’m going to take my time and do what I’m supposed to do.
On the highlights that stood out in his mind from his amateur career:
AARON WILLIAMS: When I first won the National Junior Olympics in Marquette, Michigan, I won that at 165 pounds. My whole region team lost, and I wasn’t supposed to win it, so that was really big. And I won it next year later at 178 pounds. And then, other than that, the first year I won, I won the International tournament. It was, like, a couple weeks later. I won it. I had knocked some guy off from England with a sore right hand and I knocked him out with a left hook. That was one of the better years that I ever had, 2001.
On the differences he finds in working with Jesse Reid and the pros versus training and boxing in the amateur style:
AARON WILLIAMS: It’s, I think, a lot of different, whether it’s the gloves, the time, the training. So, right now, we’re definitely working on taking on longer, going a little bit extra, getting stronger, you get prepared [differently in] everything—new style, and how you do inside, we’ve been working on that in the gym now.
On whether he’s picking up things in sparring against more experienced professional fighters:
AARON WILLIAMS: Yeah, yeah. Like Rahman showed me stuff when we were working, you know.
PAT DOLJANIN: He gave you a lot of crap before you guys sparred, though, didn’t he? [Laughter]
AARON WILLIAMS: He was talkin’ stuff to me—
PAT DOLJANIN: He said, ‘Don’t even think that he’s a heavyweight!’ [More laughter]
AARON WILLIAMS: I learned a lot from those guys—how to fight and things to do, like some of the tricks. I learned all that stuff from them.
On where he came from and where he started boxing:
AARON WILLIAMS: I’m really from Cleveland, Ohio and I started at this place called Fairfax Recreation Center.
On what brought Williams to Chicago:
AARON WILLIAMS: Um—
PAT DOLJANIN [interjecting]: We did! [Laughs]
AARON WILLIAMS: [Laughing] Yeah.
PAT DOLJANIN: He went from Cleveland, and then he went to Detroit—
AARON WILLIAMS: And Las Vegas.
PAT DOLJANIN: And Las Vegas.
Jesse Reid is the lynchpin in all this. Jesse Reid is the one who introduced us. I had met Aaron at the gym before and [had a] short conversation, but I was just impressed with how he carried himself.
Once I did some of my own homework, and found out some of his achievements as an amateur, I was not only blown away that he was the Junior Olympic Champion in the U.S., but he was an International Junior Olympic Champion and I think in the Silver Gloves.
I think it was somebody told me that—the thing about it is that it’s a small community; and we spoke to somebody in Las Vegas, a judge and a guy who’s part of USA Boxing, and he said, ‘Oh you’re really on track…I think that kid won…a title more times in the Silver Gloves than any other guy that we’ll ever see. Every year he fought in it, he won the title.’
So, ah, I’m going on like he’s my kid and he just won the spelling bee or something like that. [Laughter] We’re very proud of him and we’re very confident that he’s going to do great things.
And Jesse Reid’s convinced that he will win a cruiserweight title, absolutely convinced he’ll win a cruiserweight title, and he feels that he’s going to grow into a heavyweight, he’s going to perform well as a heavyweight.
And I’ve already seen some stuff. We were just messing around a little bit today and I asked him, ‘Where did you learn that?’—I knew where he learned it. He goes, ‘Jesse taught me that!’ So, he’s off to a great start.
On whether he trains in Chicago:
PAT DOLJANIN: No, he trains in Las Vegas. He was just here, just working out for a couple of days.
On a typical training routine:
AARON WILLIAMS: We, like, move around the ring, we do one thing we call ‘The Pro’—we, like, box each other, we throw punches at each other, I guess I threw punches. We do that, then we spar, sometimes. Then, we hit the heavy bag, the speed bag, the double-ended bag; the other things straight, like non-stop, like going and doing something, jump on the next thing. Then, I do everything else, like push-ups, sit-ups.
PAT DOLJANIN: You’ve got to see him skip rope, though. Usually, you’re used to seeing guys who are 125 [pounds] skipping rope the way he does! [Laughing] It’s amazing.
SCOTT BORRE (ONE OF WILLIAM'S SPONSORS): Is he better than me, Pat?
PAT DOLJANIN: Not quite as good as you, but he’s good!
On whether or not he lifts weights:
AARON WILLIAMS: No. I lift small weights, light weights. I don’t lift, like, a heavy weight. Yes, like small weights. I lift a whole lot of reps. I do like five pounds, I do a whole lot of reps. It’s to get stronger, not to get, like, big.
On his favorite fighters from the 40’s and the 50’s:
AARON WILLIAMS: Ah, Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Louis. You know, Sugar Robinson, he was one of the greatest fighters of all time. He had 200 fights, he won 175, about a hundred of that knockouts. Sugar Robinson didn’t like boxing; [but] he did it anyway.
PAT DOLJANIN: The interesting thing, too, is the guys he admires—Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Louis, Ezzard Charles—they’re all Ohio guys! [Laughing] They all came out of the same area, and so it’s just interesting that there’s that symmetry between them.
On whether or not he has a ‘Wish List’ of opponents:
PAT DOLJANIN: Mike Tyson! [Loud laughter]
AARON WILLIAMS: I’ll take on anybody. You know, sign the contract and I’ll fight anybody. That’s how I feel. You know, I’m a fighter; I’ll fight anybody. I don’t have no weight class. I’ll fight anybody, any day, any time. That’s how I feel.
On possible distractions in his life at this time:
AARON WILLIAMS: I don’t have any distractions. I just take it, like, day by day. I take it day by day. I take it day by day.
SCOTT BORRE: You told me last night you played video games all day. [Laughter].
AARON WILLIAMS: Yeah. [Laughing]
SCOTT BORRE: He said that he plays video games. I said, ‘You’re on the right track.’ Keep doing that.
PAT DOLJANIN: He doesn’t even have a girlfriend, so no distractions.
AN ATTRACTIVE LADY IN THE CROWD: Not yet! [Loud laughter]
AARON WILLIAMS: I just take it day by day. I don’t have no, like nothing at all. I don’t really get into nothing, so. I don’t have no distractions.
On other hobbies he has:
AARON WILLIAMS: I like basketball, video games [laughing].
On whether he has any apprehensions over possible future opponents down the line:
AARON WILLIAMS: I’m not worried about nobody.
On what attributes he feels will get him to the next level:
AARON WILLIAMS: Speed, and heart; determination. That’s all you need in boxing, because if a fighter don’t have that, you know, everybody look at you being a power puncher, not using their brains. So, that’s what I bring to it: smartness, heart, determination.
On what weight he plans to fight at, given the breadth and range of the cruiserweight’s weight limits:
AARON WILLIAMS: I like to stay at 195, so I won’t be too heavy or too light. We’ll stay right in the middle where I know I’m strong and I can get my feed.
On his recent sparring experience with Hassim Rahman:
AARON WILLIAMS: Oh, Hassim Rahman, he’s really strong. He’s really aggressive. So, I think Hassim Rahman is one of the best heavyweights out right now, one of the best upcoming heavyweights right now and I think he’s going to be tough again if he keeps doing the right things, he’s on a good path right now.
Aaron Williams checks out his new ride
On where he sees the heavyweight scene going right now:
AARON WILLIAMS: I really can’t say right now. I just hope all of them, like, fight each other. That’s when you’ll see who really is the best heavy out right now.
On sparring with undefeated heavyweight prospect, Calvin Brock:
AARON WILLIAMS: I’ve been in the ring with him, that’s about it. It was a good experience and I learned how to, like competition, you know, [over] a number of competition(s), see who the better person is, better fighter is. You know, I deal what I can; he liked my skills and, I tried to beat him up [laughing].
On whom he picked to win the Johnson-Tarver light heavyweight fight [which, coincidentally, Tarver won by decision later on that evening]:
AARON WILLIAMS: Tarver by knockout. I don’t know what round, but he’s going to win by knockout.
---
At this point, sponsors Scott Borre and Dan Barnett presented Aaron with the keys to a brand new car, which following photographs with the rest of the team, he gladly took for a spin. Afterwards, Williams carefully read his contract, then, along with the rest of his team, signed the paperwork.
And thus, another small chapter of professional boxing unfolded. Like most changes in life, this one took place almost imperceptibly, in this case tucked away in a corner of the North Shore on a beautiful Saturday evening.
Aaron Williams signs the contract
Will Williams turn out to be another great star or will he, like a number of other hopefuls, fall short of his potential? That remains to be discovered. If, however, past performance is any indicator of what lies in ahead for this young man, he has a bright future indeed.
Aaron Williams shakes hands with sponsor Dan Barnett
Aaron Williams shakes sponsor, Scott Borre's hand
All photos, unless otherwise specified, by Juan C. Ayllon
