BoxRec

Billy Williams
http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?hu ... &cat=boxer

Someone I know is a mate of 'a' Bill Williams, who says he sparred Ali. Can anyone shed any light on this? I have put the record of what I beleive to be this man on the post - it says he was boxing in Florida in 72/73.

Any help or info, much appreciated.

bump

Williams is an Englishman who was sent over by his management and was a regular at the Fifth Street Gym for a while. It is very possible that he would have sparred with Ali several times since most light heavies and heavies in the gym did spar with Ali at one time or another.

Ali's regular sparring partners were his brother Rahman Ali and Harvey Cody Jones. For specific bouts other would be hired -Holmes, Roy Williams, Bossman Jones, Mel Turnbow- but Ali was always willing to spar any guy who wanted his three minutes in the ring with the champ.

enrique wrote:Williams is an Englishman who was sent over by his management and was a regular at the Fifth Street Gym for a while. It is very possible that he would have sparred with Ali several times since most light heavies and heavies in the gym did spar with Ali at one time or another.

Ali's regular sparring partners were his brother Rahman Ali and Harvey Cody Jones. For specific bouts other would be hired -Holmes, Roy Williams, Bossman Jones, Mel Turnbow- but Ali was always willing to spar any guy who wanted his three minutes in the ring with the champ.

thanks a lot mate

Matthew, now up to 1972 in the Hauser book, which I believe is when you said the bloke said he trained with Ali.

From August 1972, Ali built a training facility in Deer Lake in Pensylvania and trained there for every fight until he retired. The facility had rooms for all his sparring partners, a 50 foot by 60 foot ring, which cost $42,000, 2 storey bungalow, hall and dining room. The training facility also had the names of past HW champions painted on boulders strewn around the complex.

For info, Ali did allow a lot of his sparring partners to follow him to Miami before this time, Jimmy Ellis being on of them, to fight down there.

Emerson Poncey Name Ghent wrote:Matthew, now up to 1972 in the Hauser book, which I believe is when you said the bloke said he trained with Ali.

From August 1972, Ali built a training facility in Deer Lake in Pensylvania and trained there for every fight until he retired. The facility had rooms for all his sparring partners, a 50 foot by 60 foot ring, which cost $42,000, 2 storey bungalow, hall and dining room. The training facility also had the names of past HW champions painted on boulders strewn around the complex.

For info, Ali did allow a lot of his sparring partners to follow him to Miami before this time, Jimmy Ellis being on of them, to fight down there.

Cheers mate.... as Enriqu said, i think its likely that Williams had an impromptu session or sessions with Ali, rather than being part of a routine arrangement. When I eventually see him I will ask.