ReutersLOUISVILLE, Ky. - Unheralded British heavyweight Danny Williams will put his world title dreams on hold to seek a rematch with Mike Tyson.
Williams stunned the boxing world with a fourth-round knockout of the former world champion at Freedom Hall on Friday night.
“I think people may doubt my victory so I would like to give Mike another beating,” Williams said. “I’d like to fight him one more time to show it wasn’t a fluke. I’d love for the fight to be in London and it would be nice to give the British fans something by beating him up even worse next time.”
Despite Tyson’s painful fall from grace, Williams’ win still ranks as one of the greatest heavyweight shocks.
Nine seconds from the end of the fourth round, Williams finished off Tyson with a series of 26 unanswered blows which left him lounging dazed against the bottom rope, where he was counted out.
Suddenly a man whose commitment had been questioned by many, including himself, Williams sounded like a man on a mission.
“After fighting Tyson again, I’d like to go straight into a world title shot,” Williams said. “I don’t think any of the champions out there are the moment are that great. Vitali Klitschko is a stand-up boxer and I’d hit him with body shots, take him down and become the next world champion.”
Tyson’s future is much less rosy, but it seems inevitable that the fading 38-year-old will fight on.
His defeat cost him a lucrative $80 million deal with promoter Bob Arum which would have gone a long way to erase some of his financial debts. But for Tyson to go on to reclaim big purses, he must first attempt to retrieve credibility by beating Williams in a rematch.
Tyson limped out of Louisville with a left knee injury, a bloodied right eye and and an uncertain future.
“We’re going to have a long talk about Mike’s future - whether he wants to go to retirement or whether we’ll chase a rematch with Williams,” Tyson’s trainer Freddie Roach said. “It’s impossible to make a decision just like that. We’re going to have a long talk about it.”
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