Leamington boxer Lewis Williams ready and waiting for his shot at the big time - The Leamington Observer

Leamington boxer Lewis Williams ready and waiting for his shot at the big time

Leamington Editorial 14th Apr, 2016 Updated: 28th Oct, 2016   0

LEWIS Williams is confident he has everything in his locker to progress to the highest level in boxing after impressing the national coaches following his first call-up to the England squad.

The 17-year-old, from Whitnash, has been causing quite a stir in amateur boxing with a series of impressive performances and he is now one of the most feared heavyweight fighters as his level.

Williams recently made it to the final of the Amateur Youth Championships where he lost out to Barnstaple’s Rob Squires and a one-sided victory over Dean Baxter earlier this year earned him an England call-up.

And despite not being selected for the European Youth Championships with England opting not to compete in the 91kg category, Williams knows his chance on the international stage will come soon.




“I had been waiting to be selected for the past few years so now I’m finally here I want to prove my case, “ he told the Observer.

“I was called up straight into the team rather than having to have an assessment which was even better. Now they want me to get some more international experience and hopefully I can go from there to the Great Britain set-up.


“I’m not ready for that yet at the moment but while I’m training with England that will help with my development and skills then I can prove that I’m good enough.

“I always have a strong belief because I always believe that I’m one of the best in the country. Getting to the final of the Amateur Youth Championships prove that and now I want to prove myself to the public.”

It seems Williams was destined to box from a young age after being encouraged to take up the sport by his father when he was just nine.

He moved to Clearys Amateur Boxing Club when he was 12 and his progress has seen him go on to become one of the brightest talents in the country.

“I always thought I was quite good. It was just a case of actually doing it, fighting and waiting for my time to come.

“My family are very supportive. They’ve taken me all over the country and will always do anything that I need in terms of help.

“I enjoy it. I train down Clearys six days a week, sometimes twice a day, and then on Sunday I do my own training like running and sprinting.

“Boxing has always been the only sport I’ve been interested. I’ve always been boxing mad. When I was younger I was always watching boxing. I’ve always liked watching Flloyd Mayweather because of his skill level.

“I’ve been told by one of the England scouts that I’m a smart boxer. I always try to adapt to other styles like Mayweather.

“He may lose the first few rounds while he figures out what his opponent is like but then he’ll pick them off and go on to win the fight.

“Those sort of skills come after putting a lot of hard work in, it doesn’t just come overnight.”

Being selected for England and has enhanced Williams’ reputation which has come at a slight cost with other boxers perhaps ducking away from potential fights with the Warwick Trident College student.

But that does not trouble Williams who has learned from previous defeats and is always looking at ways to improve his reputation.

“It’s not frustrating,” he added. “I actually see it as a bit of a compliment. Being with England makes me more noticed and other boxers are beginning to know who I am.

“I should have won the youth ABA Championship but I got beaten by what I thought was a bad decision but these things happen.

“At the time is was frustrating as it always is when you lose, but that energises you and makes you want to train harder.

“I got scouted at the ABA’s so something positive came out of it. The England coaches have said I need more international experience so I’m just waiting for the call and not rushing into it.”

 

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