Austin Williams Outguns Denis Douglin to Win 1st 8-Rounder; Raymond Ford and Aaron Perez Duel To a Split Draw
Austin Williams passed first test with a convincing defeat of veteran Denis Douglin to move to 8-0; Raymond Ford fights to a split draw after gutsy effort from Aaron Perez
DALLAS (March 13, 2021) — Earlier in the day boxing lost one of the greatest Middleweights of all time in “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler. Tonight, undefeated Houston, Texas southpaw Austin “Ammo” Williams set out to take a major step towards achieving his own greatness with the toughest assignment of his career. That assignment was veteran Denis Douglin, also a southpaw, who stepped in as a late replacement.
Williams (8-0, 6 KOs) handled himself well through the first frame, which wasn’t exactly a feeling out round. A straight left hand from the upstart ejected Douglin’s mouthpiece out of his mouth at the end of Round 2.
Douglin (22-8, 14 KOs) mainly worked off his right jab early. Williams invested in the body, and rocked Douglin in Round 3 with an uppercut and right hook to the body. The 24-year old continued to score well inside with solid shots underneath – the staple of his attack over the first half.
In Round 5, the question became how would Williams fill out the remaining time in his first 8-rounder. As his work-rate fell, he got clipped by a big right hook to the chin. Williams responded with a flurry. Moments before the bell he landed a right uppercut-left hook combination. He spent most of the round breathing through his mouth.
Williams looked refreshed to start Round 6. He started erasing any momentum Douglin gained during the preceding round. The younger fighter doled out the overwhelming amount of the punishment in the frame. He did walk into a couple significant counter punches from Douglin, who was still competing.
Douglin did the stalking through most of the early part of Round 7. He fired his single and double jab. Williams appeared to be recharging. Abruptly, Williams blasted Douglin with a right hook that staggered the Brooklyn, New York native backwards all the way across the ring. Williams moved in with a finishing flurry, but most of it landed on the hurt fighter’s guard.
The younger fighter wisely stayed on the move and boxed out the final round. Douglin continued to fight, but Williams managed the distance and limited any real threat. He seemed a little fatigued, but found ways to fill the three minutes safely. The judges scored the fight unanimously in favor of Williams with totals of 79-73 twice, and then 77-75. With a successful performance the former amateur standout improved his record to 8-0.
Raymond Ford vs Aaron Perez
Raymond Ford and Aaron Perez, a pair of undefeated Featherweights, opened Matchroom Boxing’s Super Flyweight championship unification bout featuring Juan Francisco Estrada vs Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez card that streamed live on DAZN.
Ford (8-0-1, 4 KOs) came into the fight gaining momentum in his fledgling career, having stopped 3 of his last 4 opponents. Perez (10-0-1, 6 KOs) posed some early problems for the Camden, New Jersey southpaw. The 23-year old from Albuquerque, New Mexico hadn’t fought since November 2019. Ford fought three times in 2020.
Perez pressured Ford through the first few rounds and remained consistent with his flurries. Ford responded in the fourth round with a right hook to the body that immediately sapped the energy of Perez. He stayed at range more often and backed up for the first time in the fight.
The second half of the fight started with Ford stepping forward with a renewed confidence. Perez’ attacks appeared to be less spirited for much of the frame. The effectiveness was less as he fought through his fatigue.
Surprisingly, Perez rallied midway through Round 6. Ford defended much of his output, but the effort forced the judges to work harder determining who they favored. Ford continued to jab while waiting to time Perez coming to him.
Perez turned back to his pressure in Round 7. He pawed at some damage around his left eye, and through punches while Ford’s back was against the ropes. Ford landed his best left hand of the fight in the round.
Perez competed well throughout the final round. Ford failed to ever truly showcase his jab, and to set up effective punches behind it. His decision to repeatedly try to counter-punch Perez while moving out, or away, allowed Perez to do enough to exit the ring undefeated. Surprisingly, the judges’ scorecards resulted in a split draw which included a 78-74 card for Perez. Along with the 76-76 card, Ford won the third card 77-75.
All photos by Ed Mulholland/Matchroom
Pingback: Boxrec: Who Is Ammo Williams Boxer? Age Height and Wikipedia