Thomas Williams Jr. facts for kids

Thomas Williams Jr. was born on August 25, 1987. He is an American professional boxer from Fort Washington, Maryland. In 2016, he fought for the important WBC and Lineal light heavyweight boxing titles.

Becoming a Professional Boxer

Thomas Williams Jr. started his professional boxing career in 2010. Before that, he had a very good amateur career. A well-known boxing manager named Al Haymon helps manage his fights. Al Haymon was even named the best manager by the Boxing Writers Association of America in 2012.

Starting His Career

When he was 23 years old, Thomas Williams Jr. had his first professional fight. This was on November 6, 2010, in Waldorf, Maryland. He fought Daniel Shull in a four-round match. Williams won this fight by a unanimous decision. This means all three judges agreed he won.

In 2011, Williams fought five more times. He won all of these fights. He beat Bennie Meeks by a first-round TKO (Technical Knockout). He also won against Mark Anderson, Lee Lee Pender, Donnie Moore, and Reynaldo Rodriguez. He knocked out Pender and Moore in the first round. He knocked out Rodriguez in the second round.

Moving Up in Boxing

On November 26, 2013, Williams faced a tough challenge. He fought Yusaf Mack in Sunrise, Florida. Mack had fought for world titles two times before. This fight lasted all 10 rounds. Williams won by a unanimous decision. The judges scored it 99-91, 98-92, and 97-92 in his favor.

Next, Williams fought Cornelius White on January 24, 2014. This fight was for the vacant WBO NABO light heavyweight title. All the action happened in the first round! Williams was knocked down first. But he quickly got back up. Then, Williams knocked White down twice. The referee stopped the fight after just 2 minutes and 49 seconds. Williams won the title!

On April 24, 2014, Williams won another fight. He defeated Enrique Ornelas by knockout in the third round.

Williams then defended his WBO NABO title on August 1, 2014. He fought Spanish boxer Gabriel Campillo. Williams was ahead on two of the judges' scorecards after five rounds. However, he did not come out for the sixth round. This meant he lost the fight. It was his first loss as a professional boxer. After this loss, his record was 17 wins and 1 loss. This fight was also important for the IBF. It was a fight to see who would be ranked #2.

After losing to Campillo, Williams got advice from famous boxing trainer Teddy Atlas. Atlas told him that a true champion learns from losses. He said it's about what you do next. Williams took this advice to heart.

Four months later, in December, Williams fought Michael Gbenga. This fight went all 10 rounds. Williams won by a unanimous decision. All three judges scored it 98–91 for Williams. After almost a year, Williams returned to the ring in November 2015. He fought Umberto Savigne. Both Savigne and Williams were knocked down in the first round. Savigne was knocked down again in the second round. The referee then stopped the fight.

Williams vs. Rodriguez

Williams returned to fight on April 30, 2016. He fought Edwin Rodriguez in Carson, California. Rodriguez had only lost one fight in his career before this. That loss was to the undefeated champion Andre Ward. This fight between Williams and Rodriguez lasted only six minutes. Rodriguez was knocked down twice in the second round. Williams won by knockout.

Losing Streak

Williams vs. Stevenson

On July 29, 2016, Williams got a chance to fight for a world title. He challenged Adonis Stevenson, who was the lineal and WBC World light heavyweight champion. The fight took place in Quebec City, Canada. This was Stevenson's seventh time defending his title.

In the first round, Stevenson knocked Williams down with a strong left punch. Williams got back up and finished the round. In the fourth round, Stevenson focused his punches on Williams' body. He accidentally hit Williams low, and the fight paused. When it started again, Stevenson kept attacking the body. Then, he hit Williams in the head with a left punch. Williams fell down and could not get up. Stevenson won by knockout. He kept his titles.

Williams vs. Browne

On February 18, 2017, Williams lost his second fight in a row. He was knocked down three times by Marcus Browne. The referee stopped the fight in the sixth round. Browne was a rising boxer ranked highly by the WBC, WBO, and IBF. The fight was in Cincinnati, Ohio. At the time the fight was stopped, Williams was behind on all the judges' scorecards. Browne was even deducted a point for hitting Williams after a knockdown. After the fight, Browne challenged Adonis Stevenson, who had also knocked out Williams.

Williams vs. Torres

After a year away from boxing, Williams returned on February 17, 2018. He fought Humberto Velazco Torres from Mexico. Williams suffered his third loss in a row by knockout. He was knocked out in the fourth round.

Professional Boxing Record

Here is a table showing Thomas Williams Jr.'s professional boxing record:

24 fights, 20 wins (14 knockouts), 4 losses, 0 draw, 0 NC
No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
24	Loss	20–4	Humberto Velazco Torres	KO	4 (10)	17 Feb 2018	Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas, USA
23	Loss	20–3	Marcus Browne	KO	6 (10), 0:42	18 Feb 2017	Cintas Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
22	Loss	20–2	Adonis Stevenson	KO	4 (12), 2:54	29 Jul 2016	Videotron Centre, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada	For Lineal & WBC Light heavyweight title
21	Win	20–1	Edwin Rodriguez	KO	2 (10), 2:59	30 Apr 2016	StubHub Center, Carson, California, USA
20	Win	19–1	Umberto Savigne	TKO	2 (10), 1:48	13 Nov 2015	Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, Biloxi, Mississippi, USA
19	Win	18–1	Michael Gbenga	UD	10	12 Dec 2014	UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois, USA
18	Loss	17–1	Gabriel Campillo	RTD	5 (12), 3:00	01 Aug 2014	Little Creek Casino Resort, Shelton, Washington, USA	Lost WBO NABO light heavyweight title.
17	Win	17–0	Enrique Ornelas	KO	3 (10), 2:48	24 Apr 2014	Agua Caliente Casino, Rancho Mirage, California, USA
16	Win	16–0	Cornelius White	TKO	1 (10), 2:49	24 Jan 2014	Little Creek Casino Resort, Shelton, Washington, USA	Won vacant WBO NABO light heavyweight title.
15	Win	15–0	Yusaf Mack	UD	10	26 Nov 2013	BB&t Center, Sunrise, Florida, USA
14	Win	14–0	Otis Griffin	UD	8	18 May 2013	Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
13	Win	13–0	Kevin Engel	TKO	3 (8), 1:31	02 Mar 2013	Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
12	Win	12–0	Jason Smith	TKO	3 (8), 1:56	12 Jan 2013	BB&t Center, Sunrise, Florida, USA
11	Win	11–0	Ricardo Campillo	TKO	5 (6), 1:19	08 Dec 2012	Business Expo Center, Anaheim, California, USA
10	Win	10–0	Harley Kilfian	KO	1 (6), 1:41	04 Aug 2012	Exposition Hall, Mobile, Alabama, USA
9	Win	9–0	Ariel Espinal	TKO	1 (6)	14 Jul 2012	Convention Center, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
8	Win	8–0	Jess Noriega	TKO	1 (6)	12 May 2012	Convention Center, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
7	Win	7–0	Kentrell Claiborne	UD	4	18 Feb 2012	American Bank Center, Corpus Christi, Texas, USA
6	Win	6–0	Reynaldo Rodriguez	KO	2 (4), 0:56	10 Dec 2011	Convention Center, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
5	Win	5–0	Donnie Moore	TKO	1 (4), 2:18	24 Sep 2011	Omar Shrine Temple, South Carolina, USA
4	Win	4–0	Lee Lee Pender	KO	1 (4), 1:43	17 Sep 2011	Rec Center, Wilson, North Carolina, USA
3	Win	3–0	Mark Anderson	UD	4	12 Aug 2011	Club Spotlight, Florence, South Carolina, USA
2	Win	2–0	Bennie Meeks	TKO	1 (4), 2:00	21 May 2011	Rec Center, Wilson, North Carolina, USA
1	Win	1–0	Daniel Shull	UD	4	06 Nov 2010	Jaycees Community Center, Waldorf, Maryland, United States

About His Family

Thomas Williams Jr. is the son of another boxer. His father was a heavyweight boxer named Thomas "Top Dawg" Williams Sr.