The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AFTER losing his first professional bout, Rashield Williams is hoping to bounce back on track in his third match on Friday, May 17 at the Miccosukee Indian Gaming Resort in Miami, Florida.

Williams, 29, is scheduled to take on American Clifford Gray Jr at the same venue where he lost his previous fight in a split decision on March 22 to Javaune James following his successful pro debut on February 9 against Carlos Monroy in a first-round technical knockout in Mexico City.

“I feel good,” said Williams, who will be moving down in weight class from the welterweight to the lightweight division to face Gray Jr, who is 1-5 and is on a three-fight losing streak.

“I feel I am still strong, but I feel like I have more of an advantage with my height and my weight. So I’m just using my advantage.”

The orthodox fighter who abandoned his long amateur career last year after he felt he didn’t have a chance to fulfill his dream of becoming an Olympian, said everything is going according to plan in the gym where he’s training under the watchful eyes of coach Normal Wilson at the Contenders Boxing Gym.

“After losing my first fight, we decided to put that behind us and just concentrate on what is ahead of us,” Williams said. “It is what it is. We are continuing to focus on building my career.”

Now that his career has taken off, Williams said he realises that he has to go through the growing pains as a pro fighter.

“Things happen. I was fighting a hometown favourite.

“I experienced it throughout my amateur career,” he said.

“People were there and they say it wasn’t supposed to happen.

“But I’m glad that my coaches have decided to stick it out with me. They could have said to me to go home, but they decided to stick it out with me and are pushing me to get ready for the next fight.”

And having dropped down to a lower weight class has also given Williams more inspiration to go on. “I was always confident in myself, but after losing that fight, I plan to stop everybody,” he said.

“That was a setback for me so I have to come back with a bigger plan and try to climb back up the ladder.”

While home will always be home, Williams said his focus is on his new environment right now and he’s trying to make the best of it.

“I don’t worry about home right now,” he said.

“I am just focusing on my career and trying to make it. I don’t even think about home.

“Being home can’t help me with my career. I have to concentrate on the reason why I left home.”

And that is to eventually become a world boxing champion.