Carl Williams (November 11, 1959 – April 7, 2013), nicknamed "the Truth", was an American boxer who competed as a professional from 1982 to 1997. He challenged twice for heavyweight world titles; the IBF title against Larry Holmes in 1985; and the undisputed title against Mike Tyson in 1989. At regional level he held the USBA heavyweight title from 1987 to 1991.

Early years

Williams spent his childhood in South Jamaica, Queens. He was raised by his grandmother. After his grandmother died, Williams began to box at the age of nineteen, training with the Daniel M. O'Connell Park Gym in Saint Albans, New York (also known as the New York City Recreations O'Connell Center), walking six miles (9.65 km) to his gym and back each day, and showing a natural talent and determination.Mike Tyson vs Carl Williams - ENTIRE HBO PROGRAM "He's a natural, no question about that," said his trainer, Vic Hanson.

Amateur career With a couple of amateur fights under his belt Williams won two New York Golden Gloves Championships. Williams won both the 1980 New York Golden Gloves Sub-Novice Heavyweight Championship and the 1981 Heavyweight Open Championship.

Highlights Williams stopped (RSC 2) John Kibelka of the New York City Recreation in the finals of the 1980 Sub-Novice Heavyweight Championship. Three knockouts and one decision propelled Williams into the 1981 Golden Gloves.Williams issuing stern warning to Bodzianowski, By Tom Hanrahan, Daily News from New York, April 5, 1981, p. 97. In 1981 Williams stopped (RSC-2) Ronald Turner of the 25th Precinct in the heavyweight finals of the 55th New York Golden Gloves at 2:08.Williams Wins Heavyweight Final. The New York Times, March 21, 1981. Williams won the heavyweight Intercity Golden Gloves over Craig Bodzianowski of Chicago, April 27, 1981 at the Madison Square Garden.New York Wins 9 of 11 Bouts. The New York Times, April 28, 1981. "punching like a cruise missile," in words of sports writer Tom HanrahanA tale of two Golden cities, By Tom Hanrahan, Daily News from New York, April 26, 1981, p. 95. At that time he wanted to fight the '81 open champ, Mitch Green from Bronx, who has since turned pro.

His other notable achievements include: at the North American Championships (201 lbs), Shreveport, Louisiana, September 1981:American boxers scored four wins in four outings. UPI, September 24, 1981. 1/2: Defeated Patrick Fennel (Canada) RSC 3 Finals: Defeated Roberto Gomez (Cuba) at the Boxing World Cup (201 lbs), Montreal, Canada, November 1981: 1/2: Defeated Nam Hee Kim (South Korea) KO 1 Finals: Defeated Alexander Yagubkin (Soviet Union) by unanimous decision, 5–0

Williams finished his amateur career with 22 fights, completing a record of 21–1.Carl Williams Amateur Record at the BoxingRecords. Last updated : April 12, 2006.

Professional career Williams soon turned pro, signing a contract with Ron Katz of the Top Rank. After the initial successes, he moved to a suburban motel in White Plains, New York, in order to concentrate on training and to stay away from big-city temptations. He was trained by Carmen Graziano.Carl ‘The Truth’ Williams was as skilled a heavyweight as any that ever stepped into the ring by Tim Smith, New York Daily News, April 12, 2013.Carl 'The Truth' Williams: Boxer who fought Mike Tyson and Larry Holmes by Steve Bunce, The Independent, 17 April 2013.

Williams' is perhaps best known for his memorable first title shot was against Larry Holmes, a fight he lost in a controversial decision. His next fight was a victory against Jesse Ferguson. He then suffered a devastating knockout loss to Mike Weaver, which took him sixteen months to regain his shape and get back to the ring.

Williams eventually fought Mike Tyson (whom he first faced in sparring sessions, August 1, 1983, with a professional record 11–0),Mike Tyson - Most Brutal Boxing Sparring Wars in a battle for the undisputed heavyweight championship. The first round knockout loss to Tyson in 1989 was a devastating defeat for Williams. Midway through the round, Tyson slipped a jab from Williams and loaded up with one of the most devastating counter-punches of his career, smashing Williams and sending him down for an eight count. The referee waved off the fight and Williams immediately launched a mild protest to the official and ringside judges but to no avail. He believed that the fight was stopped too early and he was not given more of an opportunity to demonstrate to the official that he was not disoriented after the knock-down. In a post fight in-ring interview, Williams appeared to be uninjured, spoke clearly, and expressed his disappointment that he was not given the opportunity to "show my stuff." Williams also called for a rematch, however this never occurred.

After the defeat by Tyson, Williams became a journeyman heavyweight. His other notable fights include losses to Larry Holmes, Tim Witherspoon, Tommy Morrison, and Frank Bruno, and wins against Bert Cooper and Trevor Berbick.

Williams retired in 1997 with a professional record of 30–10–0–1 with 21 knockouts.

After retirement Williams worked for Allied-SpectaGuard in New York City at the World Trade Center as a security agent and field supervisor. After the September 11 attacks, Williams worked for Verizon in Queens, New York, as a security guard. Later he worked for Forte Security Group in New York City, as a security guard at the Copacabana and the nightclub Marquee New York until he became ill.

Death Williams died on April 7, 2013, of esophageal cancer. He was survived by a daughter, Carla, and a son, Daniel. He was predeceased by his 12-year-old daughter Nijah, who died of leukemia.

References in popular culture Williams was the inspiration for a parody character on the Fox program In Living Color, Carl "The Tooth" Williams, portrayed by Jamie Foxx, a boxer so named because he only had one tooth. Williams would live his everyday life in his boxing apparel, making all appearances while singing the opening line to "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang."

Professional boxing record

ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes41LossAnthony GreenTKO7 (8)Oct 30, 199740Win30–9 Marion WilsonUD10Jun 13, 199739Win29–9 Domingo MonroePTS8Nov 27, 199638Win28–9 Lou TurchiarelliTKO2 (12), Aug 2, 199637Win27–9 Sean HartDQ3 (10)May 31, 199636Loss26–9 Melvin FosterUD10Mar 17, 199535Loss26–8 Alexandr ZolkinTKO7 (10), Jul 22, 199434Loss26–7 Frank BrunoTKO10 (10), Apr 24, 199333Loss26–6 Tommy MorrisonTKO8 (10), Jan 16, 199332Win26–5 Jimmy Lee SmithTKO3 (10), Nov 3, 199231Win25–5 Ossie OcasioUD10Aug 20, 199230Loss24–5 Jerry JonesUD10Mar 22, 199229Win24–4 Marshall TillmanTKO2 (10), Jan 12, 19922823–4 Kimmuel OdumNC10Oct 15, 199127Loss23–4 Tim WitherspoonSD12Mar 8, 199126Win23–3 Melton BowenTKO5 (12), Jul 24, 199025Loss22–3 Mike TysonTKO1 (12), Jul 21, 198924Win22–2 Mike RouseTKO3 (12), Nov 10, 198823Win21–2 Trevor BerbickUD12Jun 27, 198822Win20–2 Rodney FrazierTKO1 (12), Jan 27, 198821Win19–2Mike GansTKO7 (10), Oct 17, 198720Win18–2 Bert CooperRTD7 (12), Jun 21, 198719Loss17–2 Mike WeaverTKO2 (10), Feb 16, 198618Win17–1 Jesse FergusonTKO10 (10), Aug 31, 198517Loss16–1 Larry HolmesUD15May 20, 198516Win16–0 James TillisUD10Oct 23, 198415Win15–0 Terry MimsTKO3 (10), Aug 9, 198414Win14–0 Lou Benson Jr.RTD2 (10), Mar 7, 198413Win13–0 Percell DavisTKO4 (10), Sep 9, 198312Win12–0 Woody ClarkUD10Aug 16, 198311Win11–0 David JacoRTD1 (10), Jun 30, 198310Win10–0 Robert HillTKO3 (8), Apr 24, 19839Win9–0 Richard CadeTKO1 (8), Feb 18, 19838Win8–0 Leroy BooneUD8Dec 9, 19827Win7–0 Michael GreerTKO3 (8), Oct 22, 19826Win6–0 David StarkeyTKO3 (8), Aug 20, 19825Win5–0 Barry FunchesTKO6 (6), Jun 11, 19824Win4–0 Donny TownsendKO1 (6), May 28, 19823Win3–0 Louis AlexanderTKO2 (6), Apr 30, 19822Win2–0 Dwight TriplettTKO1 (6), Mar 31, 19821Win1–0 Greg StephanyUD4Jan 22, 1982

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