Kyle Williams returns to the ring and eyes title success

He’s been pencilled in for a keep-busy contest under the lights of Walsall Town Hall on Saturday October 2 on BCB Promotions show, a Halloween spooktacular, titled ‘Things That Go Bump in the Night.’

The 26-year-old has seen nothing to frighten him in the bantamweight division, where he’s marched to Midlands and national honours during the early part of this year alone.

His 2017 culminated with a second TKO in seven flawless outings as a pro pugilist against overwhelmed Hungarian Szilveszter Kanalas, who folded in two, at the Leicester Arena. He downed Jordan Turner for the second time in March 2018, this time inside-the-distance, to land the area crown. Turner retired at the end of the seventh, at Birmingham’s Genting Arena. He found Thomas Essomba a tougher nut to crack for the English belt, which was again vacant, when the two clashed at Willenhall’s Willows Banqueting Suite on June 9.

Williams, making the short trip from his home in Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton, engaged in a 10-round blood and guts affair that he prevailed from with a points split decision.

The Town Hall bill is his first outing since and it’s where made his debut in 2016, outpointing Anwar Alfadli. He also defeated Craig Derbyshire and Sergey Tasimov there.

The British title at his weight will have been contested by the time he laces on the gloves, with Ukashir Farooq and Jamie Wilson set to do battle on September 27.

The same goes for the Commonwealth strap, with Lee McAllister challenging after just four pro bouts on October 13. His opponent? Essomba.

Williams might have to defend his English status to keep it, too. Marc Leach wiped out Louis Norman in the second round of an eliminator to become the No 1 contender.

“I just need to get back in the ring,” admitted Williams. “I’ve had some time off and allowed the two cuts I got against Essomba to heal. I’m good to go again now.

“I know about Leach, he’s a strong southpaw and he did a number on a good lad in Louis, but he’ll have to do a lot more to take my belt away.

“It has been a fantastic 2018 for me, by June, by becoming the English champion in my own back yard and winning the Midlands before that.

“I’ve boxed on two big arena shows in the last 12 months, at Leicester in December and then the Genting Arena in Birmingham for my first title fight.

“When I look back at what I’ve achieved in boxing, already, it almost seems unreal but I’m the sort of person who wants to go out and do more.

“If I have to defend against Leach, I will but I’m desperate to get a shot at the British title. I’ve been telling everyone for a year plus that I’m ready.

“We were looking at the Commonwealth and Essomba gets the shot at McGregor. That doesn’t make much sense to me, but that’s what been decided.

“I believe Farooq will win the British and I’ll be going after him if that happens. Getting my hands on a Lonsdale belt is what I’ve always wanted.

“My next big title fight is probably going to come next year now and I’ve got October 27 to think of first. I’ll be preparing for that date diligently.

“I’ve got some good memories of Walsall Town Hall, what I’ve done there in the past set me up for the future and it’ll nice to box there again.”

Williams and Essomba tore at each other from the start when they met and both had to climb off the floor to see the final bell.

It was Williams who was down first at the end of the first, but he decked Essomba in the sixth. The Black Country boxer finished proceedings bloodied, after a clash of heads.

One judge, Shaun Messer, scored it 96-94 to Essomba, but was outvoted by Howard Foster and Robert Williams. They both had it 96-93 to Williams. It was a big prize for the former kickboxer, who still works as an instructor at Fran Zuccala’s Eclipse Kickboxing & Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy, on Tempest Street in Wolverhampton.

The second dan black belt teaches children, teenagers and adults at the same venue where he first learned his own skills since the age of six.

He went to the top table in kickboxing, winning the ICO world featherweight title, and agrees winning the English boxing belt is another great memory.

“I’ve watched it back since and I still think I won it by two or three rounds but, when it’s close and it goes points like that, you can never be sure,” he added. “I felt like I was flying the flag for BCB and Midlands boxing that night and, as strange as it sounds, no one really lost anything at the end of it

“I was behind early on after the knockdown, but I put him over as well. In the later rounds, my aggression at close quarters got me over the line.

“It was weird being on the floor, I’d ever been down in kickboxing when I was 18. I didn’t feel hurt, I was more stunned, but I recovered well.

“Essomba was tough and dangerous at mid-range. He threw punches that I couldn’t work out, but I got there and then it was back to business.

“It’s given me the experience to know I can regroup, if something happens against a top fighter. He was the best boxer I’ve been in there with.

“I feel proud to have been involved in such a great fight. I got the belt, the fans were entertained and even Essomba came out with a lot of credit.”

Dudey trio Danny Ball and Connor Lee Jones, a super welterweight and lightweight respectively, are on the under-card, trained by ex-pros Robert Wright and Richard Ghent, and featherweight, Les Byfield, are all in action.

Troi Coleman, a middleweight from Burntwood, Central Area Heavyweight Champion, Kash Ali, from Birmingham, and Tividale welter, Ryan ‘Stewart’ Davies also feature.

Tickets, priced at £35 standard and £65 VIP ringside, are on sale now from the Town Hall Box Office on 0845 111 2900. It will be £40 for entry on the door. The Grosvenor Casino Walsall, on Bentley Mill Way, are the show’s headline sponsors. They will host the weigh in and after-show party (over 18’s).