Jimmy "The Quiet Storm" Williams

Christian De Luca
May 30, 2018
5 min read

The Quiet Storm is coming back next Saturday to make some noise. Jimmy Williams is fighting Jose Antonio Abreu (13-4-1) a talented and game fighter from the Dominican Republic. Jimmy is coming off of a loss to the tall and rangy Marquis Taylor who has previously only lost to Mayweather Promotions’ fighter Ladarius Miller. Marquis was Jimmy’s first opponent as a pro that was taller than him so Jimmy found difficulty overcoming the range. Jimmy took the loss in his stride and was very gracious in defeat, giving credit to Marquis for being the better man that night. Jimmy has taken many lessons away from the fight such as working the body more, constantly moving his head, and establishing his jab. Jimmy reiterated the old adage that styles makes fights and he has fought many guys with different styles so now he just has to put it all together and get back to the drawing board. These lessons will be made into adjustments come June 2 at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut. Jose Antonio Abreu brings a lot to the table but Jimmy will bring just as much, if not more come fight night. The fight will be contested at 154 pounds, moving up from his usual 147 pounds. Jimmy believes he’ll have more power at this weight and is ready to start campaigning at 154 full time in order to secure a world title. The fight will be streamed on Fight Night Live on Facebook. The link will be provided below.

The New Jersey native from Plainfield, NJ is received well in Connecticut since he attended Southern Connecticut State University where he played corner on their football team. He continues to live in New Haven, Connecticut to this day. Jimmy was apart of the Southern team that got the school’s very first playoff win, something he and his team take pride in. He still speaks to his teammates that cheer him on and show a lot of support for his boxing career, contributing to his Connecticut fan base. Jimmy himself takes a lot of pride in the state of Connecticut and considers himself Connecticut’s adopted son. Following his college career, he actually pursued an opportunity to play professional football, most notably training with the Oakland Raiders in a camp until an unfortunate injury ended his chance of playing football. It would seem as if all roads led Jimmy back to boxing which would have made his mother, whom always saw his potential in the sport very proud. In fact, when Jimmy was playing football in high school and for Southern, his mother constantly reminded him to not rule boxing out. Jimmy’s mother saw the hard work he put in even when he was young, waking up at 5-6 A.M to go on a run before he went to school and then right after school he would be in the gym, honing his skills. As a result of his mother’s advice, Jimmy always kept in the back of his mind that boxing was an option. However, during Jimmy’s sophomore year at Southern he received a call from his sister after practice where she informed Jimmy that their mother had been strangled to death behind an abandoned building.

Jimmy keeps his mother in his mind always and knows that she’s watching over him when he is out of the ring but especially inside of it. During fight night, Jimmy thinks about his family, his wife, his two twin sons, his fans, and his mother of course. He is determined to win every second and every minute of the fight for them. Jimmy’s focus is perhaps one of his greatest qualities, which is unwavering and set sharply on the goal ahead, to beat the man in front of him. Jimmy is without a doubt a throwback fighter, one that would fight every month if he could while also having the grit and heart necessary to become a world champion. To him it doesn’t matter how much adversity he faces along the way, hence why he wasted little time getting back in the ring, it’s all apart of the process. His previous loss only motivates him because he has faced much worse in his life. Jimmy is the type of man that doesn’t fight failure; he takes it as inspiration to improve and come back stronger. He told us that philosophy applies to every aspect of life and that as long as you never quit, keep working hard, and follow your dreams, you can achieve anything you may want in life.

Jimmy uses his platform as professional boxer in a virtuous manner, trying to inspire those around him and pass on his knowledge of life and business to the youth. Speaking of the youth, Jimmy finds great pleasure working with them and is very involved in his community’s school system. Jimmy has always worked with kids, doing summer camps throughout his life so he has a lot of experience with working with children. It is easy to see he is so passionate about keeping the youth on the right path and making sure they are well equipped for life. He always tells football players he works with that one day their playing career will be over and then what? Jimmy believes that you need develop a plan and the skills necessary for life after sports. For Jimmy, his life after boxing will include working with kids, and setting up an outreach program. In the program, kids that are not successful in the classroom but are good with their hands can harness their skills as a result of hands on trade experience. Jimmy explained that those kids who are not “book smart” per say are the ones that slip through the cracks of the education system and he believes those kids deserve the opportunity since they are the future construction workers, plumbers, and electricians of the world.

His next fight will be a step back on track to remind fans that he has not simply gone away since losing. He is living his dream and recognizes the opportunity he has to put his stamp on boxing. As a result, he is so excited to be back Saturday night and feels no pressure. Despite making it big time, Jimmy remains amicable and humble towards all people but especially to those who are interested in him and his career. He mentioned to us how it’s an honor for people to follow his career and will never take his fan’s support for granted. Jimmy wants to be remembered to boxing fans as a great fighter who was loyal to the fans, never giving up inside or outside the ring. We certainly believe he is on the right track and touching many people profoundly, including us here at Under the Lights along the way. We thank him for the opportunity to speak with him and for the love he showed us. We look forward to following the Quiet Storm from here on out. Good luck Saturday Jimmy! We will be watching!