Promoter Greg Cohen says his Atlanta-based cruiserweight Brian “The Bigg Risk” Howard will have to be extremely careful when he fights in the main event this Saturday night (October 1) at the Grand Casino in Hinckley, Minnesota. Howard (11-1, 9 KOs) will face dangerous local veteran Phil “The Drill” Williams (15-8-2, 14 KOs) in a potentially dangerous eight-round showdown.
Williams, a devastating puncher, has run hot and cold his entire career, but can be spectacular at times. He holds the distinction of scoring the fastest knockout in boxing history (10 seconds) over Brandon Burke of Iowa in 2007.
Able to switch hit from his southpaw stance to orthodox several times during a fight, Williams has also fought to draws with well-known veterans Caleb Truax and Derrick Findley. In his next to last fight, he won the Minnesota State Cruiserweight Championship by stopping then 15-1 Al Sands in one round.
The capable Howard, however, took the undefeated record of Maryland-based Alex Guerrero (15-1) in his last fight and has trained hard for this interesting challenge.
“He’s ready for another ‘Bigg Risk’,” said Cohen. “Don’t forget, Brian can punch too. He has prepared for this dangerous challenge and should be ready, even if the best version of Phil Williams shows up on Saturday. Brian is a talented fighter and we have all confidence he will prevail.”
On the undercard, Ryan Watson (2-0-1, 2 KOs), a former nationally ranked amateur boxer from Duluth, MN, who is now one of the top prospects in the cruiserweight division competes. Coming off a highly controversial draw, Watson is stepping up the competition by fighting 5-1-1 Lorenzo Selectmon of St. Joseph, MO.
Also of note is the return of Delorien Caraway (6-0 5 KOs) of Minneapolis, MN, one of the top prospects nationally in the 140-pound weight class. Caraway just spent time helping boxing’s top star, Canelo Alvarez, prepare for his upcoming fight.
The event will also be streamed live on floboxing.tv.