Boxing

Austin Williams Reflects On Journey Ahead Of Fight vs Patrice Volny

Austin "Ammo" Williams is looking to cement himself as one of the top middleweights in the world against Patrice Volny.
Nathaniel Marrero|
IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

No two paths are the same in boxing.

Few know that better than Austin "Ammo" Williams.

From getting a late start in boxing to his battles with his mental health and losing some of the closest people to him, Ammo has overcome plenty both inside and outside of the ring. Now, Ammo is looking to take the next step in his career when he faces Patrice Volny in the main event of a Matchroom's card at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, FL.

"My journey has not been textbook,' Ammo said. "We've been figuring this thing out as we've went along. Eddie Hearn, I want to give so much thanks to him, because he's watched me and invested in my growth from a young child, a kid, young teenager, until now being a 28-year-old man. This is my 10th year in boxing, and now to have the premiere of the Ammo show, man, I'm so grateful."

Williams' (17-1, 12 KOs) journey has included the loss of some of the people closest to him. Before turning in what he believes is one of the best performances of his career, a seventh-round stoppage of Armel Mbumba-Yassa on Feb. 3, 2024, Ammo's grand uncle, Roy, passed away.

Roy was the brother of Williams, grandfather, Fred, who Ammo described as his superhero. Ammo dedicated the performance to Roy and Fred, as he donned Roy's name on his trunks. The rising southpaw contender couldn't wait to tell his grandfather about his performance and how he had honored his family's name.

Instead, he had to FaceTime his grandfather while he was in the ICU with little time to live. Fred passed away two days after the fight.

"I wanted to show him how much I love him and how much I was sacrificed to just make him smile. And my dad, he had to walk me over right after the fight and give me a call from my granddad, Fred, on FaceTime. I had to watch him in the ICU knowing that he only had a few hours left to live. I lost him two days after the Mbumba-Yassa fight. Two days after that fight, I lost my grandfather. My superhero, The greatest man I've ever known, and that just totally put my life in a whirlwind."

What followed was a quick turnaround into the biggest fight of Williams' career nearly four months later. He faced Hamzah Sheeraz on Riyadh Season's 5 vs. 5 card between Matchroom and Queensberry.

The camp was physically and mentally grueling for Ammo as he fought through the chaos of preparing for the biggest fight of his career while also mourning the loss of his hero. Ammo's wife, Sharahya-Tania Moréu, was at his side for two days of his camp in West Palm Beach, FL, and told him to rest so he can put his best foot forward for his grandfather.

"Just make it through these couple of nights of sleep, so you can finish up this camp and go out and give your heart and your soul and put everything on display to represent her grandfather out there in the Middle East," Ammo said that his wife told him.

Williams turned in an inspiring effort against Sheeraz (21-0-1, 17 KOs) but fell short, suffering the first loss of his professional career by 11th round stoppage. The loss crushed Williams and left him wondering what was next in his career given the impact one loss can have on a boxer, no matter who it comes against.

"I got knocked down again, and it hurt me to my soul," Ammo said. "These moments, it can be terrifying. We think about professional boxing and what happens. It's a race everybody's running. You on your last leg no matter what. You can be on the top of the mountain one day, you can get knocked off into the ground the next. So to take sacrifices and to take real fights and things like that, it gets scary for fighters."

Williams got back on track in his last fight, defeating Gian Garrido by fifth-round stoppage on Nov. 9. Now, he's facing another stiff challenge in Volny (19-1, 13 KOs), who is also desperate to state his claim as one of the top middleweights in the world.

A win for either fighter will put them in the driver's seat for a title shot in a wide open middleweight division. For Williams, the opportunity to headline the Matchroom card in Orlando is the culmination of a dream as he seeks his first world title and to honor his grandfather's legacy.

"For us to land here is just a dream come true for me," Williams said. "The premiere of the Ammo show will be March 15. You will see [an] explosion. But beyond explosion, you'll see brilliance. You'll see class. You'll see what a true professional world champion really is."

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Nathaniel Marrero
NATHANIEL MARRERO

Nathaniel Marrero is a writer for the Boxing, Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Ravens On SI sites. He's also written for the Orlando Sentinel and MLB.com, and was a part of UCF's sports show, Hitting The Field. He attended UCF and graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 2023. Twitter/X: Nate_Marrero

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