Grabbing a win to kickstart his 2024 was salient but Austin “Ammo” Williams wanted a more credible opponent.
This past Saturday night, at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada, Williams (16-0, 11 KOs) had little to no trouble getting rid of late replacement opponent, Armel Mbumba-Yassa. Being a fighter in the middleweight division comes with mixed feelings. On one end, there are practically no big names residing there. Meaning, fighting for a world title can happen sooner rather than later.
The downside to it, however, is that no one captures your imagination. Williams though, doesn’t care too much about the names attached to the belt holders, he simply wants their status.
If he continues to beat up the competition, he’ll get exactly what he’s looking for. But, for some reason, Williams isn’t interested in making the leap just yet. Janibek Alimkhanuly and Erislandy Lara, the division’s WBO and WBA champions, will have to take a backseat for the time being. Williams’ preferred choice is actually someone who doesn’t even compete in his weight class.
“I wanna fight Erickson Lubin,” Williams told iFL TV. “I’m a knock him out.”
Williams has never been the bombastic type, but Lubin, at least privately, has pushed his buttons. Although he didn’t reveal his reasons, Williams appears willing to put his championship aspirations to the side, something Lubin, ostensibly, isn’t interested in doing.
For the 28-year-old, he was on the verge of his second crack at a world title. After winning eight of his nine, BoxingScene.com reported that both Lubin and Tim Tszyu, current 154-pound WBO titlist, were in negotiations to face off in the first quarter of the year. Nevertheless, for reasons that are still unclear, talks broke off, leading to Tszyu agreeing to take on Keith Thurman on March 30th. Lubin, in the meanwhile, is now searching for a new opponent.
If the highly-ranked junior middleweight contender is unable to find a suitable name, Williams believes that he should move up in weight and face him next. If he does, Lubin, according to Williams, will be kissing the canvas.
“I’m a knock him the f— out. I swear to God on my life.”