Troy Williamson came in for online criticism for sparring both Chris Eubank Jnr and Conor Benn ahead of their recent rematch.
Williamson traveled to Dubai for rounds with Eubank before heading to Essex as Benn completed his preparations for their November 15 return, which Benn won via a wide decision.
“Yeah, I got a hell of a lot of stick, but it's just off people that don't really understand the business,” Williamson told BoxingScene. “Like I've got a fight on December 20 coming up myself, so I'm traveling for world-class sparring. There's not much world-class sparring where I'm based in the northeast, so I've got to travel.
“Before I went out to spar Eubank, Tony Sims asked me for the sparring [with Benn]. I told him I was sparring Eubank, ‘But when I get back,’ I said, ‘if you still need rounds then I'm happy to come and give you rounds.’ There was no stories told; nothing even got asked. So for me, it's just sparring, sparring, sparring, sparring. I've never once spoke about sparring. What happens in the gym stays in the gym, so it's just these armchair fans that are just talking a load of rubbish, trying to create something.”
Williamson, from Darlington, England, has traveled far and wide to spar, and he recently rated light heavyweight prospect Marvin Tomlinson as one of the best he has worked with. A southpaw prospect from Manchester, England, Tomlinson is 3-0 (2 KOs).
“He’s very awkward but good at what he does, and he can really, really punch,” said Williamson.
Williamson is not afraid of doing the work. It helped him spring one of the year’s surprises when he defeated Mark Dickinson to set up a big December 20 clash in Leeds, England, with European super middleweight titleholder Callum Simpson.
It’s arguably the biggest night of Williamson’s career, and one not many felt the 34-year-old would get after he lost four of his past six fights.
But Williamson’s 21-4-1 (15 KOs) career has been revived by both moving up in weight and the Dickinson victory, and it is a lesson to pros not to give in when the going gets tough.
“Not many people would have probably stuck around and kept on going,” Williamson admitted. “But I've got a lot of self-belief, and I knew that there was still a lot left to give and I've got a lot of drive, so I haven't reached my goal yet and the journey's not finished. So I'm ready to get another big win December 20 and then really push on in 2026.”
And he has been grateful for all of the lessons he has learned from sparring on his way. Along with Benn and Eubank, he has done live rounds with former foe Josh Kelly, too.
“I don't think you can ever stop learning,” Williamson said. “Once you stop learning, basically that's when you need to call it a day, they're all tremendous fighters, they're all completely different fighters, so yeah, you obviously take little bits from each camp and obviously try and implement it into your own training.”
Tris Dixon covered his first amateur boxing fight in 1996. The former editor of Boxing News, he has written for a number of international publications and newspapers, including GQ and Men’s Health, and is a board member for the Ringside Charitable Trust and the Ring of Brotherhood. He has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports and hosts the popular “Boxing Life Stories” podcast. Dixon is a British Boxing Hall of Famer, an International Boxing Hall of Fame elector, a BWAA award winner, and is the author of five boxing books, including “Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing” (shortlisted for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year), “Warrior: A Champion’s Search for His Identity” (shortlisted for the Sunday Times International Sportsbook of the Year) and “The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through Boxing’s Wastelands.” You can reach him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.
