Boxer Williams retires after 'several concussions'

World rubric challenger Liam Williams, 1 of Wales’ champion boxers of the past 2 decades says helium has retired from the athletics aft receiving "several concussions".

The 32-year-old, who won British, European and Commonwealth titles, says helium is hanging up his gloves due to the fact that helium is disquieted astir taking further blows to the caput and suffering further harm to his brain.

Williams says helium fought Chris Eubank Jr successful 2022 contempt knowing helium was suffering the effects of a concussion and against aesculapian proposal heading into the combat arsenic helium "didn’t privation to fto down his fans".

Williams says helium realised aft his past combat – a archetypal circular KO decision by Hamzah Sheeraz successful February – that helium "had taken excessively much”, and does not privation to "just combat for money" and "jeopardise his aboriginal with his family".

Williams says helium worries astir Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a encephalon information linked to repeated blows to the caput and concussion. The condition, which gradually gets worse implicit clip and leads to dementia, tin lone beryllium diagnosed post-mortem.

"I cognize that boxing is brutal," Williams added.

A decorated Welsh amateur boxer, Williams’ turned nonrecreational aft his hopes of boxing successful the 2012 Olympics were ended erstwhile helium was deed by a car portion changing a tyre, ending his amateur vocation - helium was incapable to vie successful Olympic qualifying - and his clip arsenic portion of the GB Boxing improvement squad.

Amazingly escaping without imperishable injury, Williams remained determined to container and travel successful the footsteps of his leader Tommy Farr, whose household location was connected the aforesaid thoroughfare arsenic Williams’.

Farr, who won 83 fights successful a vocation that spanned from 1926 until 1953, is considered 1 of Wales' top boxers ne'er to triumph a satellite title, adjacent though helium headlined a amusement astatine Yankee Stadium against the large Joe Louis.

Williams turned nonrecreational grooming successful the aforesaid gym arsenic Nathan Cleverly - who went connected to triumph a satellite rubric - but switched to bid with erstwhile satellite rubric contender Gary Lockett, looking to measurement retired of Cleverly’s shadow.

Having spent the bulk of his vocation grooming nether Lockett, it was Williams’ person and mentor who confirmed to him that helium needed to discontinue aft Sheeraz knocked him down doubly and stopped him successful London.

"After the Sheeraz combat Liam and I were successful the ringing and helium said to maine ‘I’m done Gar aren’t I? I can’t instrumentality shots to the caput anymore'," said Lockett.

"I said 'yes you are'. What other could I say? I couldn’t prevarication to him."

Williams admits accepting the inevitable has been tough.

"I came backmost to my dressing country feeling down and feeling atrocious for myself, I was devastated astatine however I had performed.

“I spot the radical astir maine and erstwhile they are telling you it’s over, you person to listen. It was precise hard to hear.

"I’d had immoderate problems with concussions. I had 3 oregon 4 successful 18 months.

"I don’t privation to container conscionable for wealth and get a deed to the caput you tin ne'er travel backmost from.

"I’ve got a beauteous family, a beauteous partner, if I can’t bask my beingness with them due to the fact that of harm to my brain, what would it beryllium for?"

Injuries ever seemed to travel astatine the incorrect clip for Williams, who similar his leader Farr, volition beryllium remembered arsenic 1 of the champion Welsh fighters ne'er to triumph a satellite title.

Being deed by a car and missing the Olympic qualifying lawsuit for London 2012 due to the fact that astatine the clip helium could not adjacent walk.

The knuckle wounded helium got erstwhile helium was 22 and connected an implicit teardrop arsenic an undefeated nonrecreational who had already won a Commonwealth title, the 1 atrocious capable that a apical surgeon told him that helium should discontinue immediately.

Two manus surgeries followed earlier Williams returned and won European and British titles successful 2015 and 2016 arsenic helium maintained his unbeaten grounds and won 8 successive fights by stoppage, mounting up an interim WBO satellite rubric combat against Liam Smith.

Injury would erstwhile again scupper Williams connected his large nighttime successful Manchester arsenic a chopped to his eyelid – which the referee deemed to beryllium from a punch, but Williams thought was from a headbutt - saw his country extremity the contention successful the 10th circular with Williams up connected each 3 scorecards.

However, it is the concussions that person made Williams determine to extremity his vocation for good.

Williams says helium suffered 3 oregon 4 concussions successful an 18-month period, having bounced backmost from losing to Smith – who besides won a rematch by bulk determination – with 7 successive stoppage victories earning him a satellite rubric opportunity.

Williams travelled to the United States to situation Demetrius Andrade for the WBO satellite middleweight title, losing by unanimous determination successful a contention wherever Williams says helium was concussed by an elbow.

The Welshman says helium was past concussed successful a sparring league up of facing Eubank Jr 10-months later.

"I astir apt shouldn’t accidental this, but a doc told maine not to combat Eubank arsenic I had been concussed again," Williams said.

"I’d had the concussion from an elbow successful the Andrade fight, sparring, I astir apt knew I shouldn’t container Eubank, but determination was a batch of wealth connected the table.

"The combat was successful Cardiff and I had sold a batch of tickets. I sold £200,000 worthy of tickets from my house, it was crazy.

"I didn’t privation to fto radical down, truthful I didn’t accidental anything.

"I had nary punch absorption against Eubank. Obviously I should person listened astir not fighting."

There is nary proposition Williams failed his British Boxing Board aesculapian tests up warring Eubank, with Williams not disclosing the concussions helium had endured.

Williams does not request reminding of the dangers of boxing, he's lived the calamity the athletics tin bring.

He was a stablemate of Nick Blackwell erstwhile helium suffered a bleed connected the encephalon successful decision by Eubank Jr successful 2016 and spent 9 days successful an induced coma.

Six months aft that, Williams went to enactment different stablemate, Dale Evans, arsenic helium fought section combatant Mike Towell successful Glasgow successful a combat that saw Towell earnestly wounded and hospitalised. Towell died from his injuries the pursuing day.

After respective concussions and plentifulness of gruelling fights, Williams says the menace of further harm to his encephalon and the menace of CTE means helium volition not instrumentality arsenic a fighter, tempted arsenic he’s been.

"I’ve taken excessively much, I’ve had a agelong career, boxing has been each I’ve ever known," helium said.

"Heavy sparring, dense hits, my absorption to punches is not arsenic bully and the hazard are conscionable excessively great, immoderate hits you can’t travel backmost from."

Williams admits helium is uncovering the accommodation pugnacious aft "boxing fundamentally my full life", but admits helium has had moments of doubt.

"Because of concussions I've had to retire," helium said. "It's the close decision.

"But I did person a blip recently, I watched a fight, I can’t adjacent retrieve which 1 and I instantly messaged my manager and said ‘get maine a fight'.

"Then I rang him backmost the adjacent time and told him to hide I’d said anything.”

Williams says helium is "enjoying life", having retired, with nights retired with friends and "cheat meals", present an enactment to him for the archetypal clip since helium was a teenager.

With an oculus to the aboriginal helium has built a fittingness gym astatine the backmost of his location and is presently doing idiosyncratic training, but portion helium does not regularisation retired a instrumentality to boxing arsenic a trainer, Williams says helium is "in nary rush" to bash so.

"I cognize I tin connection bully advice, I speech to my ex-stablemate (undefeated Welsh boxer) Rhys Edwards a batch and I don’t accidental this successful a horrible way, but I cognize much astir boxing than Rhys Edwards does, due to the fact that of my experience," helium said.

"I similar trying to assistance him. Maybe 1 time successful the aboriginal I mightiness privation to bash immoderate training, but it’s a monolithic commitment."

Williams retires with a 25-5-1 record, with 20 of his 25 wins coming via KO oregon stoppage.

"I would person liked to person won a satellite title, I was a spot unfortunate I accidental that erstwhile my accidental it came against 1 of the champion satellite champions (Andrade)," helium said.

"I deliberation I proved successful my vocation that I could container astatine a satellite level, but I tin look backmost and beryllium arrogant of what I person done."