Kingdamon Antoine Jr. and Hylon Williams following some recent sparring in Houston, Tex.
By Chris Robinson
As 2015 comes to a close, there are still a few intriguing matchups on the horizon.
One of them that has been overlooked is the Dec. 19 bout between former featherweight titlist Yuriorkis Gamboa and lightweight prospect Hylon Williams Jr.
Gamboa (24-1, 17 KO’s) meets Williams (16-1-1, 3 KO’s) inside of the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York on an the undercard of an HBO-bill headlined by a heavyweight matchup between Luis Ortiz and Bryant Jennings.
Gamboa vs. Williams is an intriguing duel between a pair of highly-gifted fighters who many in the sport have seemed to look over.
Cuba’s Gamboa, 33, has not seen action thus far in 2015 while Williams, 25, fought just four months back, settling for an eight-round split-draw vs. Jason Litzau.
One man who has an inside track on the fight is budding amateur Kingdamon Antoine Jr., who sparred with Williams out in Houston for this training camp.
“We worked about six times,” Antoine told Hustle Boss on Thursday night. “It was really good work.”
Antoine also worked with Gamboa earlier this year in Las Vegas, inside of 50 Cent’s now-closed facility, and can’t seem to call a winner.
“It’s all about heart,” Antoine explained. “They’re both slick and they both pretty much have the same level of experience, amateur and pro. Hylon only lost to Rances Barthelemy and Gamboa’s only loss is to [Terence Crawford].
“It’s all about heart, and all about who wants it, really,” Antoine added. “But shots are going to be fired, believe me. It’s going to be a good fight.”
Chris Robinson can be reached at CRobinson@hustleboss.com