He came to San Antonio from New Haven’s Hill neighborhood. He stepped into the ring against a Texan, on the Texan’s turf. They’d come face to face once before; the Texan had won by a single point.
The losing match had been in Colorado. This time, 16-year-old New Haven boxer Tramaine “Midget” Williams faced a bigger challenge. He was taking on Texas’ Ray Ximinez on his home turf.
That was the scene last week at the National Police Athletic League (PAL) Boxing Tournament in San Antonio, Texas. The New Haven fighter was Tramaine “Midget” Williams. His opponent was Ray Ximinez.
Ximinez had prevented Midget from taking the Junior Olympics Nationals in Colorado in June. Midget wanted the chance to take him on again.
“I knew I could beat him,” he said.
Last week he got his chance.
And he took the fight. It was Midget’s closest fight of the PAL tournament. After three rounds, the ref raised Midget’s arm and named him the victor. He went on to beat two more fighters and bring home his ninth national championship.
Tuesday, Midget was back in training at the Hill’s Ring One boxing gym, gearing up for his next big fight.
Midget and Georgie Naclerio, another young Ring One fighter, will take on two boxers in the opening bouts of a championship in Hartford in November. They’ll be warming the ring for New Haven’s defending world champ, “Bad” Chad Dawson, who is also a product of Ring One.
Looking on as Midget worked a speed bag, trainer Brian Clark could not say enough about his young fighter.
“This kid is incredible,” Clark said. “He’s been in 12 national championships and won nine. That’s like being a basketball player and going to the Final Four every year.”
Midget has a career record of 68 wins and seven losses. Ximinez was the only person to beat Midget in the last five-and-a-half years, Clark said. “Eighteen [current and former] national champions all have one thing in common. They’ve all been beaten by him.”
“He’s got the whole package,” Clark said of Midget. “He’s quick. He’s smart. He doesn’t get hit.”
Midget, who lives on Button Street in the Hill, started hanging out at Ring One when he was nine years old. At the time, Clark (pictured) didn’t train boxers younger than 10. But “he kept hanging around,” Clark said. Clark eventually took him in the ring, got down on his knees, and did a pad workout with him. He was so impressed by Tramaine’s natural ability that he changed his age limit and him took on.
Small for his age, Tramaine quickly picked up the nickname Midget. His first time on an airplane was going to a boxing tournament with Clark. He’s since traveled the country going to bouts in Colorado, Kansas, Missouri — and last week in Texas.
Things went well in San Antonio. “He only had eight scoring blows on him in the entire tournament,” said Clark proudly. Midget won his fights 11 – 0, 6 – 4, 9 – 3, 7 – 1.
Midget admitted that he had been nervous to face Ximinez again.
“You’re always nervous before you get in the ring,” he said. “But then you’ve got to fight.”
Once he stepped into the ring, the nerves disappeared, Midget explained. “I knew I was going to win. I knew what I had to do.”
With a score of 6 – 4, Midget’s bout with Ximinez was the closest match. But it wasn’t the hardest. That once came the first fight. he won it 11 – 0. “Because he just kept coming,” Midget said. “I put more in my shots.”
He said that he looks forward to his Nov. 7 fight opening for “Bad” Chad Dawson. “I think everybody should come,” said Midget (pictured with Clark and Nacerio), who expressed no nervousness at fighting at a huge venue like the Hartford XL Center. “It’s just another fight,” he said with a shrug.
After that, Midget’s next goal is the Golden Gloves, in January.
“I just want to keep boxing,” he said. “I want to go to the Olympics.”
Good job....Your making us proud!
I hope all your goals are reached.