Lance "LayemDown" Williams on back surgery and Mayweather

The Lance "LayemDown" Williams FIGHT TALK WITH YOUR BOY THE WHATS NEXT KID interview covered the workplace injury that has sidelined the boxer, his planned back surgery and a memorable encounter with Floyd Mayweather Jr. Williams also recalled competing against Jamel Herring on the Broner vs. Maidana card and described how coaching at the Muscatine Boxing Club has run alongside his professional career.

How did Lance "LayemDown" Williams build his boxing career?

Lance "LayemDown" Williams said he entered a boxing gym at six, began competing at seven and won six Iowa state Golden Gloves titles during a 17-year amateur career. He turned professional in 2009 and began coaching children at the same time, continuing to coach throughout his professional career.

Amateur tournaments in Iowa and beyond

Williams also recalled Silver Gloves titles and Junior Olympics competition at the state and regional levels. He said national events could take him away to compete about five times a year during his amateur years. Those trips put him around fighters whose careers he would continue to follow as a professional.

Mayweather vs. Canelo and Broner vs. Maidana

On the Mayweather vs. Canelo card, Williams said, even fighters well below the main event received personal drivers and security guards. He remembered the treatment as part of what made the event unusual: the fighters on the card were not made to feel like afterthoughts beside Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Canelo Álvarez.

A few months later, Williams competed against Jamel Herring on the Broner vs. Maidana card. He identified both appearances as major experiences from his professional career, while continuing the work with young boxers that he had started when he turned pro.

Why has Lance "LayemDown" Williams been sidelined?

Lance "LayemDown" Williams said a workplace injury had sidelined him and that he was scheduled for back surgery. He described a damaged nerve and three discs that had begun to bulge and hemorrhage. He did not give a date for returning to competition; his stated priority was treatment and rehabilitation.

Williams put the immediate situation plainly:

I have to get surgery done on my back.

After the operation, he said, he would need to rehabilitate and get back to everyday life. That made his answer about upcoming fights straightforward: he had none to announce while dealing with his back.

The injury does not change the length of his involvement in boxing. Williams said he was still active when discussing his career, but distinguished that longer-term identity from his current position on the sidelines.

What did Lance "LayemDown" Williams say about Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Adrien Broner?

Lance "LayemDown" Williams said Floyd Mayweather Jr. approached him after an amateur tournament defeat in Las Vegas, encouraged him and took pictures with him. Williams later trained at Mayweather's gym. He described meeting Adrien Broner as a very different experience, recalling Broner's dancing, talk and showmanship at the time.

Mayweather's encouragement after a loss

Williams said he had lost in the quarterfinals of a Golden Gloves tournament and was walking toward the locker room when Mayweather approached. Mayweather told him to keep his head up and that he had done well, Williams recalled. A few years later, Williams was living in Las Vegas and training at Mayweather's gym. He said he never sparred with Mayweather.

Broner's personality and Williams's hopes for him

Broner, by contrast, struck Williams as fully engaged in his public persona when they met. Discussing Broner's later streaming, Williams called it entertaining and said he was glad Broner had found another avenue. He also expressed hope that Broner would sober up.

Williams considered Broner a gifted fighter and said a bout between Broner and Mayweather would interest him. That was a fight he wanted to watch, not one he said had been arranged. Asked about talk of Mayweather competing again, he said he did not know whether the proposed appearances would happen.

Who did Lance "LayemDown" Williams face or spar with?

Lance "LayemDown" Williams said he beat Victor Ortiz Jr. as an amateur but never faced him as a professional. He competed in the same amateur era as Terence Crawford and other future names, though he distinguished sharing tournament circuits from actually sparring with those fighters.

Crossing paths with Crawford's generation

Williams said he was usually one weight class above Crawford and competed against one of Crawford's teammates in tournaments. He also watched Crawford at the national Golden Gloves in Omaha. Looking back at the amateur scene, Williams named Lamont and Anthony Peterson, Danny Garcia and Errol Spence among the fighters whose rise he observed.

Training partners in Las Vegas

When asked which prominent fighters he had sparred, Williams said Paulie Malignaggi was among the biggest names. He also described Emanuel Augustus as an everyday training partner during his time in Las Vegas and said he trained with Kevin Kelley. Williams was clear that he had not sparred with Mayweather or the other fighters he had just named from his amateur era.

For Williams, sparring with familiar teammates serves a different purpose from visiting another gym. With people he grew up training beside, he said, the aim is to work rather than hurt one another. In an unfamiliar gym, he expects a more competitive session because the home fighters will test a visitor.

What did Lance "LayemDown" Williams say about today's major fights?

Lance "LayemDown" Williams said he would rather see Shakur Stevenson face a leading contemporary opponent than Manny Pacquiao. He also hoped Gervonta Davis would return in strong form and pointed to Davis's ability to find a knockout when a fight demands one. These were Williams's preferences and assessments, not announcements of bouts.

Stevenson, Davis and the pressure of the spotlight

Williams described Davis as one of his favorite fighters to watch and used the Mario Barrios fight to explain why: he recalled Davis responding when told he needed a knockout. Williams also spoke about how a large crowd can affect fighters. In his experience, some excellent gym performers struggle under the lights, while others improve on fight night.

He said his own approach changes with the setting. Familiar sparring partners can work on specific things together; entering someone else's gym calls for something closer to his fight-night performance. His point was not that every session should be a fight, but that a visitor needs to be ready for the intensity on offer.

What did Lance "LayemDown" Williams say about Ryan Garcia's jab?

Lance "LayemDown" Williams praised Ryan Garcia's speed and jab but said Garcia relies too heavily at times on his left hook. Williams argued that more double and triple jabs would give Garcia another way to create openings. He linked that assessment to a lesson his own coach emphasized when he was young.

Garcia's speed and left hook

Discussing Garcia's exchanges with Conor Benn, Williams said Garcia's hands were quick enough to make even a single jab disruptive. He thought Garcia could use the punch more often rather than repeatedly looking for the left hook. Williams also cautioned that repeating the same punch can give a skilled opponent a chance to time it.

The jab Williams learned as a child

Williams said his early coach insisted that a jab be fast, hard and capable of coming from different angles, rather than traveling the same straight path every time. He still considers it central to his own boxing and to the combinations a fighter can build behind it.

That technical focus carries into his coaching. Williams closed by acknowledging the children he trains at the Muscatine Boxing Club, a role he has maintained alongside competition since turning professional.

Who is Lance "LayemDown" Williams?

Lance "LayemDown" Williams joined the Muscatine Boxing Club as a child and began boxing at seven. A six-time Iowa Golden Gloves champion, he has competed on the Mayweather vs. Canelo and Broner vs. Maidana cards and works as a full-time amateur boxing coach.