Williams Cruises to Title

RESEDA — About the only person who didn’t work up a sweat Thursday night at the Reseda Country Club was Jeremy Williams.

Williams continued a recent string of early knockouts by flattening Jeff Lally with a thunderous left hook 2 minutes 25 seconds into their scheduled 12-round main event to win the North American Boxing Federation heavyweight title.

Before about 750 spectators seated inside a sweltering arena, Williams entered the ring wearing a long gray robe and with the words “Without Warning” stitched to the seat of his shorts.

The phrase proved prophetic as Williams landed a hard right hand that rocked Lally 15 seconds into the fight.

From there, Williams, 30-2 with 26 knockouts, floored Lally in his own corner with another right. Lally, 20-8, landed on his stomach but was up at the count of six.

Williams delivered the crushing blow in a neutral corner. This time, Lally landed hard on his back, sending the ring doctor scurrying through the ropes.

“I was hoping to hit with a left-right combination” Lally said. “But he caught me right here [pointing to his jaw]. Oh God, my jaw hurts.”

Williams has knocked out four consecutive opponents in six incomplete rounds since a third-round knockout loss to Henry Akinwande last June in a World Boxing Organization title fight.

Ranked fourth by the WBO before facing Akinwande, Williams entered the ring against Lally unranked. But he said he expects that to soon change.

“It’s great,” Williams said, seated beside the NABO belt. “It’s OK for now, but it’s not the one I want.

“I planned to take my time and do my thing. But it came early enough.”

As for the heat, Williams said, “It didn’t bother me. My gym is hotter than this.”

Lally, a former sparring partner of former World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Oliver McCall, said Williams is the hardest puncher he has faced.

“I wanted to spar and box because he hasn’t gone a lot of rounds,” said Lally, a native of Louisville. “And I wanted to test his chin because I know it’s a question. I was throwing right hands, hoping I could catch him. I’m a little embarrassed, but I’m all right.”

In other bouts, Alfred Ankamah of Los Angeles recorded a 10-round majority decision over Jose Alfredo Flores in a junior middleweight see-saw slugfest.

Ankamah, 17-2, trained by Joe Goossen of North Hollywood, appeared to have Flores in trouble at several stages but was on the ropes surviving a flurry in the final seconds.

In the card’s most entertaining bout, cruiserweight Bobby Scoggins of Dallas, making his professional debut, rose from the canvas to knock out Paul Jones of Los Angeles at 2:58 of the second round of a scheduled four-round fight.

Jones floored Scoggins late in the round. Scoggins got up and knocked out Jones within the next 10 seconds.

Timothy Scoggins, Bobby’s brother, recorded a four-round unanimous decision over James “Baby Tyson” Brock in a light heavyweight bout.

Welterweight Carlos Martinez of Oxnard ran his record to 3-0 with as many knockouts by stopping Damon Franklin of Lancaster 1:16 into the second round of a scheduled four-round bout.

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Scorecard

Thursday’s results from Reseda Country Club

* HEAVYWEIGHT

Jeremy Williams (30-2, 26 knockouts) d. Jeff Lally (20-8), knockout, 2:25 of first round.

* CRUISERWEIGHT

Bobby Scoggins (1-0) d. Paul Jones (3-6-1), knockout, 2:58 of second round.

* LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

Timothy Scoggins (1-0) d. James Brock (3-1-1), four-round unanimous decision.

* WELTERWEIGHT

Carlos Martinez (3-0, 3 KOs) d. Damon Franklin (4-12, 3 KOs), technical knockout, 1:16 of second round.

* LIGHTWEIGHT

Fidel Quezeda (1-2) d. Luis Gordillo (0-3), four-round unanimous decision.

* JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHT

Alfred Ankamah (17-2) d. Jose Alfredo Flores (33-6), 10-round majority decision.