How time flies. Ten years ago, rising heavyweight Deontay Wilder had his only fight in the UK (so far, but could Wilder one day return to these shores?). Coming face to face with 2000 Olympic gold medalist and ever confident ringer Audley Harrison, Wilder stopped ‘A-Force’ in the first round, ending Harrison’s career.

Wilder, then 27 and with a record of 27-0(27), had not yet faced anyone of real consequence. That did not change on the night of April 27, 2013, although many of us who were there that night went home somewhat impressed with what we saw in “The Bronze Bomber.” The main event was Amir Khan vs. Julio Diaz, but interest in Wilder was high.

Harrison, a talented southerner, was of course a household name in Britain, and not for the wrong reasons. They say we Brits “love a good loser”, but Harrison, who had lost six times in good company before meeting Wilder and usually came home with a quick KO defeat, was clearly not loved by anyone.

Harrison, then 41, who had been drinking heavily at a downtown bar called The Last Chance Saloon, nevertheless told the story of another great fight—a truly great and convincing fight. If you had bought into Harrison’s conviction and eloquence, you would have thought Wilder had no chance. But those who could resist Audley’s considerable charm (and who still had Harrison’s recent quick losses to David Haye and David Price in mind) wondered how long it would take Wilder to release “A-Force” or whatever.

Anything more than a few rounds and Wilder would have been defeated; his debut in Britain is doing nothing to convince many critics. As it turned out, Wilder needed little more than a minute to finish Harrison and end his career. Wilder, as we have come to expect in his future fights, was composed until he hurt his man. Then all hell broke loose. Seeking the world out like a windmill spinning out of control, charged with a few thousand volts, Wilder went berserk, cutting Harrison to the head with a right hand.

Seeing Harrison’s legs give way, Wilder went berserk. Rocking with all his might and almost falling over at one point, the visiting striker put everything he had into trying to rip Harrison’s head off. Audley bravely got up after a few well-placed shots had him pinned to the floor, but the referee ruled him unfit to continue. No one but Harrison questioned the call.

But questions about Wilder remain. How good was he? Could he score himself? When did he meet a real contender? We got our answers in time. Interestingly, Wilder shouted out Tyson Fury in his post-fight interview. For all we know, the pair met a few years later – three times in fact. Or maybe four. There was some talk of a possible “secret deal” between Fury and Wilder to fight a fourth time, this time at Wembley, this summer. Time will tell if these rumours make any sense. But could Wilder fight his second fight in the UK some ten years after he first showed us British fans his raw power up close and personal?

In a depressed bit of news that has somewhat fallen on deaf ears, former IBF cruiserweight champion “King” Arthur Williams passed away this past weekend. The 58-year-old reportedly died in his sleep. There have been a few tributes, but it’s depressed to say Williams isn’t remembered as fondly as he should be.

Williams, a great fighter, was born in Pensacola, Florida, and turned pro in November 1989. Winning his first three fights by quick KO, Williams drew with Sylvester White. Williams, a huge man for a cruiserweight at 6’1″, won his next seven before being knocked out by a guy named Sim Warrior, who KO’d him in the third round. The future champion got his revenge in an immediate rematch, with Williams winning in two rounds.

Williams’ breakthrough win came in May of 1992. Facing the great Dwight Muhammad Qawi in Las Vegas, Williams won a unanimous decision in ten rounds, beating his best, but still tough and unsafe “Camden Buzzsaw.” Two more notable wins followed, Williams stopping Yuri Vaulin in the last minute (Vaulin is best known for giving Tommy Morrison a tough time in 1991, on the Holyfield-Foreman undercard), and then deciding Jeff Lampkin.

Then, in March 1994, Williams got a shot at the WBA cruiserweight title. In a fight with Orlin Norris, Williams lost a controversial split decision. In a rematch four months later, Norris stopped Williams in three. More huge fights were in store for Williams.

In 1995, the now 30-year-old Williams dropped a split decision to Chris Byrd; a good showing for Williams against the future heavyweight champion. In January 1998, Williams took a decision over Adolpho Washington, and Williams finally became world champion in October of that same year, knocking out Imamu Mayfield in the ninth round to become the IBF cruiserweight champion. Unfortunately for Williams, his first defense came against Vasiliy Jirov, who was stopped in seven rounds in June 1999.

Williams fought for about 11 years. O’Neil Bell defeated Williams twice, both fights ending in stoppages, and Kelvin Davis and Rydell Booker both won decisions over the former champion with a record of 37-9-1.

In 2004, in his last major fight, Williams was quickly stopped by the rising David Haye. However, it was not until 2010, six years after his defeat to Haye, that Williams finally retired. Williams retired with a final record of 47-17-1(30) and became a successful trainer.

Williams added some excitement and drama to the cruiserweight division and while his reign did not last long, he was indeed king for a time.

Our condolences go out to Arthur’s family and friends who will miss him greatly.