By Jake Donovan
Thomas Williams Jr. never needs extra incentive to shine in the ring. However, the unbeaten light heavyweight carries inspiration into tonight's showdown with Cornelius White, which airs live on ESPN2 (9:00PM ET) from Shelton, Washington.
The fight comes on the heels of Williams Jr. (15-0, 10KO) suffering the loss of his uncle, who was murdered earlier this month.
"This fight is dedicated to my uncle, we just buried him last weekend," Williams Jr. revealed during an interview with Boxingscene.com earlier in the week. "It was tough, but I still have my job to do and have to step it up another level."
Williams Jr. was always targeted for the telecast, but received an upgrade from TV opener to main event after the show's original headliner fell through. Former 140 lb. titlist Kendall Holt was scheduled to face Javier Molina, but the fight was canceled earlier in the month after Molina broke his hand during training camp.
In the evening's co-feature, former 122 lb. titlist Rico Ramos faces Jonathan Arrellano in a battle of resurgent Calfornia contenders.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board, Yahoo Boxing Ratings Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox