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Skelton avenges Williams lossMatt Skelton claimed the Commonwealth heavyweight title from Danny Williams with a unanimous points victory at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.
The Bedford man picked up a 117-112 (twice) 115-114 verdict to reverse his split decision loss in their first fight four months ago and put his name up for a future world title shot.
It was a contest which never quite hit the heights of that previous high-octane, foul-filled brawl but the judges clearly saw Skelton outworking his opponent to force the victory.
Williams himself slouched back to his corner looking like the beaten fighter at the final bell although there were many in the arena who believed the champion had held onto his crown.
Skelton celebrated the announcement by sinking to the canvas in celebration, while disappointed Williams returned to his dressing room to mull over his fighting future.
Williams came in at his heaviest-ever weight for the fight but appeared to be hampered by the extra luggage and occasional spells of inactivity clearly helped direct the judges towards his opponent.
Most of the praise for a cleaner contest went to referee Howard Foster, who made his presence felt in the opening second when he prised the two big men apart, telling them in no uncertain terms to break.
Favourite Williams began neatly behind an accurate left jab and that was an advantage he sought to build on in the second, as Skelton struggled to impose himself in a much cagier contest than their first meeting.
The challenger landed two decent right hands early in round three and Williams reacted in a rather strange manner by covering up and giving Skelton free rein to get his punches off for the first time.
Suddenly looking tired, Williams took some time to re-emerge from his shell although he did jolt Skelton with an accurate right uppercut to get himself back in the round.
And Williams crashed home a superb left early in the fourth before being pushed halfway out of the ring by the Bedford man, who earned another firm ticking off from busy referee Foster.
Williams was battling in bursts before covering up in an attempt to make Skelton expend valuable energy but it was a gamble that backfired as Skelton picked him off to move ahead on points.
Another left hand hit home in the fifth as Skelton, constantly being warned for use of the head and holding, sought to impress himself and appeared to push Williams away after the bell.
Skelton landed a clean right hand in a faster paced sixth but as the action became more frantic it also inevitably frayed at the edges and Skelton's errant head prompted protests from the Williams corner.
Both fighters' refusal to obey Foster's orders prompted a furious response by the referee in round eight, when he insisted: "I could throw you both out - I don't care".
Then it was the bloody-nosed Williams who incurred the referee's wrath for punching low, which entitled Skelton to a time-out before Williams responded with two fine left-hooks.
Skelton had a big ninth, dancing on his toes and even resorting to a spell of heavyweight showboating as he took a round in which both men landed clear punches to little obvious effect.
Williams finally got through in the 11th with a series of booming blows which split open Skelton's nose and appeared to wobble him for the first time before one too many wild swings sent the Brixton man to the deck.
Inevitably the last round produced a frantic finish from both men with Williams again being pushed to the canvas, before the final bell produced wild celebrations from the Skelton camp.
Skelton admitted his preparation for the fight had not been ideal but knowing he had a point to prove after his last meeting with Williams had spurred him on.
"We stopped sparring four weeks before the fight as I took a cut above the eye," he told ITV1.
"I think I have got a fracture in my right hand but I got through the fight.
"I'm not here to rubbish Danny, he is a brilliant fighter. He gave me the chance of a re-match but I knew in my heart I could beat him and I wanted to beat him."
On the prospect of a world title fight against Nikolai Valuev, Skelton said: "I probably haven't got the finesse of some of those fighters out there but believe I can do it."
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