Mykquan Williams defeats Yeis Solano on ShoBox 2021 opener

Super lightweight boxer Mykquan Williams made a successful national T.V. debut on ShoBox, defeating previously undefeated Yeis Solano by unanimous decision. 

Mykquan Williams put on an impressive boxing display against previously undefeated Yeis Solano on the first edition of ShoBox: The Next Generation in 2021.

This year marks the 20th year of ShoBox’s existence on the Showtime network. ShoBox serves as a proving ground for young, up and coming boxers. Some major names established their careers on the series, including former junior welterweight champion Regis Prograis and many others.

Williams (16-0-1, 7 KOs) hopes that his path in the junior welterweight division proves as fruitful as Prograis’s. His Jan. 20 showing against Solano was a good start.

Williams, who’s from East Hartford, CT, didn’t have far to travel as the fight was at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT. No fans were in attendance because of the ongoing pandemic, but the 22-year-old Williams fought like he had a hometown crowd in his corner.

Williams hadn’t fought in over a year, but Solano’s last action came in 2019. Solano (15-1, 10 KOs), 28, of Colombia, moved up a division to fight Williams but looked like the bigger man. Solano had a 66 percent KO rating headed into their contest, and he showed his power at times.

In rounds 1 and 2, Williams got out to a fast start. He used his hand speed and quick reflexes to befuddle the southpaw Solano. Williams built an early lead, but things got a bit sloppy in rounds 3 through 5.

Mykquan Williams excelled as the fight went on and used speed and accuracy to defeat Yeis Solano

Solano started to come on, and his power punches reddened Williams’ eyes. He also pushed Williams to the ropes and crowded him as the fight went on. It looked like Solano was reversing his fortune, but Williams found something a little extra in the tank and took over from round 6 until the final bell in round 10.

Williams secured his lead on the cards by knocking Solano down in round 8. His infighting gave Solano problems, and his uppercuts scored often.

Round 10 looked like it was all Williams. The referee deducted a point from Solano for a low blow and awarded a knockdown for Solano after he and Williams got tied up and fell to the canvas. Both were bad calls and were nullified, according to ShoBox commentators.

The fight went to the cards, and the judges returned two scores of 96-93 and one of 97-92, all for Williams. FanSided profiled Williams’ life and boxing journey before the fight. He told FanSided about this opportunity, “It’ll open a lot of doors and eyes in the boxing world toward me.”

After the fight, Williams felt good about his performance but found room for improvement.

“I would give myself a seven or eight out of ten,” said Williams. “I could have done a lot more. The first couple rounds were good, but in the middle of the fight, I kind of let him back in. But I adjusted and picked it back up and got my second wind in the later rounds.”

Williams was victorious as he anticipated, and he looked good doing it. He should expect to see a massive rise in his stock. Williams shouldn’t have to wait long before his phone rings for his next fight. He showed growth and substance against a solid opponent.