MARVELOUS MYKQUAN WILLIAMS His Journey From Trauma To Stardom

Marvelous Mykquan Williams, born into trauma, stands at the crossroads of a promising pro boxing career he began as a junior in school.

“Mykey,” undefeated in 21 bouts as a super lightweight, entered the ring at age seven when his aunt and former pro boxer Addy Irizarry encouraged and inspired him.

“I told my mother I wanted to box, and my Aunt Addy took me to the [Manchester PAL] gym, where I first met [trainer] Paul Cichon,” Williams said. “Paul has always treated me like one of his children. Once we created a bond, it was that way and it still is that way.”

Cichon, a highly-regarded trainer for decades, saw the talent right away: “Eight different times he made kids quit sparring with him. He’s an aggressive, hard hitter and his loyalty is unimaginable. He’s so well rounded you cannot help but like him. He’s a great person who is now a great father to his son. Because of the losses he suffered as a kid, he refuses to lose, and he trains hard so that he doesn’t lose.”

Williams’ father Marvin was murdered when Mykey was eight days old. Ten years later, the family house burned to the ground.

The now 25-year-old Williams boasts a record of 19- 0-2 with two draws and eight knockouts in the super light- weight division, 140 pounds maximum. As they say, he could become a legitimate world title contender.

“I feel that I’m a strong individual who grows every day to become a better per- son,” Williams said. “Boxing keeps me grounded and humble. Now, I have a little boy and I want him to grow up the right way, secure, and being a father is bigger than me. If I win, we all win.”

As a student at Prince Technical School in Hartford, Williams became a pro fighter in 2016. Soon after he signed a promotional contract with DiBella Entertainment and a managerial agreement with Jackie Kallan at a press conference held at Prince Tech.

“I enjoyed traveling as an amateur boxer and experienced the sport in different parts of the country at tournaments,” Williams said. “Pro boxing was completely different – smaller gloves, no headgear, and more. It is a business, but I look forward to my fights.”

His entrepreneurial side came out early. In the pro ranks, young fighters’ purses are low and there is a need to generate revenue while ideally not working a full-time job. Mykey started designing T-shirts to sell for each fight. They say he was a natural.

“He uses different angles to make money legally for his family,” Cichon said. “He’s not a scrub on the streets … I’ve never had a fighter do that. Mykey just does it. He’s probably the closest I’ve had to a son. I’ve had a lot of people question my loyalty or personality. Our relationship has grown to the point I’m his son’s godfather, something I never thought would happen.”

Williams spread his wings as a businessperson, launching his own brand of chili which he started cooking when he lived in his old apartment in Manchester.

“I don’t know what got into me, I just wanted to make chili,” Williams said. “I made it my way and I kept making it. I gave Paul a sample and it’s getting better and better tasting. He’s become a regular customer. This is great. I enjoy making my chili just like I do designing my clothing line.”

The review from Cichon: “I love chili and have eaten a lot of good chilis, Mykey’s is honestly the best I’ve ever had.”

During his pro career, Williams has been faced with other stumbling blocks, including idleness during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with a dislocated right wrist in a car accident in 2021. He couldn’t punch for several months. He still trained even when he didn’t know when he’d fight again.

Inactive for 14 months, Williams came back strong to win four straight fights last year.

But, he was thrown another curveball in his lone fight thus far of 2023, on June 9 at Turning Stone Resort Casino in upstate New York. Williams was supposed to fight another top prospect, Ryan Martin, in the co-featured event on ShoBox. Martin pulled out of the match eight days prior to the fight. The late replacement, southpaw Paulo Cesar Galdino, was completely different from the opponent he had trained to fight. The end result was an eight-round majority draw.

“It’s just part of the game,” Williams said. “Everything happens for a reason. I’m still undefeated, I didn’t lose. I just had an off night and I’m on to the next one.”

Cichon said Williams started flatlining in the fourth round: “He wasn’t moving. After the sixth, he told me he just didn’t feel it and I almost stopped the fight. I’m disappointed in myself because I may have trained him too much, six to eight weeks, two extra weeks because Martin is a good fighter.”

How far can Williams go? Pretty far, according to Cichon, who compares him with former welterweight champion Marlon Starling of Hartford.

“I’ve been saying since he was 12-13 that he would be world champion,” Cichon said. “I still believe it, no doubt in my mind. He needs to improve his head movement. He has the same defensive style as Marlon Starling – gloves up by his head –and he gets hit on the gloves a lot. His face had more marks on it than usual in his last fight. He has a beautiful defense, but he has to use his every second he’s in the ring. Boxing is about hitting without getting hit and he’s good at that. The last fight is on me.”

It seems as if Williams has been fighting forever, certainly more than the seven and a half years he’s been a pro. But, he’s still only 25. He is preparing for life in business after he hangs up his gloves boxing, but not in the near future.

“This is what I do and want to do it until I can’t,” Williams concluded. “I was an amateur and turned pro at 18. I’m finally here as a pro for the past seven years. Overall, I want to become the best fighter I can be. I’m going to push to the limit, nothing is getting in my way. I’d want to win a world title in at least one division or whatever God has in mind for me."

“Marvelous” Mykquan Williams won’t be stopped!”