Defeated Devin Vargas KO Defeated Patrick Nuwamu KO Defeated Jason Estrada on points Defeated Jeremiah Muhammad KO 2 Defeated Michael Bennett (boxer) KO 2 1999 Multi-National Tournament in Liverpool, England (Heavyweight:) Defeated Kevin Evans (Gal) TKO Lost to Garth Da Silva (N-Z) on points 2000 Olympic Trials Heavyweight Defeated Anthony Stewart points Defeated Mike Kirkman points Lost to Michael Bennett (boxer) points 2000 Challengers Round Olympic Trials Heavyweight Lost to Malik Scott points Professional career Williamson made his professional debut in 2000 at the age of 32. He won his first eighteen fights out of 19, with 16 of them by knockout (KO) inside the first five rounds before facing another undefeated hard-hitting heavyweight Joe Mesi. In the opening minute, Mesi hit Williamson with a right-left combination, unleashing a barrage of punches which ultimately put Williamson down. Davarryl was not able to get up at the count of ten, declaring Mesi the winner by first-round KO. Afterwards, Williamson defeated Kendrick Releford by fifth-round TKO and Cuban contender Eliecer Castillo by majority decision before facing Wladimir Klitschko. The fight took place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. Williamson dropped Klitschko forty seconds into the second round, but was unable to capitalize on it. An accidental head butt in the closing seconds of the fifth round caused Klitschko bleeding from a cut above his right eye. Due to the cut, the fight was prematurely stopped, with Klitschko being declared the winner by technical decision. Two of the judges scored the fight identically 49–46 in favor of Klitschko, while the third judge had Williamson winning 48–47. Just one month after the bout, Williamson defeated former world champion, 39-year old Oliver McCall, who was on the comeback trail and lost 19 lbs for this bout, by unanimous decision. He then faced former world title challenger Derrick Jefferson less than three months later, stopping him in the second round. Both fights took place at Madison Square Garden. Following the win over Jefferson, Williamson received a title shot against Chris Byrd for the IBF world heavyweight title. The bout took place in Reno, Nevada, and was the main event of Don King's card that included James Toney fighting Dominick Guinn. The fight, which some observers expected to be "explosive", was marked by a series of feints and clinches. The bout went full twelve rounds, with Byrd being declared the winner by unanimous decision, with two