Troy Isley wants to give the champions a reason to fight him

Middleweight Troy Isley is looking to make a statement that gets him in the conversation to face a former titleholder or even a champion in his next fight. 

Isley faces Etoundi Michel William in a 10-round bout at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. 

Isley, 14-0 (5 KOs), is eager to establish himself as one of the best in his division and the 26-year-old who is originally from Alexandria, Virginia, trains away from home with Brian “BoMac” McIntyre, the famed trainer of Terence Crawford, and Saturday’s main event fighter, Keyshawn Davis. 

“I want to showcase my talent. I want to give the champions a reason to fight me,” Isley told BoxingScene. “The champions aren’t fighting each other, they’re just staggering along saying, ‘Oh, you’re scared, you’re scared, but they won’t unify.’”

Isley’s recent four-fight run is an impressive streak for an up-and-comer. He stopped Marcos Hernandez, won a grueling eight-round unanimous decision over Vladimir Hernandez, followed that with a victory over amateur rival Javier Martinez, and then fought a patient fight against Tyler Howard. Isley believes that, compared to any of the young middleweights in the division, he has the best resume. 

“I put in a lot for this camp, and I’ve been working on new things,” Isley said. “Everybody sleeps on Troy Isley. I don’t know why? I’m just here to show him that Troy Isley isn’t going anywhere. Troy Isley is going to be a world champion, and I’m going to take over the division.”

Isley also wants to put behind him his victory over Howard, which was a tactical fight, but one he wants to learn from, not be remembered for. 

“I thought he was going to throw more,” Isley said. “He wanted me to take the initiative, because he was trying to catch me in between my punches.”

William, 16-1 (12 KOs), who suffered his first career defeat in October against Jose Miguel Borrego, enters as a tough veteran. William, a 32-year-old from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, aims to halt Isley’s momentum. Though if all goes well for Isley after his bout, Isley has goals for who he’d like to face next.  

“I want to fight like a person who fought for the title or a former champion,” Isley said. “Then I want a title shot.”