Long Island's Wendy Toussaint Steps into the Ring at MSG in a Last-Minute Bout
On a Friday morning, Wendy Toussaint was driving his school bus route, unaware of the exciting turn his weekend was about to take. Little did he know, he was about to step into the boxing ring at Madison Square Garden. This unexpected opportunity arose when WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames had to withdraw from his fight against Austin Williams. Toussaint, from Huntington, was asked to step in, and he eagerly accepted, despite having been scheduled to fight at the Paramount in late February.
The challenge was clear: fighting on short notice and moving up in weight. After 10 rounds, Williams emerged victorious with a unanimous decision, scoring 99-90 and 98-91 twice. The fight was part of the undercard for the Teofimo Lopez-Shakur Stevenson WBO super lightweight title bout. Despite the loss, Toussaint showed resilience, stating, 'I was able to take his punches, but I felt the difference in going up in weight. I felt I did the best I could on less than a day's notice.'
Williams, a southpaw and the 8th-ranked middleweight, outmaneuvered Toussaint with his sharp jabs and pressure. Toussaint, who is 17-4, struggled to find his rhythm, with Williams' strategy preventing an effective offense. The turning point came in the fourth round when Williams landed a powerful right uppercut, knocking Toussaint down. Despite a strong performance in the sixth round, where Toussaint rocked Williams with an overhand right, it wasn't enough to turn the tide.
Toussaint's manager-trainer, Kevin Zaharios, revealed the sudden nature of the opportunity: 'We found out at 10 a.m. on Friday morning. I called Wendy from my job, and he was still driving the school bus. We talked and decided to take on the challenge. We believe we can fight anyone when we have the right preparation time.'
Despite the loss, Toussaint expressed no regrets and praised Zaharios and promoter Joe DeGuardia for making the opportunity possible. He remains determined to build his legacy, stating, 'I am continuing to build my legacy and show the boxing world what I am capable of doing, on to the next fight.'
The fight took place at super middleweight, a significant weight increase from Toussaint's usual 154-pound class. He weighed in at 167.2 pounds, while Williams weighed 168.6 pounds. Zaharios noted, 'Even though we were fighting two weight classes above ours, we feel it was an opportunity for the world to see Wendy go to work.'
Toussaint, 33, last fought in June, defeating the undefeated Joseph Hicks to win the IBF-USBA junior middleweight championship. The evening's other fights included a ninth-round knockout by Bruce Carrington, a split decision win by Jarrell 'Big Baby' Miller, and an upset victory by Kevin Castillo over Ziyad Almaayouf.
