Michael Anthony Williams (born June 16, 1962) is an American

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

and former

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...

who competed from 1984 to 2000. In the 1990 film ''

Rocky V ''Rocky V'' is a 1990 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the sequel to '' Rocky IV'' (1985) and the fifth installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise. It also stars Talia S ...

'', he played the role of boxer Union Cane.

Boxing career

Known as "Mercury", Williams turned professional in 1984 and was considered a rising prospect after winning his first 13 fights, including a win over

James Tillis James Tillis (born July 5, 1957) is an American former professional boxer and actor. Known as "Quick", he was known for his remarkably fast hand speed for a man of his size and build. A natural southpaw, Tillis turned around to orthodox midway ...

. In 1987, he stepped up and lost a split decision to the former champion

Tim Witherspoon Tim Witherspoon (born December 27, 1957) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1979 to 2003. He was a two-time world heavyweight champion, having held the WBC title in 1984, and the WBA title in 1986. He beat heavyweight ...

. The following year, he lost by TKO to

Buster Douglas James "Buster" Douglas (born April 7, 1960) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1981 and 1999. He reigned as undisputed world heavyweight champion in 1990 after knocking out Mike Tyson. He also defeated other heavyweigh ...

. In the 1990s, he lost to other notable heavyweights Alex Garcia and

Corrie Sanders Cornelius Johannes Sanders (7 January 1966 – 23 September 2012) was a South African professional boxer who competed from 1989 to 2008. He won the WBO heavyweight title in 2003 after knocking out Wladimir Klitschko in two rounds, which was ...

and retired in 2000 after a TKO loss to Lawrence Clay Bey, having won 22 and lost 6 with 14 KO.

Acting career

Williams portrayed the fictional heavyweight champion of the world Union Cane in ''

''. In the movie, he was soundly defeated in one round by Tommy Gunn. Williams also played background characters in various other films, such as ''

A Soldier's Story ''A Soldier's Story'' is a 1984 American mystery drama film directed and produced by Norman Jewison, adapted by Charles Fuller from his Pulitzer Prize-winning '' A Soldier's Play''. It is a murder mystery set in a segregated regiment of th ...

'', ''

Full Metal Jacket ''Full Metal Jacket'' is a 1987 war film directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick from a screenplay he co-wrote with Michael Herr and Gustav Hasford. The film is based on Hasford's 1979 autobiographical novel '' The Short-Timers''. It stars ...

'', ''

Another 48 Hrs. ''Another 48 Hrs.'' is a 1990 American Buddy cop film, buddy cop action comedy film directed by Walter Hill and starring Eddie Murphy, Nick Nolte, Brion James, Andrew Divoff, and Ed O'Ross. It is the sequel to the 1982 film ''48 Hrs.'' Nolte repr ...

'', ''

Ali Ali ibn Abi Talib (; ) was the fourth Rashidun caliph who ruled from until his assassination in 661, as well as the first Shia Imam. He was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Born to Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib an ...

'', ''

Losing Isaiah ''Losing Isaiah'' is a 1995 American drama film starring Jessica Lange and Halle Berry, directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal. It is based on the novel of the same name by Seth Margolis. The screenplay is written by Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal. The orig ...

'', '' Soldier Boyz'', '' The Boys Club'', '' The Replacements'', '' A Sense of Entitlement'' and '' The Brave One''. He also appeared in some TV shows, such as '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' and ''

The F.B.I. Files ''The FBI Files'' is an American television docudrama series that originally ran from 1998 to 2006 on the Discovery Channel and produced by New Dominion Pictures. The show was cancelled in 2006. However, Court TV Mystery, Discovery, and its sist ...

''.

Professional boxing record

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Mike 20th-century African-American male actors 20th-century American male actors African-American boxers American male boxers American male film actors Living people National Golden Gloves champions Male actors from Lafayette, Louisiana Boxers from Louisiana Heavyweight boxers 20th-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen 1962 births