Danny Williams will put his world title dreams on hold to seek a lucrative rematch with Mike Tyson. The 31-year-old gatecrashed the world heavyweight elite by crushing former world champion Tyson in four rounds in Louisville on Friday night.
He is desperate to fulfil a lifelong ambition and claim a version of the crown once held by his vanquished opponent. But first Williams will pursue the arguably more lucrative option of persuading Tyson back into the ring.
Williams said: "I think people may doubt my victory so I would like to give Mike another beating. I'd like to fight him one more time to show it wasn't a fluke and I can still perform a lot better than this.
"I'd love for the fight to be in London and it would be nice to give the British fans something by beating him up even worse next time."
Williams expects to be left $175,000 light of his purse for Friday's fight after a last-minute dispute with the local promoter. He was placated with a paper bag full of $80,000 in cash straight from the box office and was urged by his promoter Frank Warren to forget the shortfall to chase the win which would secure his financial future.
Warren said: "I said to Danny, you aren't going to get any more money out of this but this is a fight you can win. Now Danny is in the driving seat. It is all about securing the right financial future for him and his family.
"There is no rematch clause with Tyson but we will take it if the money is right."
Despite Tyson's painful fall from grace Williams' win will rank as one of the greatest heavyweight shocks. He refused to be bullied by his opponent and after surviving a torrid first round when he was wobbled by a booming left hook he visibly grew in confidence.
Williams began to confidently trade in the second and by the third, Tyson was visibly tiring and apparently hampered by a left knee injury which later prompted a visit to hospital.
The underdog was deducted two points by referee Dennis Alfred for butting then punching low but he would not be denied. Nine seconds from the end of the fourth round, Williams finished off Tyson with a series of 26 unanswered blows which left him lounging dazed against the bottom rope where he was counted out.
Suddenly a man whose commitment has been questioned by many, including himself, was sounding like a new man on a mission. Williams added: "After fighting Tyson again I'd like to go straight into a world title shot. I don't think any of the champions out there are the moment are that great. Vitali Klitschko is a stand-up boxer and I'd hit him with body shots, take him down and become the next world champion."
Williams' victory made headlines around the world and his co-trainer Dwight Yard made sure his moment of triumph turned into a family affair. Unknown to the boxer, Yard flew Williams' partner Zoe Brown, their two children and his mother Beverley out for the fight.
Beverley Williams was watching her son fight live for the first time because of nerves. Williams said: "I can't believe she was there. Usually she watches on television but runs upstairs and only returns when she's heard the result.
"I was totally shocked when I saw my family was here but I didn't need the extra inspiration. It was already there, I knew I was going to win."
Williams, a Muslim, proposed to his partner in the ring afterwards. They are already effectively married under Islamic law but intend to stage a public ceremony in September.
And after beating the so-called 'Baddest Man on the Planet' he cradled his two young children - Nubiah, five, and seven-week old Maliajh - in his arms and claimed nothing would change.
He said: "The next thing on my mind is to start looking after my family. I will go home and change nappies and look after my daughters and see what arises."
Tyson's future is much less rosy but it seems inevitable that the fading 38-year-old will fight on. His defeat cost him a lucrative $80million deal with promoter Bob Arum for future options which would have gone some way towards erasing the debts which have sent him bankrupt.
But for Tyson to go on to reclaim big purses he surely must first attempt to retrieve credibility by beating Williams in a rematch. The former world champion limped out of Louisville with a left knee injury and a bloodied right eye with his trainer Freddie Roach undecided about the advice he would offer.
Roach said: "We're going to have a long talk about Mike's future - whether he wants to go to retirement or whether we'll chase a rematch with Williams. It's impossible to make a decision just like that. We're going to have a long talk about it."
Unfortunately there will always be those close to Tyson who stand to gain so much from his continued fighting that he will receive tainted advice. The respected Roach is certainly not one of the sycophants but loyalty propelled him to dredge some good points out of another Tyson disaster.
Roach said: "I don't want to make excuses about the knee but he couldn't turn his hook over and throw with all his power. I thought Mike was on the brink of a quick knockout. But Williams showed a lot of heart and he made me believe.
"Mike showed he had a good chin tonight and he took a lot of hard shots."