Carmen Williamson had to fight for everything he earned in life.

It’s why the Xenia, Ohio, native who grew up and stayed in Toledo, was naturally drawn to boxing — a sport he mastered while revered as one of the nation’s top amateur boxers throughout the 1940’s and 50’s. He loved the discipline of the sport, his friends and family said.

So, when Williamson — who became the first African-American man to officiate Olympic boxing in 1984, was dealt his latest hand in life, a positive test for coronavirus, mere weeks from graduating with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Toledo — he kept on punching the only way he knew how; until his last breath.

“All the fights he won in and outside the ring, it took a pandemic to take him down,” Williamson’s daughter, Celia Williamson said. “Regardless of what circumstance he was dealt, my dad was able to turn that hand into something successful. All of his achievements were because he saw a goal for himself and he went after it.”

Williamson, who also had diabetes, succumbed to coronavirus complications on April 8 at Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center. He was 94.

Williamson had been hospitalized three times and was discharged twice before he was given a test, which later came back positive. He was first diagnosed with pneumonia.

Celia Williamson said it was the first time her father, who was born on May 4, 1925, had been hospitalized in his entire life.

As an amateur boxer, Mr. Williamson finished his career with a record of 250-14. He was a fixture in the worldwide boxing community and knew many boxing legends such as Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Evander Holyfield, and sportscaster Howard Cosell, Celia Williamson said.

“He liked that it really built a man and built a man’s character even beyond the ring,” she said of the sport. “You had to be a person who honored your word.”

Gilbert Yanez, a back-to-back national Golden Gloves champion in the late 1950s who spent more than 40 years as a coach, remembered Williamson as a beloved figure in the Toledo boxing community.

"In the ring and around boxing, he was the greatest," Yanez said. "He was so good at refereeing and, for me, I think he was the best in the United States for many years."

Even after his boxing days were finished, Williamson transferred his knowledge — and his excellent footwork — into being a referee.

Yanez said Williamson earned a reputation for fairness and excellence in the ring as an official.

"He was always near you, but he moved so nice around that ring and he was so smart," he said. "He never let you fight dirty. He'd break you up and put you apart, but he never got in your way. He was so smooth."

Williamson served in the United States Navy and earned his General Education Development certificate in the 60s. He retired after working nearly half a century as a civilian employee for the U.S. Army’s automotive tank division in Warren, Mich.

In the 1980s, he got involved with USA Amateur Boxing.

Williamson traveled the world training young boxers in 160 countries, often focusing on poorer nations like Sierra Leone.

“Sometimes they would have electricity, sometimes they wouldn’t,” Celia Williamson said. “But he thought it was important to show them how to prepare, be disciplined, and be ready for national bouts.”

Williamson lived an active, full life during his final years, his daughter said. He kept jogging until he was 85, and lived independently his whole life. Williamson married Charlotte Williamson in 1944. Though they were separated for some time, they were married for 42 years. Charlotte Williamson died in 2018.

Carmen Williamson’s best friend, Carla Johnson, who was more than 30 years his junior and described herself as his “lady,” said she’ll miss her friend’s fun-loving spirit.

“He was a wonderful guy,” she said. “He was very intelligent. He enjoyed talking about his career and looking at older movies and music. He just enjoyed life, period.”

Johnson said she knew Williamson for 20 years. Williamson one day saw her in a grocery store and struck up a conversation.

“I don’t know what it was,” she said. “I can’t tell you. We just connected. He was a loving, caring person, and he cared about every person he came across.”

An advocate of education, Williamson started taking classes at the University of Toledo in 2000 at the age of 74. The father of five daughters, Williamson wanted to make sure they were taken care of before taking classes.

He took classes on-and-off until he was notified recently that he was three classes away from meeting requirements to graduate. He was expected to graduate in May.

The UT Provost’s Office will ask the school’s board of trustees to honor Williamson with a posthumous degree at its next meeting.

First Published April 16, 2020, 1:29 p.m.