Fast hands and sweet feet: How Dre’Mont Jones’ football skills were shaped by his father’s boxing career

[Miles]

Jones, though, learned as an 11-year-old that he preferred football to his father’s sport of choice.


“I was sparring with my dad — of course, he was taking it easy on me — but I was sparring with him and he hit me with something crazy,” Jones said. “And at that moment, I was like, ‘Yeah, this is not for me.’ But I did learn how to use my hands well.


“… It was embarrassing. My dad knocked me out. I thought I could get him.”


Jones’ brief boxing training and his fast hands did prepare him well for his eventual Big Ten competition.


“Pass rushing and fitting the run is basically like boxing,” Jones said. “You’re punching, you’re striking, you’re being physical with your hands all the time. That definitely translated over for being a D-lineman.”


And while Williams thinks his son could’ve found a career in professional boxing, he said he knows his son has ended up in a better situation than he could’ve imagined.


“It’s like a dream come true, because I think as a former athlete, I thought I was pretty good,” Williams said. "I could’ve taken it to the next level, but things got in my way. But to see him do it and take it even further than I did, it’s something I can’t explain.”