US middleweight Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams is being widely criticised after sharing footage of a sparring session this week.The 24-year-old, who has an unbeaten 5-0 record as a pro, is seen in the video smashing his opponent around the ring in an aggressive manner.Williams’ sparring partner barely seems able to defend himself.Robert Garcia Jr., from father Robert Garcia’s Boxing Academy, labelled the footage “pathetic” on Twitter.He wasn’t alone in criticising Williams.

Watch: Austin Williams' rough sparring

WBO super-middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders called Willams out, saying he’ll “move him around” when he’s next in the United States.

"You big useless Fraggle that poor man clearly can’t hold his hands up proper when I’m in US I’ll move you around we see what happens then," Saunders wrote on Twitter.

And fellow British boxer Anthony Fowler said: “Bad s***house he is, bullying that.”

Williams has since responded to the controversy, admitting he was too rough in sparring as a result of “pent up aggression” he has due to the coronavirus lockdown.

“I look back on the video and I see how it may be frowned because of how one-sided it was," he said in a video posted on Instagram.

“I’m not trying to embarrass my sparring partner. I respect any man that gets into the ring.

“My intentions were not to embarrass you. My intentions were to show what I’ve been working on and it backfired.”

Williams last fought in January when he defeated Donald Sanchez via TKO in Miami.

He was due to fight on March 19 but the fight was cancelled.