By Rick Reeno

BoxingScene.com was informed by promoter Lou DiBella that WBC junior middleweight champion Sergio Martinez is ready, willing and able to step in for the injured Kelly Pavlik and take on Paul Williams on December 5. Pavlik's trainer, Jack Loew, advised several news outlets in Youngstown that his fighter was still suffered from a staph infection in his left hand. The injury had previously postponed the fight from the original October date. Apparently the injury is so bad that Pavlik is not even capable of closing his hand to make a fist.

While Pavlik's team is looking to fight Williams on January 23, I have a feeling that Williams' promoter Dan Goossen will not agree to yet another postponement. When BoxingScene contacted Goossen, he was caught off guard by the news of Pavlik's withdrawal and wanted to speak with Top Rank and Team Williams before making any comments on the record.

Martinez is scheduled to return on December 12 in a non-title ten round untelevised bout on the Malignaggi-Diaz undercard. Martinez is already in camp and training to fight a southpaw.

If Williams decides to go with Martinez, the The issue of weight may come up. Williams has been training for a fight at 160, while Martinez has been training for a junior middleweight contest. DiBella is open to making the fight at 160 - for the right money.

"My guy has to be treated like a champion and not some second-class opponent. We are looking to make a defense of the green belt at 154. I'm willing to entertain any conversation about the fight taking place at middleweight but for every pound they want above 154, there better be a lot of money associated with it," DiBella said.

Nothing has been officially sent from Top Rank with respect to a postponement but if Pavlik is unable to close his hand [according to Loew], I don't see how he could possibly be physically ready for one of the most important, and toughest, fights of his career by a December 5 date if he's fighting off a serious staph infection and training at the same time.