By Keith Idec
Monday marked the one-year anniversary of one of the worst decisions in recent boxing history.
But as much as Erislandy Lara’s “loss” to Paul Williams last July 9 in Atlantic City stalled Lara’s career, the Cuban-born southpaw knows a disputed defeat in the ring pales in comparison to what Williams lost during a May 27 motorcycle accident in Marietta, Ga. Like so many others involved in boxing, Lara prays that the partially paralyzed Williams will walk again.
“You never want to see that happen to anyone,” said Lara (17-1-1, 11 KOs), who was on the wrong end of a maligned majority decision in a 12-round WBC junior middleweight elimination match against Williams (41-2, 27 KOs). “It’s a really sad story. I wish him all the luck in the world. He just has to keep pushing forward. Life is bigger than boxing. He’s got his kids, he’s got his family and I want him to go on and have a great life.”
Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com.
