By Rick Reeno
The boxing circles are buzzing over the potential fight between WBC/WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik (34-0, 30KOs) and WBO welterweight champion Paul Williams (34-1, 25KOs). According to Top Rank's Bob Arum, a deal was reached with Dan Goossen [Williams' promoter] to stage the fight on September 27 at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Goossen is going over the figures with Team Williams, but everyone involved, including Williams and trainer George Peterson, expect the fight to happen.
Peterson tells BoxingScene.com that his fighter is forced to face the best fighter at middleweight because all of the big names at welterweight have turned him down and there are no fights worth making at junior middleweight.
"People forget that Paul fought at middleweight for his first couple of fights. Paul has been there before. He is a boxer who can fight at middleweight or light heavyweight but can make welterweight. You would think I was lying if I told he could probably make 140. I hate it when people say that Paul has trouble making weight. He weighed 145 for the Quintana fight and look at his performance and he weighed 145 for [Antonio] Margarito," Petreson said.
"Nobody wants to fight Paul at 147 and there is no money at 154. So what do you do? You leapfrog that division [154] and take the biggest fight at middleweight. This is a fight that will not go twelve-rounds. Paul will be strong at middleweight. He'll do well and if the winner of Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito wants him, he'll move back down and settle the things on who the best welterweight is."
Williams has a lot of respect for Pavlik, and expects a tough fight. He tells BoxingScene that he wouldn't take such a fight if he was confident of achieving victory. Williams expects to pull of a major upset by capturing the middleweight crown in September.
"I was there for his fight with Jermain Taylor. There is nothing bad that I can really say about him. He has power and showed that he can he take a punch. Some people say that he gets hits a lot and some people say that I get hit a lot too. I'll fight anyone. Pavlik is hot right now, they say he's the best and I always the fight the best. I'm coming up there to take Pavlik's crown," Williams said.
