By Tom Donelson
Paul Williams
Paul Williams is a tall, hard punching welterweight with height and a build similar to Tommy “The Hit man” Hearns. A fighter with 28 straight wins, Williams should be a contender - not a prospect, but with scant amateur experience, Williams has been brought along slowly. Alphonso Sanchez, his last opponent, was an older fighter who was coming back from a six-year hiatus. Before the hiatus, Sanchez lost to Vince Phillips for the IBF light welterweight title in the first round. Then in 2004, he began his present comeback and his purpose was to provide Williams with a name opponent for the resume.
Shobox broadcaster Nick Charles told me, “His strengths are multiple; his reach and quickness allows him to dictate distance. He’s a high volume puncher who is difficult to outwork.” Williams’ power is impressive when he gets full extension on his shots. Nick Charles observed, “He needs to work on not smothering his power inside and avoiding unnecessary slug fests.” In the recent fight with the wily veteran Sanchez, he showed a combination of hand speed and power.
Every round, he nailed Sanchez with solid shots. As Nick Charles observed, “He needs to remember that he’s a boxer/puncher because his chief assets are quickness, movement and hand speed.” At the age of 24, Williams still makes weight easy even at 6’2”. And as Nick Charles advised, “Why go up in weight and start neutralizing the huge size advantage he has over other fighters at welterweight?”
Another weakness for Williams is his lack of amateur experience. As I have mentioned, he’s been brought up slowly and despite fighting in nearly 30 bouts, he has yet to fight any top contender. Before Sanchez, his two previous fights were decisions against Terrance Cauthen and Marteze Logan. Both fighters are cagey veterans, and Logan recently ended the undefeated streak of Americo Santos. Neither fighter represent upper elite fighters, but victories over these veterans are important building blocks.
With his frame, there is no doubt that he will eventually move up in weight but for now, he has the power and speed to make a splash in the welterweight division. His career could mirror the fighter that he physically most resembles - Thomas “The Hit Man” Hearns. Williams has the talent and the real question is what will happen if he faces his first adversary of an elite class.
Gamaliel Diaz
The ShoBox fight against Robert Guerrero introduced the world to Gamaliel Diaz. As Nick Charles stated, “My first impression from watching limited tape of him was that he had no chance (against Guererro). He seemed to be a stalker without power and easy to beat to the punch.” There is that fine line between being a contender or a mere opponent. Diaz may fall in the latter category but for the moment, he is unheralded prospect. With his recent victory over Robert “the Ghost” Guerrero, Diaz showed both spunk and boxing acumen rarely seen in a prospect.
Diaz demonstrated defensive ability as he was rarely hit flush in his fight He knew when to smother Guerrero and when to box. He proved to deceptively quick and showed adaptability throughout the fight as he brawled at times and countered effectively on others.
The real skill he showed was possessing no fear as he fought his third straight fight in an opponent’s backyard. Before Guerrero, he fought two Japanese prospects in front of hostile crowds in Japan. He scored a decision over Maketo Uehara and a TKO victory over Naoto Fuijwara.
The ability to be able fight in your opponent backyard is a crucial skill that demonstrates no fear and the ability to maintain your composure under pressure. His ability to move in the ring and adapt to situation in front of him shows years of experience fighting in Mexican gyms.
Diaz began his career with five losses in his first eight fights, but has been undefeated in 19 straight fights that saw two draws and 17 victories in that span. What he lacks is power and this will hurt him as he moves through the ranks. Nick Charles concluded, “Diaz is a difficult guy to fight but I don't see him making an impact in the featherweight division.” His lack of power could hamper him as he faces tougher competition. And his speed may not be enough to carry him over the top.”
Diaz is walking that fine line that separates the champions from mere contenders or opponents. He has multiple skills and can do an assortment of different things in the ring, but he does not have that one skill that he is able to execute in a great fashion. Many fighters have been able to carve out great careers with multiple skills without being great in one area. Diaz upset Robert Guerrero and destroyed the undefeated fighters’ timetable to a title shot by out boxing and out hustling him. Guerrero is a legitimate talent, but the jury is still out on Diaz.
Many fighters have become champions on heart and decent skills. Think James Braddock who upset Max Baer in 1935. Braddock was not the best fighter of his generation but he had the heart of a champion that carried him farther than his talent should have allowed. Whether Diaz will follow the Braddock road is the big question.
Analysis
Williams has the tools to be a great and dominating fighter, but Diaz on the other hand - processes heart, which will take his career further than his talent should normally allow.
