By Cliff Rold
Part of what makes boxing, sport in general, so exciting is the ability to play upon the imagination; the ability to surprise and shock, to disappoint and surpass expectations. Boxing allows for the viewer to draft in their mind what is to come at the opening bell and then top it while still allowing room for an angry howl on an otherwise perfect night.
Saturday was all of the above in the Middleweight division.
Unstrained eyes could see over the last couple years how good Paul Williams (38-1, 27 KO) has become. Sergio Martinez (44-2-2, 24 KO) had plied his trade on smaller stages until the last year or so but showed revelatory talent when he got his shot. Versus Alex Bunema and Kermit Cintron, it was clear Martinez was good.
Martinez is proven a little better than that now. Williams is as well. Classic fights, the real classics, have the ability to take two good fighters and shine a light on them through the beauty of competition. On Saturday, no one had to guess how much heart either man had, no one had to wonder what lengths Williams and Martinez were willing to go to, ponder how much pain each could endure.
They showed us.
In doing so, they elevated themselves and the game. Much attention is paid to ‘pound for pound’ merits in contemporary boxing. There are more accomplished fighters than Williams and Martinez for sure. It would be hard to argue, after their twelve frames together, that there are many who ‘better’ fighters than they are.
Of course, after a great fight, the scores were read. This observer saw it 114-113 for Williams and was fine as Lynne Carter’s card favored Williams at 115-113 while Julie Lederman’s marked the bout even at 114-114. If Martinez had lead on either card, it would have been perfectly fine.
Pierre Benoist was the third judge.
In 1987, Ray Leonard pulled off a marvelous upset of Marvin Hagler on a split decision. Lou Fillipo and Dave Moretti both saw the bout 115-113, or seven rounds to five, for Leonard and Hagler respectively. Judge Jo Jo Guerra broke the tie.
Guerra saw Leonard winning ten rounds at 118-110. It was among the worst scores ever tallied in the history of the game, a score which called into question what Guerra was watching or even if Guerra was watching.
Pierre Benoist joined the Guerra Hall of Shame Saturday night.
His 119-110 score, favoring Williams, is shocking even in a sport where scoring controversies ceased shocking long ago. Nothing could take away from what the fighters did in the ring. It was too pure in its violence for anyone to say that. Williams may even have earned the verdict. However, 119-110 was so bad as to delegitimize the outcome.
As was the case with Guerra’s card in 1987, it’s not about who won. It’s about a score which says only two scores within what appeared to be reality were turned in, leaving the third to the masses. No great fight should end that way. Williams and Martinez deserved better. Williams entered the night with Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik (35-1, 31 KO) in his sights. Wise business would be to take that fight if he can get it.
But there can be no doubt: there must be another scheduled twelve with Martinez. Whether it comes right away, or it comes if and after Williams defeats Pavlik, it is no matter. Williams-Martinez II is a must because 119-110 says no one can be sure who really won on Saturday night.
Steps forward…steps back…
Let’s go to the report card.
Grades
Pre-Fight: Speed – Williams A; Martinez A/Post: A; A+
Pre-Fight: Power – Williams B; Martinez B/Post: Same
Pre-Fight: Defense – Williams B-; Martinez B+/Post: B; B
Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Williams A; Martinez A/Post: A+ for both
The fight’s most striking feature developed right away: Martinez was getting off faster than Williams. For raw speed, the Argentine proved to be among the best in the game after Saturday. It’s one thing to look fast against Kermit Cintron. Speed is tested when confronted with the same and Martinez aced the exam. Williams length and insane Heavyweight reach made up for what was a slight deficit and, as the fight wore on, his ability to generate combinations allowed him to miss shots because there was still plenty more coming which was landing.
The knockdowns in the first showed each man capable of hurting the other. Perhaps their power is still being underrated here, but probably not. Speed means getting hit with stuff one doesn’t always see coming. That they could be hurt, yet still absorb bombs from one another, spoke to each man’s lack of devastating finishing shots. They compensate with the rest of their games.
As noted in the pre-fight report card, Martinez had the slightly better defense but Williams showed improved defense as the fight wore on. By round four, he was moving his head more, using his shoulders more, even if still getting hit. By doing so, he took over stretches of the bout, allowing more rhythmic offense to develop.
The Williams defense could use more refinement, but maybe not too much. For Williams to be effective, a sacrifice of defense comes with his style. He’s offensive minded. If he wanted to use his jab and legs to win, he probably could but it’s not in his makeup.
Martinez did a good job of taking some of the long shots away, dipping and sending the blow over his shoulders. He also tied up more often than Williams, but in a way which was strategically effective rather than fight harming. Martinez clinched to inhale oxygen and frustrate Williams, only to return to lasering his jab. Clearly, both men were hit plenty, but there was no other option.
Two warriors came to fight. Getting hit is part of that. What proved the intangible qualities of both men were their reactions. While not quite the same level of mayhem, Saturday’s contest had an air of “Corrales-Castillo” to it. Martinez and Williams were playing a game of can you top it, eating rough leather and making the choice to push harder rather than succumb.
It was a fight all were fortunate to witness and a late, strong candidate for Fight of the Year. It was arguably the best skilled Middleweight fight since James Toney and Mike McCallum locked horns for the first time almost twenty years ago.
Looking Ahead
Since Saturday was a non-title affair, Martinez keeps his WBC belt at 154 lbs. He can also walk away saying that, while he lost the official verdict, he still hasn’t been beaten since a stoppage versus Antonio Margarito in 2000. With only two acceptable scores turned in, Saturday ended more like a ‘to be continued…’ cliffhanger than an actual result.
Williams owes it to Martinez, the sport, and himself, to do this again.
He is also owed, after the problems of the fall, his shot at Kelly Pavlik. If and when Pavlik defeats Miguel Espino in a couple weeks, there is no reason the world shouldn’t see Pavlik-Williams in the first half of 2010.
Martinez should stay at Middleweight. Jr. Middleweight is a wasteland right now. Middleweight isn’t much better but owns a greater cache. If it could be made, Martinez versus WBA titlist Felix Sturm (33-2-1, 14 KO) could be a fantastic fight. Sturm is, like Martinez, exceptionally quick and the two couldn’t help but make a fantastic fight.
The future creates its possibilities, new things to imagine. If we continue to get more of what was witnessed Saturday, the imagination will never do justice.
Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com