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By Cliff Rold - It’s good to be the champ. Depending on how the role is played, being an uncrowned champion can be pretty good too. It’s all just a matter of making it matter.
Former Welterweight titlist and leading Middleweight contender Paul Williams (38-1, 27 KO) is not a champion right now. He wanted to be. He came close to securing an opportunity to become the 160 lb. king in 2009. A staph infection to the right hand of then-champion Kelly Pavlik derailed a planned title shot last December for “The Punisher” and, to his credit, Williams did the sort of thing boxing fans ask for often but don’t get often enough.
With a high stakes fight still possible, he stepped in with the sort of legitimate threat who could knock him off course. WBC Jr. Middleweight titlist Sergio Martinez, while still imprinting himself on the American fight conscious at the time, had shown more than enough in two memorable HBO appearances to fit the bill.
Together they made a classic. Both down in the first, Williams would narrowly outpoint Martinez by majority decision, maintaining his place as the leading threat to Pavlik. A showdown seemed obvious. [Click Here To Read More]
Former Welterweight titlist and leading Middleweight contender Paul Williams (38-1, 27 KO) is not a champion right now. He wanted to be. He came close to securing an opportunity to become the 160 lb. king in 2009. A staph infection to the right hand of then-champion Kelly Pavlik derailed a planned title shot last December for “The Punisher” and, to his credit, Williams did the sort of thing boxing fans ask for often but don’t get often enough.
With a high stakes fight still possible, he stepped in with the sort of legitimate threat who could knock him off course. WBC Jr. Middleweight titlist Sergio Martinez, while still imprinting himself on the American fight conscious at the time, had shown more than enough in two memorable HBO appearances to fit the bill.
Together they made a classic. Both down in the first, Williams would narrowly outpoint Martinez by majority decision, maintaining his place as the leading threat to Pavlik. A showdown seemed obvious. [Click Here To Read More]
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