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That's enough punishment, Paul
Guryashkin By Igor Guryashkin
ESPN.com
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There was a time when Paul Williams could give and take blows in equal measure. His appetite for absorbing punches matched his hunger for throwing them. With a raptor-like reach longer than that of heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, coupled with his ability to throw upwards of 1,000 punches a night, the 6-foot-1 Williams towered over his shorter, slower and overwhelmed foes.
For the fight fan, it was a dream. For the man in the opposite corner, a tall, blurry nightmare.
But should the man who for years was considered the most avoided fighter in the sport now seriously consider retiring?
Yes. And rightly so.
In last November's rematch with Sergio Martinez, Williams found himself on the receiving end of a punch even he could not stomach. Williams dropped his right hand, Martinez unleashed a piston-like overhand left, and Williams was unconscious before he hit the canvas. Eyes glazed and motionless on the floor, the Williams of old passed.
In his July 7 return, against Cuban Erislandy Lara, Williams looked bad. To argue otherwise would be as ridiculous as the scorecards that were returned in Williams' favor. No one thought Williams was sharp. Not the fans nor his trainer George Peterson (who told his fighter in the corner that he needed a knockout), and I don't believe that Williams, deep down, believed it himself.
Lara built a plan from a blueprint that Sergio Martinez had drawn up, and now anyone can follow it. Williams drops his right hand, leaves himself open to lefts and, at age 30, can seemingly do nothing to stop it. Williams is loyal and, unlike his right hand, won't drop George Peterson. He should, if he wants to continue. Some coaches can take their charges only so far.
If a third fight with Martinez gets made, then Williams needs to ask himself if the purse is worth the damage he would take in a fight in which he would be a heavy underdog. Some things you can't put a price on. So why not just call it a day?
Williams can look back on his career with a great degree of pride. He routed Winky Wright and outlasted Antonio Margarito. He defeated Martinez in their first dazzling encounter. But if a damaged Williams chooses to continue taking fights, there may come a day when he won't be able to remember those highs at all. Perhaps it's time for "The Punisher" to stop punishing himself.
http://espn.go.com/boxing/hot?id=6836806
Guryashkin By Igor Guryashkin
ESPN.com
Archive
There was a time when Paul Williams could give and take blows in equal measure. His appetite for absorbing punches matched his hunger for throwing them. With a raptor-like reach longer than that of heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, coupled with his ability to throw upwards of 1,000 punches a night, the 6-foot-1 Williams towered over his shorter, slower and overwhelmed foes.
For the fight fan, it was a dream. For the man in the opposite corner, a tall, blurry nightmare.
But should the man who for years was considered the most avoided fighter in the sport now seriously consider retiring?
Yes. And rightly so.
In last November's rematch with Sergio Martinez, Williams found himself on the receiving end of a punch even he could not stomach. Williams dropped his right hand, Martinez unleashed a piston-like overhand left, and Williams was unconscious before he hit the canvas. Eyes glazed and motionless on the floor, the Williams of old passed.
In his July 7 return, against Cuban Erislandy Lara, Williams looked bad. To argue otherwise would be as ridiculous as the scorecards that were returned in Williams' favor. No one thought Williams was sharp. Not the fans nor his trainer George Peterson (who told his fighter in the corner that he needed a knockout), and I don't believe that Williams, deep down, believed it himself.
Lara built a plan from a blueprint that Sergio Martinez had drawn up, and now anyone can follow it. Williams drops his right hand, leaves himself open to lefts and, at age 30, can seemingly do nothing to stop it. Williams is loyal and, unlike his right hand, won't drop George Peterson. He should, if he wants to continue. Some coaches can take their charges only so far.
If a third fight with Martinez gets made, then Williams needs to ask himself if the purse is worth the damage he would take in a fight in which he would be a heavy underdog. Some things you can't put a price on. So why not just call it a day?
Williams can look back on his career with a great degree of pride. He routed Winky Wright and outlasted Antonio Margarito. He defeated Martinez in their first dazzling encounter. But if a damaged Williams chooses to continue taking fights, there may come a day when he won't be able to remember those highs at all. Perhaps it's time for "The Punisher" to stop punishing himself.
http://espn.go.com/boxing/hot?id=6836806
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