Eight months ago, Paul “The Punisher” Williams walked towards the ring at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ. Standing in the middle of the ring waiting for him was another threat to his rise to stardom, Sergio Martinez. Williams had already defeated Martinez in a closely contest twelve round slugfest that was already hailed by many as the fight of the year. As a featured fighter among HBO’s heavy stable of boxers, he was en route to lucrative pay per view showdowns and rumored to be in talks with the sport’s elite.
Six minutes after entering the ring, that all came crashing down.
With a looping overhand left, Sergio Martinez had knocked Williams out cold in the second round of their rematch. As Martinez and his team celebrated, Williams lay unconscious on the canvas; hovered over by ringside physicians. After a few minutes, he regained his composure and was able to take in what had happened. Instead of disappointment, anger, or great sadness, Williams had a look of shock on his face. He stood in disbelief as Martinez’ arm was raised.
He’s been here for years
On Saturday, Williams returns to the very ring he was knocked out in. Instead of going back to the drawing board and making changes, Williams hopped right back onto the horse. He will be facing Erislandy Lara. Formerly a star of the Cuban amateur system, he has since become a highly regarded up and coming fighter. As an amateur, he compiled an amazing record of 310-10.
Williams has been here before. In 2008, he suffered a decision loss to Carlos Quintana, only to come back four months later to knock him out in two minutes. Despite his two losses, Williams holds a claim that few fighters can; he has defeated everyone he has ever faced.
“I have never been in a comeback fight,” stated Williams, who takes exception to the word ‘comeback.’
“To me it’s just another fight. Some of the top guys out there, like many Pacquiao, he lost a couple times. He didn’t have a comeback fight – he just comes back and fights. This is what we do. Guys that do have comeback fights, they are guys that don’t know themselves what they are doing.”
Williams knows what he’s doing. He stands at 6’1” and towers over all of his opponents. Instead of backing away and working behind his jab, Williams stands in and slugs it out against his opposition. His exciting style has made him a favorite among fans of the sport.
In regards to Lara, Williams knows he is not a typical fighter to come back against. “He is the new lion on the block and all that. You always see on TV how the young lions are trying to overtake the old lions, but this old lion isn’t ready to leave… We are going to have to go through the rain and get wet. We are going to have to go through the fire and get burnt… I am looking forward to a rough fight. It is going to be exciting for the fans to see. I am going to be excited to see it too. I am just hoping that nobody gets seriously hurt…just hurt.”
And what of Lara’s extensive amateur background? Williams’ trainer George Peterson is not concerned. “Amateurs are all right,” stated Peterson, “but this is a professional boxing match. That amateur record doesn’t matter to us one way or another.”
The co-feature of the evening features two relative unknowns facing off in a super-bantamweight showdown with a title on the line. Champion, Akifumi Shimoda of Japan, squares off against Rico Ramos of California. This is an interesting scrap that could very well show us here the future of the division lies.
Chris Arreola continues his active comeback trail/weight loss showcase against Friday Ahunanya. HBO will showcase highlights of the match during the broadcast. Say what you want about Arreola, but he is just fun to be around. Arreola who has been fined in the past over his foul language, seemed to loosen the vocabulary of the presenters of the press conference on Wednesday. Kerry Davis of HBO began a sentence with a “Yo,” while promoter Dan Goosen dropped a profound “damn.” His having to lay off the late night tacos and beers brought about laughter at the packed press event.
The Championship event is promoted by Goossen Tutor Promotions, with the Williams-Lara bout in association with Golden Boy Promotions and the Ramos-Shimoda bout in association with Teiken Promotions and hosted by Caesars Atlantic City. The Williams vs. Lara and Shimoda vs. Ramos bouts will be broadcast on HBO’s Boxing After Dark beginning at 10:15 PM ET/PT (delayed on the west coast). Tickets, priced at $300, $200, $100 and $50, are on sale and can be purchased at the Boardwalk Hall box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at ticketmaster.com.
