Report Card: Paul Williams Reaches Another Level
By Cliff Rold
There are two basic ways to approach the ‘pound-for-pound’ debates. The most prevalent is to examine resumes and argue about who beat who on the way to weighed analyses of career accomplishments.
That’s the easy one.
At a root level, the question really being asked is, ‘If everyone in Boxing could be made the same size while retaining their best qualities, which man would be the best?’ Saturday provided evidence of a fighter with special talents who is reaching, if not full bore into, his prime and, if everyone was the same size, there might not be anyone in the world who could beat him right now.
Let’s go to the report card.
Grades
Pre-Fight - Speed: Williams A-; Wright B+/Post-Fight – A; B+
Pre-Fight - Power: Williams B; Wright B-/Post-Fight - Same
Pre-Fight - Defense: Williams B-; Wright/Post-Fight - Same
Pre-Fight - Intangibles: Williams B+; Wright B+/Post-Fight – A for both
Having been out of the ring for nearly two years before Saturday night, Winky Wright (51-5-1, 25 KO) was an x-factor coming into the Middleweight bout with 27-year old Paul Williams (37-1, 27 KO). Would he be close to previous peak form, well rested by his time off, or would he be rusty. What fans saw this weekend wasn’t much in the way of rust though the jury is out on how close to peak he remains.
In the early going, and in spots throughout the bout, Winky retained his excellent blocking defense and expert countering ability. His right hook and left cross were working for him; they made contact. However, even while never a volume puncher, his output was less than what a younger Wright might have produced.
A major contributor to that may not have been physical. As Wright himself stated, he didn’t realize until in the ring just how active Williams really was. While there were lulls in the middle rounds, for large parts of the full twelve rounds, Williams was a locomotive of action. While not quite as accurate, Williams overwhelmed the 37-year old veteran with a more relaxed and steady approach. It meant he missed more, but he also landed more as well in exacerbating advantages in both height (6’1 to 5’10 ½) and speed.
How hard Williams’ best blows were can be debated. He marked Winky up, swelling both eyes and leaving bruises on his face. Wright has not appeared seriously hurt in a bout since a 1994 bout with Julio Cesar Vasquez. His chin is proven so Williams not dropping him doesn’t mean he won’t be able to hurt other Middleweights. However, given the number of blasting blows he delivered, it’s still enough to raise a question. He was a murderous puncher at Welterweight and probably won’t be one at Middleweight.
What can also be debated is whether Williams' defense can be exploited as he settles in with the larger men above Welterweight. He isn’t likely to head back down the scale. Wright’s experience and ring intellect allowed him to land where others might not even have been throwing but if he can take a few hundred Williams blows and not fall it is likely bigger punching Middles might be willing to take punishment for hopes of a big shot. Williams showed good head and foot movement this weekend, but he also was caught clean a number of times. His style will leave him open to be hit, meaning he straddles a fence of temptation should he enter the ring with World Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik (35-1, 31 KO) or his leading contender, IBF titlist Arthur Abraham (29-0, 23 KO).
Fans will know at least that should he get tagged, Williams will not shrink. On Saturday, Wright landed some heavy blows. Even without dynamite in his fists, Wright isn’t without the ability to discourage aggression with his fists. Williams literally smiled at some of the shots Saturday and then stepped his offense into new gears. Wright showed great heart in enduring against Williams; Williams showed a fire for his craft by increasing what pain there was to endure every time Wright tried to work his way into the fight.
Moving Ahead
One near certainty is neither Wright nor Williams did much to aid their hopes for immediate, future big fights. Wright showed enough guile to be a serious danger to good fighters without the sheer athleticism which marries itself to the Williams skill set. He would have beaten a lot of fighters on Saturday and been nip tuck with some of the best at Middle and Super Middleweight. They’ll know it and not bend over backwards to test him right away.
Williams is in a strange place. His talent is proven. No one, ever, beat Wright the way he did and the evidence suggested a good Wright in front of him. Since shaking off his sole career loss to Carlos Quintana with a revenge first round knockout, Williams has become more foreboding than he was in the aftermath of a 2007 win over Antonio Margarito. There isn’t a titlist from 147 to 160 who is calling for him right now and he may have a hard time finding one he truly desires before the year is out.
He looks that good.
He looks like he might just be the best active fighter in the sport right now.
Now of course, no, he’s not the most accomplished. He’s at a place where he is just accomplished enough for fans to start to begin thinking about him near the top of all heaps but to leave hesitation about stating him outright as the peak of the game. It’s analogous to where Roy Jones was after beating James Toney beneath the awesome of Pernell Whitaker and where Floyd Mayweather was behind Jones after toppling Diego Corrales.
Fair enough, but paraphrasing the earlier question:
If everyone in Boxing could be made the same size while retaining their best qualities, who would anyone feel safe betting against Paul Williams?
Williams is past the point of creeping onto lists or speculating about where he might be someday. Williams has arrived and the sound of fleeing familiar names will provide the evidence he might not create right away in the ring
