Manny Pacquiao outclassed new sparmate Jose Luis Castillo during his first sparring session with the former World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight champion Tuesday at the Shape-Up gym inside the Cooyesan Hotel in Baguio Tuesday. READ MORE
Showtime’s “Super Six” tournament, which aims to create a star in the long-dormant super middleweight division, is a brilliant idea filled with great fighters who undoubtedly will put on some sensational fights.
It features six of the best 168-pound fighters in the world in a format that will reward those who eliminate judges’ participation. READ MORE
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MARTHA MACCALLUM, FOX NEWS GUEST HOST: And it's time for you to go one-on-one with Floyd "Money" Mayweather. He is a six-time world champion boxer is five different weight classes and an undefeated 40-0 record. READ MORE
“I like Paul Williams. He's a southpaw, his frame can handle the extra weight and, as we saw in his one-sided loss to Bernard Hopkins, Pavlik has holes in his game that can be exploited.”
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A native of New Orleans, Fernandez has been at the Philadelphia Daily News for the last 24 1/2 years, and covers boxing and Penn State football for the paper. His late father, Bernard "Jack" Fernandez Sr., was briefly a pro welterweight who fought twice on Archie Moore undercards in 1944. Fernandez’ stature among his peers is considerable. He served as president (five terms) of the Boxing Writers Association of America (succeeded recently by longtime BWAA vice president Jack Hirsch). The winner of 1998 BWAA Nat Fleischer Award for excellence in boxing journalism was inducted into the Pennsylvania Boxing Hall of Fame in 2005, and was the first media person selected.
Tom Donelson – Black Athlete Sports Network
“Williams (wins) a decision over Pavlik.”
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Geoff Poundes – Ringside Report
“Good big man beats a good little man. I don't believe that Pavlik was healthy in the Hopkins fight, and so discount that performance. I think he'll over-power Williams and force a late stoppage.”
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Lyle Fitzsimmons – The Sports Network
“As much as I'd like to think Paul Williams will dominate everywhere from 147 to 168, I have a sinking suspicion about him. At some point, when he meets a good tough fighter at a higher weight, I think he'll face trouble. Pavlik is that trouble. I think Kelly hurts him and stops him. Pavlik KO 10.”
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Lyle Fitzsimmons is an award-winning 20-year sports journalist, a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, Contributing Boxing Editor of The Sports Network, and a frequent contributor to Stone Cold Sports on the MVN Network (stonecoldsports.com) and several sports radio talk shows throughout the U.S.
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Yero Moody – East Side Boxing
“Pavlik v. Williams is going to be classic. Pavlik will be ready and he needs a win to prove he is legitimate threat and that his two wins over Taylor aren't the only things his reputation is based on. Because styles make fights I believe Williams will put a boxing clinic on Pavlik. Pavlik is much too robotic. If Taylor was able to solve the simple one-two combination he kept throwing as did B-Hop he could've easily won. Williams by UD.”
Adam Pollack – Cyber Boxing Zone, Author of ‘John L. Sullivan: The Career of the First Gloved Heavyweight Champion’, ‘In the Ring With James J. Corbett’, and ‘In The Ring With Bob Fitzsimmons’
“Pavlik-Williams - Very dangerous fight for both. I give Williams the slight edge due to the fact that he is southpaw, very tall, has an amazing punch output, and has shown the condition, heart, and chin to pull himself through to a decision victory. That said, Pavlik is the strongest, biggest puncher he has ever faced, and can keep a pretty good power-punching pace. You never know how a guy is going to react when he gets hit harder and more often than he ever has before. Although Williams is slick and awkward, he does not have quite the veteran moves of a Bernard Hopkins, nor the natural strength of the bigger man. Williams was able to outbox Margarito, but that was at 147. Pavlik is a bigger, stronger, taller version of Margarito. So, it is possible that Williams will fold under the strength of Pavlik. Very tough fight to call and could be close on the scorecards, with some judges going for volume, while others going for power punching effective shots.”
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Adam Pollack is a prolific boxing historian and author. He is also a practicing criminal defense attorney in Iowa City, IA. He is a staff writer for Cyberboxingzone.com, chair of USA Boxing's Rules and Regulations Committtee, chair of USA Boxing's Judicial Committee and a member of its Women's Task Force. He is also a boxing coach for the ICOR (Iowa City/Coralville) Boxing Club and attorney living in Iowa City, Iowa.
To date, Adam has published four books, John L. Sullivan: The Career of the First Gloved Heavyweight Champion, In the Ring With James J. Corbett, In The Ring With Bob Fitzsimmons, and his latest publication, In the Ring With James J. Jeffries.
To the boxing experts who shared their opinion, thank you very much.
Marshall N. B.
Boxing Fan
“Pavlik is probably my favorite fighter at this time and will have a major opponent in Williams. This could be a tossup fight if Williams can take a Pavlik right hand. I look for a later stoppage by Pavlik who may be behind when it happens.”
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Doveed Linder – Boxing Talk
“I favor Williams' skills over Pavlik's power. Williams is a multi-dimensional fighter with the ability to change up and make adjustments, where Pavlik has only one way of getting the job done. I believe that Williams will be able to out-think him, out-general him, and out-speed him to win a very one-sided UD.”
Tony Nobbs – East Side Boxing, The Fist
“Pavlik is best at middleweight but he can be boxed and that is Williams go. Pavlik will have trouble from the start and Williams reach and lefty style will gradually widen the gap between them. Pavlik's best shot is a home run. Williams could end up at light heavyweight with his frame.”
“WILIAMS WIN POINTS 12 PAVLIK”
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Darren Nichols – Boxing Talk
“Williams should be able to use his reach to keep Pavlik's power at bay. Williams by decision.”
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David Tyler – Doghouse Boxing
“Easy win for Paul Williams. The fight will go the distance with Williams winning practically every round. His reach and speed will frustrate Pavlik.”
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Michel Joseph – Boxing Talk
“Toughest fight to call in some time. Pavlik is a puncher who can box fairly well too. Williams is a boxer with a freakish work rate, reach, and height. The story of the fight comes down to this, can Williams survive twelve rounds with Pavlik without getting knocked out, or knocked down (and costing himself points)? I don't think there's any doubt that Williams' superior hand speed and work rate will be enough to earn him rounds provided he doesn't get folded over or flattened by Pavlik. My gut feeling here is Williams. I know Pavlik is a great puncher, and a real middleweight, but he's not going to outbox Williams - if Winky Wright got shut out, then how does Pavlik stand any chance of out-boxing Williams? Pavlik will have to rely on his power carrying the day, and if I'm training Williams, I simply tell my man not to exchange if he doesn't have to, to box and not fight, if Williams can do that, if Pavlik allows him to do that, than Williams wins, if not, Pavlik will retain his belts.”
Zachary Levin - Fight Beat
“Williams by decision.”
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Zachary Levin is the Editorial Advisor at FightBeat.com. He has written boxing pieces for Boxing Digest, CyberBoxingZone, BoxingTalk, MaxBoxing, and The Sweet Science. You can find samples of his writing (on boxing and many other subjects) at ZacharyLevin.com and/or ZacharyLevin.net.
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Michael Rosenthal – Ring Magazine
“Pavlik-Williams is a tough one to pick. Williams is the better boxer and an extremely busy fighter but Pavlik is the stronger of the two. My gut tells me Williams will eke out a close decision by outworking Pavlik and proving difficult to hit. I won't be surprised, though, if Pavlik catches Williams and knocks him out.
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Michael Rosenthal is an associate editor of The Ring magazine and also covers boxing for Yahoo Sports. He used to write for the San Diego Union-Tribune.
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Frank Lotierzo – The Sweet Science
“Pavlik.”
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Frank Lotierzo has been considered by some boxing insiders to be one of the sport’s best fight analysts. His work has appeared in Fight Game, Boxing-Illustrated, and Uppercut magazine. Prior to his career as a writer, Mr. Lotierzo hosted Toe-To-Toe on ESPN Radio and trained at Joe Frazier's Gym in Philadelphia under the tutelage of the legendary George Benton. Between 1977-82, he had over 50 fights as an amateur and pro in the middleweight division.
Don Stewart – Reading Eagle, Ring Magazine
“Tough call, but I'm going with Pavlik by KO. We all know about the multiple matchup problems Williams poses. He's young, tall, fast, a southpaw, throws tons of punches, can take a good shot. And he's improving with each fight. Even after dominating Winky Wright, though, I still have questions about his power and chin at 160 pounds. He'll need something to keep Pavlik off him, and I'm not convinced his punch bursts are enough. I think Pavlik will just be too strong.”
Here you see a fighter who once tagged by many as the next superstar of boxing, probably due to America’s longing of another Mike Tyson or Oscar De La Hoya, only to lose to ring tactician Bernard Hopkins. Pavlik bounced back with a so-so win against mediocre Marco Antonio Rubio early of this year.
The other fighter is a highly, if not overly, regarded boxer who was ranked tenth pound-for-pound by the prestigious Ring Magazine before Floyd Mayweather Jr’s twelve-round destruction of Mexican counter-puncher Juan Manuel Marquez. The flamboyant Mayweather grabbed the number 2 spot just few days after the one-sided fight dislodging Williams out of the coveted mythical pound-for-pound rankings.
I asked some boxing experts from various boxing websites and newspapers who would win on December 5 and why. Here is what they had to say.
(Thank you all very much.)
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Vivek Wallace – East Side Boxing, Examiner, 8-CountNews
“Williams is a big guy, but he's never been hit like he'll be hit in this one. He has taken some middleweight shots, but this is the biggest one out there. Pavlik is coming off of some very uncertain times, with the rumors of alcohol treatment, and so forth. In Pavlik's return to the ring after the Hopkins debacle against Rubio, he was barely able to hold off his opponent who is nowhere near what Williams will be. Pavlik will have to prove that he can penetrate that punch rate, and Williams will have to prove that he can stay busy enough to keep away from a flush shot to the jaw. Once again, I can't really call one here because we just don't know what these two men will bring. If Pavlik is on his game - (the Pre-Hopkins Pavlik) - I like him to win, maybe even late stoppage. But, if he comes in unsure of himself and gets frustrated at the many shots he's taking and can't find a way to relax and penetrate those shots, he will undoubtedly continue a downward slide that may land him out of a career sooner than many think.
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Vivek Wallace is a huge boxing fan born and raised in Miami, Florida. An avid student of the game, Vivek spends a countless amount of hours in the still of the night breaking down fight footage which thoroughly accounts for his ability to lay out visual words from an unseen perspective. Vivek has done past work in the world of boxing for various new sources, to include the Moffat County Newspaper, Most Valuable Network, the Examiner, 8 Count News, and most recently Eastside Boxing. Vivek is also in the midst of a 3 year run covering the NBA's Miami Heat. Aside from sports journalism, Vivek is a former U.S. Marine, and a Father of two.
Jake Donovan – Boxing Scene
“(I’m) undecided for the moment. (I’m) tempted to pick Williams, but the greatest wild card is whether or not he can handle a middleweight punch, especially as big a hitter as Pavlik. If Williams can control the pace and distance, I expect a new Middleweight champion to be crowned. But that's a big IF. Fighting a puncher with the workrate (and talent) of Pavlik is hardly akin to facing a 37-year old version of Winky Wright who hadn't fought in 21 months.”
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Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com and an award-winning member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
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Chris Parry – Vancouver Sun
“Williams is the most avoided fighter since Tyson. He's a long tall praying mantis of a fighter and this will be his biggest test to date - one that he'll step up to happily.”
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Charles White – East Side Boxing
“I can't wait for this fight! Tough one to call. Pavlik seems to have recovered from the loss to Hopkins with the win over Rubio, but I am still going to have to go with a Williams victory. I can't see him knocking Pavlik out. However, I do see him outboxing Pavlik to take home a decision.”
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Paul H. Burbridge – East Side Boxing
“This is a great match up and should be Paul Williams coming out party. I think he will out work Kelly Pavlik and win a clear split decision!”
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Chris Robinson – Examiner (Miami Boxing Examiner)
“I think some people are really looking past Pavlik in this one. Another very interesting fight. Right now if I had to choose I would go with Williams but if Pavlik is able to land a few solid shots he could instantly change the complexion of the fight.”
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Frank Gonzalez Jr. – East Side Boxing, Doghouse Boxing
“Who wins between Pavlik and Paul Williams? This is a tough question. Paul Williams is a voluminous puncher who is tall and uses his height to maintain the desired distance while attacking and defending. Pavlik is something of a straight forward fighter, he has good basic fundamentals but he's a bit slow on the draw. Pavlik has good power but as Hopkins demonstrated, power means nothing when you can't find nothing to hit with it. This fight will test Williams’s ability to take a punch from a big man who can bang. Unlike Winky Wright, Pavlik IS a big puncher. If Williams can box effectively from the outside and keep Pavlik away and clinch when he gets too close, Williams can probably win a decision. If Pavlik can cut off the ring and force Williams into the corner ropes and land some big shots up and down, it'll be lights out for Williams. My prediction for this one is Williams by decision or Pavlik by KO.
Ronan Keenan – The Sweet Science
“I find it difficult to make a prediction on Pavlik-Williams. I think Williams has a more dynamic game and may win a decision.”
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Vikram Birring – Doghouse Boxing
“This is an interesting match. Paul Williams is a mile a minute non-stop punching machine. Pavlik, except against Bernard Hopkins, is nearly the same, as evidenced in his bouts against Edison Miranda, Jose Luis Zertuche, and Jermain Taylor. Expect fireworks in this bout, but the heavier power of Pavlik may win out in the end.”
Monday, 12 October 2009 20:02, Joseph Pimentel, AJPress Los Angeles, Asian Journal
HOLLYWOOD – It’s another first for Manny Pacquiao.
The pound-4-pound king became the first Filipino athlete to be featured in a major billboard in Los Angeles.
Nike, a Pacquiao sponsor, has featured the Filipino boxing hero on a billboard campaign promoting its AW77 hood sweatshirt.
The towering billboard located on top of the Nike Montalban Theater in Hollywood on Selma Ave. and Vine St. shows Pacquiao wearing a grey and teal blue hooded sweater with a scowl on his face. READ MORE
By Matt Ufford | Monday, October 12, 2009, 5:04 PM, Yahoo! TV Blog
In an emotional interview with Oprah Winfrey, Mike Tyson claimed to be a new man - one focused on his family. The former heavyweight boxing champion feared that the erratic behavior that has dominated his life for two decades would kill him within two years if he returned to it. READ MORE
With the end of 2009, closing in on us all, and thoughts of vacations, and time with our friends and families, its also been a time to reflect on the past year, and also, the year ahead. Not so, for Miguel Cotto, and Manny Pacquiao. These two ring warriors are in fierce battles with themselves, preparing to face each other on November 14th. There has been some tremendous match ups this year but this is going to be special. READ MORE
The hypocrisy in boxing is a joke sometimes and on occasion it's hard to take such a great sport seriously. Only it's like a drug and once it gets into your system you're hooked and there's nothing you can do about it. Which applies to most fans, fighters/ex-fighters along with trainers/ex-trainers. READ MORE
