By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse
Upon hearing Friday's Nevada State Athletic Commission ruling that ex-world champion Antonio Margarito must re-apply for his boxing license in California, promoter Dan Goossen, who handles Paul Williams, called out WBO welterweight (147 pounds) king Manny Pacquiao.
"Well, you heard that Nevada denied Antonio Margarito his license," said Goossen. "So now, the table has been set for Paul Williams to fight Manny Pacquiao."
Goossen believes that Williams (39-1, 27 KOs), a former three-time champion, would be a viable candidate to face Pacquiao in a mega-bout at 17 pounds. A tall, rangy southpaw, Williams has fought at welterweight, junior middleweight (154 pounds) and middleweight (160 pounds).
But Pacquiao's adviser Michael Koncz and his Top Rank Promotions CEO Bob Arum have indicated that the seven-division titlist still would consider fighting newly-crowned WBA junior middleweight (154 pounds) champ Miguel Cotto or Margarito in a clash outside of the United States if a mega-bout can't be made with undefeated welterweight (147 pounds) rival Floyd Mayweather.
The 31-year-old Pacquiao (51-3-2, 39 knockouts) has agreed in principle to the demands of Mayweather's handlers and Golden Boy Promotions to put his WBO belt on the line against Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs), having given his unbeaten counterpart until mid-July -- or next weekend -- to sign the contract, Koncz said.
If agreed upon, Mayweather-Pacquiao would likely take place in Las Vegas on the proposed date of Nov. 13, 2010.
In the meantime, Koncz has begun to consider a rematch with Puerto Rico's Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs) -- whom Pacquiao dethroned as WBO welterweight champ by 12th-round knockout in November -- or a match-up opposite Mexico's Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs).
Margarito, however, still is not legal to fight in America, this after his boxing license was revoked by the California State Athletic Commission following an illegal hand-wrapping scandal in January 2009.
Margarito is coming off of May's 10-round unanimous decision over Roberto Garcia in a junior middleweight clash that was fought in Mexico, which licensed him for the bout.
The Nevada commission ruled that it won't license Margarito until he first attempts to become validated by the CSAC, which effectively continues his ring exile in most American jurisdictions other than those such as Texas.
"Who else is out there, Miguel Cotto? I'm sure. I mean, Cotto is one fight removed from the one-sided fight that he had with Manny Pacquiao. Eventually, that fight was stopped. Boxing more than ever needs the best to fight the best," said Goossen.
"Let's put it this way, if Bob [Arum] even thought about fighting Pacquiao and Margarito in Mexico, I would think would forever darken Margarito's career and cause Manny Pacquiao problems having to go to fight an unlicensed U.S. fighter -- a fighter who can't get a license in the United States. I think that it goes beyond public relations."
At 160 pounds, Williams has vanquished southpaw Argentinian Sergio Martinez, this, before Martinez scored a unanimous decision that dethroned then WBC and WBO middleweight king, Kelly Pavlik.
In April of 2009, Williams also scored a one-sided decision over former junior middleweight world champion, Winky Wright, this, while they were fighting as middleweights.
HBO President of Sports, Ross Greenburg, is pushing for a Williams-Martinez rematch to go on Oct. 2.
"Listen, Paul is almost 6-foot-3. So I realize that the size difference poses a different threat to Manny Pacquiao. But so did the weight difference that Paul had to endure at 154 and 160 pounds. So, there's no one better, other than Floyd Mayweather, to fight Manny Pacquiao right now than Paul Williams," said Goossen.
"Now you can sit there and do your marketing and P.R. penciling in that Cotto does this and that. Bottom line, he's one fight removed from getting his clock cleaned by Manny Pacquiao," said Goossen. "So, there's only one fight other than Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao to be made -- and that's Manny Pacquiao and Paul Williams -- and Paul is ready to go."
In July, 2007, at a time when he was considered the most feared welterweight, Margarito fought Williams, whose welterweight unanimous decision dethroned then-WBO welterweight king, Margarito.
Margarito had already knocked out Martinez in their welterweight match up in February of 2000, and, also also owns an 11th-round stoppage win over Cotto.
Pacquiao, Margarito and Cotto are all promoted by Arum and Top Rank.
"I understand Bob's hesitancy to fight anyone who is not under his own promotional roof, and that he is concerned about Paul Williams because of how mean and how good he is. But we mean for Paul to be in his natural weight division of 147 pounds, and to show supremacy in that division," said Goossen.
"Paul has taken on every challenge that there has been out there," said Goossen. "He's done it at a level where he's given opponents advantages by going up in weights that were not his natural weights. Are you going to tell me that Pacquiao doesn't have that same fighter mentality that Paul has shown?"
Williams' most recent win was May's four-round, junior middleweight class technical decision over former two-time welterweight world titlist, Kermit Cintron, who has battled to a draw with Martinez, and, vanquished present WBO interim junior middleweight king, Alfredo Angulo.
Other big wins for Williams include knockouts of former world champs Sharmba Mitchell, and, Verno Phillips.
The one over Mitchell was in the fourth round in Aug. of 2006 while campaigning as a welterweight.
In November, 2008, Williams scored the eighth-round knockout Phillips for the WBO junior middleweight belt. Phillips was coming off of a victory that dethroned Cory Spinks as IBF junior middleweight champ.
Although Williams suffered his lone defeat against southpaw, Carlos Quintana, in February, 2008, Williams regained his WBO championship, four months later, by stopping Quintana with 15 seconds left in the first round.
"Paul has done it at 154 pounds, he's done it at 160. He did it in the 147 pound division prior to nobody wanting to fight him. But I believe that Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather are different animals," said Goossen.
"I mean, these fighters have the mentality of taking on anyone that poses a threat inside of the ring and a public one to their reputation," said Goossen. "Because the fans want to know who is the best one is, it's time for our sport and for its managers to learn to satisfy the appetite of our fans."
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
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