Manny Pacquiao: DOOMSDAY FOR BOXING -- Ringside Report

By Geno McGahee, Ringside Report

There have been two huge disappointments as of late in boxing, but it keeps going from bad to worse it seems. The super fight between Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye became a “I won’t hit you if you don’t hit me” survival game, and Paul “The Punisher” Williams was awarded a terrible gift decision over Erislandy Lara. It was highway robbery on HBO, live for the world to see.

Making matters worse is the idea of a “Super Champion.” There is no more “Undisputed Heavyweight champion.” We now have super champions and regular champions and the WBA has now pitted Teddy Atlas heavyweight, Alexander Povetkin against Ruslan Chagaev for the WBA “regular” heavyweight title. I feel this string of profanity coming on…

Why the @#$#$ do we need five dozen heavyweight champions? It’s incredibly frustrating as a boxing fan for the sanctioning bodies to create these distinctions, further muddling the division. It is said that where the heavyweight division goes, so too goes boxing, and if that is the case, it’s dead.

What saves boxing? Manny Pacquiao is the name that comes up typically, but he’s got over fifty fights, and he’s in the tail stretch of his career. So many boxing publications have sailed on his ship for years, because he is the only one that can sell a magazine or attract fans. Pacquiao is a great fighter, but he’s taking on Juan Manuel Marquez in November and then may or may not take on Floyd Mayweather, JR., next, if he gets beyond Victor Ortiz, and then the show is most likely over. Pacquiao cannot fight forever, and boxing will lose its biggest draw when he retires.

The Philippines has invested a lot of stock in Manny Pacquiao. He is a national hero, a man that proves that you can escape poverty and make it to the top of the world. Despite his money and celebrity status, he has kept his feet on the ground and remained true to his roots. He’s got that “it” factor, and he even sells music CDs and makes movies. Pacquiao, although not a good singer by any stretch of the imagination, is not the worst boxer turned musical act. Larry Holmes and Roy Jones, JR., get that nod.

When Manny says the words: “I retire from boxing,” where does the sport go? Floyd Mayweather, JR., if he continues to fight, it might be once a year and won’t be for much longer, and no other fighter has the draw of a Pacquiao. There’s not even a close second, with the exception of Floyd.

This is why the David Haye – Klitschko fight meant so much. Haye had some of the ingredients needed to save the sport. He was cocky, charismatic, and had a great mixture of speed and power. He was just terrified of Wlad and never chanced winning. He just eagerly awaited the final bell. It was terrible.

There are plenty of decent fighters, but they have not made it to PPV headliner status, yet. Sergio Martinez is a great fighter and so is Amir Khan, but neither can merit their own PPV, unless they are fighting Floyd or Manny. Yuriorkis Gamboa is a star on the rise, but he is years away from PPV headlining status. The Klitschkos can’t give their fights away in the states, and there are no challengers that are earning the public’s attention.

Some are pointing to another Filipino fighter as the next big thing in boxing. Nonito Donaire has been a very impressive fighter with great power and could be a breakout star, but it is highly unlikely that he would reach the status of Manny Pacquiao and capture the public’s attention as he has. He doesn’t have the access to the fighters that Pacquiao had to get that attention.

Manny beat Oscar De La Hoya, one of the biggest names of all time, Ricky Hatton, a British national hero, Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales, two Mexican fighters with huge followings, and Miguel Cotto, the biggest name in Puerto Rico. He has fought in a way that he has earned the respect and admiration from the fans of those he has left in a mangled heap. Donaire doesn’t have a list like that to work off of. So, I don’t foresee him coming close to the popularity of the PacMan.

Boxing needs a reboot. They reboot every movie in Hollywood, why not do the same to the sport that badly needs it? ABC needs to bring back its coverage of the sport and so does every other network. The USA network shows typically garbage. Why not dust off Tuesday Night Fights? Give it the reboot! If boxing is to return, the marketing and coverage must get better. You don’t see the UFC struggling. They have organization and great coverage. Boxing gets strictly bad press it seems.

Get ready boxing fans. Manny Pacquiao doesn’t have much time left in the sport. We should begin planning in advance.

Source: ringsidereport.com

Martinez Delivers Crushing Knockout of Williams -- ABC News

By DAVE SKRETTA, The Associated Press

Sergio Martinez landed a devastating left hook early in the second round Saturday night, knocking out feared puncher Paul Williams and retaining his middleweight title in emphatic fashion at Boardwalk Hall.

Williams was looking to land his own hook and instead walked right into the punch, which landed flush on the chin and sent the challenger face-down onto the canvas. Martinez immediately ran across the ring to celebrate while doctors rushed into the ring to tend to Williams.

It took several minutes before he finally got to his feet.

By that point, ring announcer Michael Buffer was announcing the end at 1:10 of the second round, and Martinez was wearing an actual plastic crown — perhaps a fitting way for the native of Argentina to show his newfound dominance on the 160-pound division.

The fight was a rematch of one of last year's exceptional bouts, when Martinez and Williams traded knockdowns in the first round before trading blows for 11 more. Williams ultimately won the fight in a close and somewhat controversial majority decision, and Martinez had been saying all along that he planned to make sure this one didn't end up in the judges' hands.

He sure accomplished that.

While the fight was considered by many fans to be a legitimate candidate for Fight of the Year, the man nicknamed "Maravilla" instead may have delivered the knockout of the year.

The only real drama in this one came before the fighters made their way to the ring, when Martinez promoter Lou DiBella was furious that his guy as the champion was forced to work out of the blue corner. That side of the ring had not delivered a winner all night.

Despite their first fight becoming an instant classic, the rematch took plenty of time and patience to put together. Martinez upped the ante by claiming the middleweight title from Kelly Pavlik, while Williams held out hope of landing a big payday at welterweight against the likes of Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Shane Mosley.

When it become apparent that those fights would never happen, promoter Dan Goossen agreed to the rematch with Martinez, getting his fighter back in the spotlight on an HBO telecast.

No wonder he was reluctant to make the rematch.

While neither Martinez nor Williams is fond of the other, there was more acrimony than usual in the lead-up to this one because Williams insisted on a catch weight of 158 pounds — two under the middleweight limit — since he'd been training to fight at 147 pounds. Martinez countered by saying he'd be "ashamed" to ask for a catch weight if he was challenging for a world title.

The two pounds sure didn't seem to make much difference.

Martinez looked faster and smoother than Williams, and landed several crisp punches in the opening round, including a flurry on the ropes that gave him the round. Then he came out the next round and almost seemed to bait Williams into throwing a punch wide.

When it came, Martinez was ready, and the end happened without the referee bothering to count.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Source: abcnews.go.com

Martinez Promised Kayo, And Delivered: Williams Counted Out In 2nd Rd -- The Sweet Science

By Michael Woods, The Sweet Science

He'd been telling all who would listen the last few months that he'd render Long Tall Paul Williams horizontal in their rematch. Most of the time, one need not take such a promise seriously. It's often bluster, a salvo of psychological warfare. But damned if Sergio Martinez didn't deliver on Saturday night, in his Atlantic City rematch with Williams. An overhand left, delivered as Williams was tossing his own left hand, sent Williams to the floor, his marbles scattered on the mat.

The ref counted, but it was clear that Williams, who went splat on the canvas, face first, would need at least 30 seconds, or more, to stand up.

The KO, which will get the TSS vote for knockout of the year, takes Martinez, or should take Martinez, to the head of the line in the Manny Pacquiao sweepstakes.

The Argentine, who many thought deserved the nod in the first tussle a year ago, goes to 46-2, with 25 KOs. He exulted, as the ringside docs took a hard look at Williams, who happily stood up, with clear eyes after a short spell.

The end came at 1:10 of the second. Martinez retains the WBC middleweight title, though the record will show that the fight was fought at a catchweight of 158 pounds. Williams drops to 39-2, and this is the first time he has been stopped.

Max Kellerman asked what comes next. He said Martinez is No. 3 pound for pound. The fighter said he wants to hear offers, and will see what comes his way. He stated that he wants to rest, and then hugged Williams. How about Mayweather or Pacquiao, at a catchweight? "We have to hear offers. 156 would be fine, but I have to hear offers," he said.

Williams said, "I just got caught with a punch." He said this one really worked, because he didn't see it coming.

Come back for George Kimball's ringside report.

Source: thesweetscience.com

Top three pound-for-pound fighters -- ESPN

By Dan Rafael, ESPN.com

1. MANNY PACQUIAO
Welterweight titlist
Record: 51-3-2, 38 KOs
Age: 31

Hits: If Floyd Mayweather Jr. won't fight Pacquiao, so be it. The PacMan was ready, willing and able to meet him Nov. 13, with full drug testing in the lead-up to the fight. But Mayweather decided he wanted no part of it -- and wound up in legal trouble anyway. So Pacquiao will carry on with his career, gunning for a title in a record-extending eighth weight division.

Misses: Unfortunately, Pacquiao is facing Antonio Margarito, an opponent who isn't worthy of sharing the same ring with Pacquiao -- based not only on Margarito's hand-wrap scandal and suspension but also on his most recent ring results, a brutal knockout loss to Shane Mosley two fights ago and a sloppy win against a journeyman in May.

2. FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR.
Welterweight
Record: 41-0, 25 KOs
Age: 33

Hits: He has a perfect record, titles in five classes, a spot on the pound-for-pound list and an eventual spot in the International Boxing Hall of Fame. And he has been one of the very best in recent boxing history, even if he didn't always fight the opponents the public and press wanted to see him tangle with most. But you can't argue with the results.

Misses: Instead of making tens of millions of dollars by taking on Pacquiao in the fight the world wants to see, Mayweather decided to take "a vacation." Ultimately, with so much time on his hands, Mayweather got himself in all kinds of trouble: a vile, racist and homophobic video rant he went on against Pacquiao, plus the eight charges filed against him by Las Vegas authorities stemming from an alleged domestic incident involving the mother of his children. What a shame that Mayweather will end this year having fought only four times since 2007.

3. PAUL WILLIAMS
Middleweight
Record: 39-1, 27 KOs
Age: 29

Hits: In a year with so few really big fights to get excited about, Williams and Sergio Martinez will fight in one of the biggest on Nov. 20 when Williams challenges for the middleweight title. He and Martinez waged a truly sensational nontitle battle last December, which Williams won via a heavily disputed majority decision. The rematch ought to be another tremendous battle, one that all boxing fans should be looking forward to.

Misses: Although Williams got the technical-decision win against Kermit Cintron in May, it looked like he was in for a very rough night before the bout was short-circuited in the fourth round when Cintron fell out of the ring and the fight was stopped. We'll always wonder what would have been if the fight had continued.

Source: sports.espn.go.com

The top three pound-for-pound fighters -- ESPN

By Dan Rafael, ESPN.com

Who is the world's best fighter regardless of weight class?

Note: Results are through Aug. 17.

1. Manny Pacquiao

Welterweight titlist

Age: 31 | Record: 51-3-2, 38 KOs

Hits: Pacquiao was ready, willing and able to face Floyd Mayweather Jr. in boxing's biggest fight in the fall, but Mayweather blew it off. Blame Pacquiao for some of the mess, but not as much as Mayweather. With that fight falling through, Pacquiao will forge ahead and fight somebody else on Nov. 13. It's always a treat when the Pacman plies his trade.

Misses: Unfortunately, the "somebody else" will be Antonio Margarito in a fight that is like a lead balloon for the sport. Not only is Margarito a cheater in the eyes of most of the public and California regulators, he doesn't warrant the fight when you consider this: He was utterly destroyed by Shane Mosley in January 2009, idled for the next 16 months while his license was revoked and then looked terrible in a comeback fight against a journeyman. Pacquiao and fight fans deserve better.

2. Floyd Mayweather Jr.


Welterweight
Age: 33 | Record: 41-0, 25 KOs

Hits: No matter what you think of his actions in terms of ignoring the Pacquiao fight, Mayweather deserves a lot of credit for steamrolling Shane Mosley in a one-sided decision in their May fight. What was supposed to be at least a halfway competitive fight turned into a laugher for Mayweather, who routed a true welterweight.

Misses: His camp's denials that negotiations for the Pacquiao fight ever took place -- despite Pacquiao's camp and HBO intermediary Ross Greenburg saying otherwise -- are just plain ridiculous, not to mention disrespectful to every fight fan on the planet. Let Mayweather take his vacations and play with Don King, but don't serve us that gibberish. If you don't want to fight Pacquiao, just say so.

3. Paul Williams


Middleweight
Age: 29 | Record: 39-1, 27 KOs

Hits: It wasn't easy, as the Williams camp had to basically be dragged kicking and screaming back to the negotiating table by HBO and the Sergio Martinez camp, but it looks as though we will see a rematch between Williams and Martinez on Nov. 20. Their first fight in December was a classic, which Williams won via controversial majority decision. The rematch is what people want to see, and it appears we are going to get it. That's a good thing.

Misses: Why was it so hard to get the Williams side to move ahead with the rematch with Martinez, especially when there was no other significant fight available for Williams?

Source: sports.espn.go.com

Promoter: Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao Not 'Dead' -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

Top Rank Promotions CEO Bob Arum said that he believed the issue of random drug-testing, specifically, the 14-day cutofff agreed to by Manny Pacquiao, to have been "resolved," adding that all negotiations for a potential bout with Floyd Mayweather were handled "strictly through" HBO's president of Sports, Ross Greenburg, as a mediator to Arum and Mayweather's manager and adviser, Al Haymon.

Those two items were among the subjects Arum discussed with the international media during a midnight, Pacific time, conference call on Friday -- 3 a.m. East Coast Time on Saturday.

The time frame and the date -- July 16 -- were established as the deadline for the unbeaten Mayweather to sign a deal to make a November 13 mega bout between he and Pacquiao, who are regarded as boxing's pound-for-pound best.

That deadline has come and gone with no signature -- and not even a word, publicly -- from Mayweather.

"The deadline is the end of the exclusivity period, because, we now have to go out and secure an opponent for Manny Pacquiao, assuming that it won't be Floyd. We have to go out and mount a campaign. We have to deal with the television networks, and get everything in order," said Arum.

"Time is going by and we have to start scheduling press conferences," said Arum. "Because in Manny Pacquiao, I'm not dealing with the normal kind of fighter. He's over in the Philippines, first of all, and, second of all, he has his duties -- which he takes very seriously -- as a congressman in the Philippines."

Arum had said that if the 33-year-old Mayweather (41-0, 25 knockouts) had not signed by midnight on July 16, then the 31-year-old Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs), holder of the WBO's welterweight (147 pounds) title, would seek a deal to go after his eighth crown in as many different weight classes against either WBA junior middleweight (154 pounds) champion, Miguel Cotto, or ex-titlist, Antonio Margarito.

Margarito and Pacquia would meet for the WBC junior middlweight crown vacated by Sergio Martinez, said Arum.

Arum said that he will now begin negotiating with Cotto and Margarito, adding that he hopes to have a deal wrapped up within the next 10 days.

Still, Arum would consider ending negotiations with Cotto and Margarito -- providing that a deal had not been reached in principle with either -- if Mayweather "came to the table" and decided to face Pacquiao based on the already agreed upon terms.

"People have asked me if this means that the negotiations for a Floyd Mayweather fight are dead. And even though Mayweather hasn't responded by the deadline, my answer is a simple one. It's dead when we conclude a deal with an opponent for Manny's fight in November," said Arum, who would then try to make a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight for perhaps May of 2011.

"And then, we're contractually bound to do that fight, and we would look hopefully to do a fight with Floyd next year," said Arum. "But if, in the interim, while this was going on, Floyd suddenly emerged and said 'Yes,' he wanted to do the fight, then there would be nothing opposed to getting together and doing the fight."

During the call, Arum indicated that all negotiations were handled through Greenburg, who then forwarded all information -- including contracts signed by Pacquiao -- to Haymon.

Arum said that he never actually spoke to Haymon, nor, members of Golden Boy Promotions, whose president, Oscar De La Hoya, and, CEO, Richard Schaefer, had been promoting Mayweather's fights.

"About two months ago, a few days after the Mayweather-Shane Mosley fight, I got a call from Ross Greenburg, the president of HBO sports, who asked me frankly whether myself or Manny Pacquiao wanted to do the fight against Floyd Mayweather. I assured him that yes, I had talked to Manny, and that was the case," said Arum.

"And, from there, I had a couple of conversations with Ross, and I laid out all of the terms that would be acceptable to our side and I also informed him about the concession that Manny had made about the drug-testing," said Arum. "He got back to me in a couple of weeks, and told me that he had had discussions with Al Haymon, representing Floyd Mayweather, and that everything looked good, and we were nearing a resolution."

Arum said that he assumed Haymon had been informing Schaefer and De La Hoya of the process from public statements De La Hoya made that the deal was "close" to being completed.

It was through Greenburg that Arum was being informed that the negotiations were "going well" with Haymon, and that the potential for Mayweather-Pacquiao was real. At no time has Arum spoken to Mayweather or his other adviser, Leonard Ellerbe.

"Ross, for the past two months, has said that Haymon had been working very, very hard to the agreement of Floyd Mayweather. A couple of weeks ago, I told him that, 'Look, I wanted to do this fight very badly, and so did Manny, but at a particular point in time, we'd have to move on,'" said Arum. "I told Ross that this Friday was our deadline for the end of the exclusivity period, and I tell you that next week, we will talk to the Cotto camp and the Margarito camp regarding a fight with Manny Pacquiao."

Arum and Pacquiao's adviser, Michael Koncz, believe, however, that Mayweather had "valid reasons" for not signing.

"Ross was committed to make the fight happen, and, as head of HBO sports, I figured that the best chance to make the fight happen was to do everything through Ross -- almost like he was the mediator. And I still believe that it was the right way to go," said Arum.

"It obviously didn't work out, not because Ross didn't do a good job. He did, in talking to myself and to Al Haymon," said Arum. "But obviously, the problem was that Floyd, for whatever reason -- and I'm sure that he had some valid reasons -- didn't want to committ."

Arum speculated that those reasons had to do with legal troubles involving his uncle and long-time trainer, Roger Mayweather.

Roger Mayweather goes on trial in Clark County District Court in Nevada on Aug. 2 on an assault charge stemming from his allegedly choking and assaulting female boxer Melissa St. Vil last year, and could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted -- meaning that he might not be available for a November fight.

Although Arum said that Mexico and Abu Dhabi were being considered as potential bouts for the fight, he indicated that Abu Dhabi of the United Arab Emirates -- despite the "cooperative" efforts of that country's officials -- would not be advantageous, "logistically."

For that reason, Arum said that either The Dallas Cowboys' Stadium or the MGM Grand in Las Vegas would be more suitable for a bout between Pacquiao and Cotto, while the MGM and Monterrey, Mexico, would be more appropriate for a Margarito fight.

"The attraction for the Cotto rematch would be that Manny's going for a title, fighting at a higher weight, and that Miguel would have Emanuel Steward in his corner, one of the great corner men of our time. That certainly would give Cotto more ammuntion going into the fight than he had last time," said Arum, referring to the fact that Pacquiao dethroned Cotto as WBO welterweight champ by 12th-round knockout in November.

Margarito still is not licensed in America, stemming from a year-long suspension by the California State Athletic Commission involving an illegal hand-wrapping scandal following his January, 2009, ninth-round knockout loss to Mosley.

Margarito unsuccessfully attempted to become licensed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission recently, but the NSAC tabled its decision and requested that Margarito first attempt to be re-licensed in California. That could be difficult, however, because Margarito has filed a lawsuit against that state.

To that end, Arum has said that he has applied through the NSAC for a "Conditional," or, temporary license that would allow Margarito to fight on Nov. 13 in Las Vegas, and that he is hopeful of leniency by that commission.

"Well, number one, we've ask for the Nevada Commission, based on California putting it off, to give [Margarito] a conditional license to fight in Nevada on the 13th of November. Hopefully, from Margarito's standpoint, they will agree to that. If not, then if Manny decides that he wants Margarito, we would do the fight in Monterrey, Mexico. Manny would do the fight outside of the United States," said Arum.

"We wouldn't need a signed contract [from Cotto or Margarito.] If Manny committed and I committed to either Cotto or Margarito, and they committed to me, then it would be a deal. A signed contract would be later," said Arum. "But while these negotiations are going on, and while I was talking to Manny, if Floyd came to the table, that's the fight that we want more than all others -- no question about it."

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Promoter wants Manny Pacquiao to consider fighting Paul Williams -- Los Angeles Times

By Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times

It’s a longshot, and Dan Goossen knows it, but before Manny Pacquiao finalizes whom he wants to fight next, Goossen wants to send out a strong reminder about once-beaten Paul Williams.

"What made our sport great -- the era of [Marvin] Hagler, [Thomas] Hearns, [Roberto] Duran -- is that all those guys wanted to fight each other," Goossen said. "That's a champion's mentality, to fight the best."

Williams (39-1, 27 knockouts), a former world welterweight champion, is clearly too tall for Pacquiao's liking. The 5-foot-6½ Pacquiao already has rejected a fight against Yuri Foreman because of height issues. Foreman is 5-11. Williams is 6-2. Williams, a left-hander, also is at his peak – he turns 29 on July 27 -- and is more skilled than Foreman.

Should Pacquiao move on without a megafight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Nov. 13 -- and the "Countdown Clock" for Mayweather to express interest in participating stops ticking at midnight -- there's also the obvious interest from Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, to match the fighter against an Arum-promoted Antonio Margarito or Miguel Cotto.

Financially, that's a no-brainer for Arum. Goossen's pitch for Williams is based on an angle that boxing has turned its back on repeatedly: the ethical high ground.


Goossen is happy to cite the facts. Pacquiao was impressive in his defeat of current super-welterweight champion Cotto in November. Former welterweight champ Margarito doesn’t have a license to fight in the U.S. after California revoked his last year for nearly taking plaster-loaded gloves into the ring of a January 2009 fight against Shane Mosley.

And Williams has defeated Margarito.

"It'd be a travesty to have Manny Pacquiao fight a guy whose license has been taken away," Goossen said. "That would be hurtful to Manny's reputation. Manny's a great man, but there's a lot of negative sentiment about Margarito and what he did. These are the things that are not good for our sport.

"And Cotto is one fight removed from having the tar knocked out of him by Manny. Who wants to see that again?"

Goossen has been in talks to have Williams take a rematch against middleweight champion Sergio Martinez in October. The promoter wants to hold off until Pacquiao-Mayweather is declared dead after this second round of talks to make the sport's dream fight, and he publicly clings to the argument that Williams is a true welterweight, even though he has fought five times beyond 147 pounds since being at that weight in June 2008.

"Paul has given up his weight advantage to fight the best, but there have been sacrifices," Goossen said. "Manny's mind-set should be, 'If Mayweather won't fight me, how can I say no to the next guy who's among the top three welterweights in the world?'

"How can he take this fight against Margarito out of the country, like thieves in the night? Our sport needs to make the biggest and best fights possible, and without Mayweather, Paul Williams is the richest fight for Pacquiao that’s out there."

Source: latimesblogs.latimes.com

Promoter: Manny Pacquiao-Paul Williams Should 'Be Made' -- FanHouse

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

Sergio Martinez Favors Paul Williams Rematch -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

Sergio Martinez and Paul Williams are two of boxing's most feared fighters, so much so, that in the aftermath of their December, HBO-televised, non-title, middleweight (160 pounds) clash of southpaws -- during which both fighters were floored in the first round -- each has fought only once.

Otherwise, they have not been able to find willing opponents.

So now, it appears that HBO president of sport, Ross Greenburg, is pushing for a rematch of their battle, won by Williams (39-1, 27 knockouts) via disputed majority decision. According to a report by Boxingscene.com's Rick Reeno, the target date is Oct. 2.

"I have a lot of respect for Paul Williams. He is a great champion," Martinez's manager, Sampson Lewkowicz, told Boxingscene.com. "I believe he wants the rematch with Martinez."

In the months since their first meeting, the stock of Martinez has only grown.

The 35-year-old, Argentinian-born fighter dethroned WBC and WBO king, Kelly Pavlik, in April, his 12-round, unanimous decision raising his mark to 45-2-2, with 24 knockouts. Martinez has since been stripped of the WBO middleweight crown, as well as the WBC junior middleweight (154 pounds) title.

Williams, meanwhile, is coming off of May's disappointing, four-round junior middleweight technical decision victory over former two-time world champion Kermit Cintron.

And one of the sticking points that delays a potential rematch with Martinez is the fact that Williams is pushing for a return to the welterweight (147 pounds) class, where he won two of the three world titles he has held.

"Williams' his promoter [Dan Goossen] is chasing a fantasy fight with Manny Pacquiao, which will never happen. Williams is too tall. Pacquiao wouldn't fight Yuri Foreman because he said Foreman was too tall, and Williams makes Foreman look small. The same goes for Floyd Mayweather Jr. He doesn't have to fight someone like Paul Williams. He can fight anyone and make just as much money," Lewkowicz, told Boxingscene.com.

"The fight with Martinez was very close and could have went either way," said Lewkowicz. "I guarantee the rematch will be just as exciting and if not the fight of the year, the rematch will be the first runner-up for fight of the year at worst."

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Boxing Wishes Granted: Floyd Mayweather JR – Manny Pacquiao on the Verge & Wladimir Klitschko – David Haye Announcement Looming -- Ringside Report

By Geno McGahee, RingsideReport.com

Why don’t we start with the big news? The fight that everyone wants to see seems to be a fight that both Floyd Mayweather, JR., 41-0, 25 KO’s, and Manny Pacquiao, 51-3-2, 38 KO’s, desperately want at this point. With every bout apart from each other, the public opinion seems to shift. Both men have been impressive and have looked unbeatable, which is why this fight is so important to boxing, history, and the legacy of both fighters.

The rumor mill is spinning quickly and there is consistent talk that this fight will be next, despite the political moves of the Filipino fighter. There has been talk of retirement for Pacquiao, but he has a personal mission to defeat a man that has never known defeat and to stop the man that has thrown allegations his way and tarnished his reputation.

When Floyd Mayweather, JR., left the sport as the pound for pound best, we knew he wouldn’t be away too long and when Manny established himself as the new best fighter in the world, Floyd was lured out, and has put together two great wins over Juan Manuel Marquez and Shane Mosley. Manny has been cleaning up boxing, beating Juan Manuel Marquez, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, Joshua Clottey, Erik Morales, and Marco Antonio Barrera along the way. He is without question the best fighter that Floyd will ever face and vice versa.

The biggest thing standing in the way of this fight happening is the drug testing. Manny has stated that it would sap his energy for the fight and many point to Mosley’s performance against Floyd as proof that it can and will do that. Mayweather has reportedly stated that there is wiggle room if the money is right, and those are the magic words and that is why there are some initial talks starting up again. This fight is too big for it not to happen and it will happen. Expect some breaking developments in the near future here at RSR. This fight may fall apart again, but we are nearing the beginning stages of negotiations and constructing the biggest fight in recent history.

And just to emphasize the money that this fight with Pacquiao would generate, the Mayweather – Mosley fight drew 1.4 million pay per view buys, making it one of the biggest sells in the history of boxing. It would be likely doubled should the Filipino warrior and the defensive genius meet up.

Youtubed into the Unification

Be careful what you wish for… Well, WBA Heavyweight Champion, David “Hayemaker” Haye, 24-1, 22 KO’s, and IBO/WBO/IBF Heavyweight Champion, Wladimir “Dr. Steelhammer” Klitschko, 54-3, 48 KO’s, have agreed to terms to fight in mid September. Haye has been calling out Wlad for quite a long period of time and once actually signed to fight him before pulling out, citing injury. It is rumored that he pulled out due to promotional problems and the fact that he would most likely not get paid for the fight.

Haye had artwork created where the severed head of Wlad is held tightly in his hand as he towers above the headless body. This infuriated both Wlad and older brother Vitali. The answer to their anger was another piece of artwork featuring Haye holding both Wlad’s and Vitali’s severed heads. He knows psychological warfare, but Wlad was not ready to give up or give in. He wants to shut Haye up…even stating that he would not settle for a quick knockout. He wanted to punish him.

Wladimir went to the popular video website, Youtube, and aired his challenge to Haye and the world, stating that the British champion “bitched out” of showdowns with both he and his older brother and that the challenge was not coming from Wlad’s promotion, but Wlad himself. Haye had to take this challenge or be viewed as a man fearful of Wlad and he contends that he is not, and he doesn’t appear to be.

Haye is coming off of a vicious stoppage of former 2-Time WBA Champion, John “QuietMan” Ruiz, becoming only the second man to defeat him by knockout. Ruiz would announce his retirement shortly after the defeat. In that fight, Haye showed the power, timing and movement that are needed to beat a man like Wlad. He will not be in there to lose and expect Wlad to be more aggressive than usual. There is a lot of bad blood here and this is easily the best fight in the heavyweight division since Lennox Lewis took on Vitali Klitschko.

Coming Soon: Paul Williams – Kermit Cintron II

He was moving well, blocking and moving well, and in the fourth round, he landed well with an overhand right hand that seemed to buckle Paul Williams, the heavy favorite. Kermit Cintron would pounce and Williams would fall and so too would Cintron, but he would land out of the ring, on top of a table. The doctor was quick to rush in and keep Cintron on the floor and called for a stretcher to bring him to the hospital.

When you watch the fall, it didn’t look serious and Cintron has stated that he was ready to continue shortly after the fall and that it was the doctor that would not allow it, which led to a victory for Paul Williams, a controversial one for sure. Now, the high profile bout that ended so strangely will have a sequel, or so it appears.

It will be interesting to see how their game plans change now that they know each other inside of the ring. Cintron knows that he can confuse Williams and do some of the things that Carlos Quintana was able to do to him in their first fight, and Williams now knows that he must take “The Killer” seriously. The fireworks will be huge for this rematch. You can expect it to materialize soon.

Source: ringsidereport.com

Kermit Has Words For Those Who Say He Faked Injury; Doc Says He "No Mas'd" -- The Sweet Science

By Michael Woods, The Sweet Science

Monday AM update: Kermit says he wanted to continue, the doctor says Kermit twice said he wanted to quit.




Maybe I should not have been, but I was more than a bit surprised at the reaction of some fight fans to junior middleweight Kermit Cintron's abbreviated Saturday evening, as the boxer tumbled out of the ring early in the fourth round of his bout against Paul Williams at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, had the breath taken out of him as his back struck a TV monitor, and had ring physicians tell him that they advised the referee to halt the bout, for fear that he'd punctured a lung during the fall.

Some TSS commenters opined that they thought Cintron quit, that he deliberately exited the ring when the going got tough against Williams, that he faked being hurt, that he played up his discomfort in a deliberate bid to have the fight halted. The commentary was along the lines of what I saw when Andre Dirrell was struck while on a knee by Arthur Abraham, crumpled to the mat, and was rendered unable to continue in his March 27 bout, which ran on Showtime. Dirrell was clearly in la-la land after being hammered by Abraham, and didn't comprehend that his opponent had been disqualified for the foul, and that he'd been declared the DQ11 winner. Commenters said that Dirrell's fall to the mat looked delayed to them, and some said they thought he was looking for an exit strategy, that Abraham was coming on strong, and Dirrell knew the smartest route was a con job.

People, I'm all for you offering opinions, but this ain't right. Casting aspersions on boxers under these circumstances ain't right. The evidence these slammers offered was beyond thin. It "looked" like Dirrell had a delayed reaction; it "looked" like Cintron jumped out of the ring, and twisted his body to make it appear that he'd sustained damage.

C'mon, guys. The conspiracy theorists said Cintron has shown tendencies like this before. They say he looked lost, less than resolute, while getting cut and pounded by Antonio Margarito in 2005. This, though, he went in with an iffy hand after hurting his paw before a tuneup two months prior to the Margarito tangle. This, though, he got knocked down, and stood up, four times against the since disgraced Mexican brawler. This, though, he went after a rematch of a guy who owned him, and three years after there first tussle, again was stopped by the Mexican. Maybe people didn't think the body shot that took his breath away was legit? A year later, Margarito was busted trying to use hardened hand pad against Shane Mosley. Might he have used those weapons before? Should we not give Cintron that benefit of the doubt?

On Monday, TSS caught Cintron (32-3-1) in good spirits on the phone. His kids played, and shrieked without a care as the boxer gave the lowdown on the strange ending to the Williams bout.

"I'm doing good," he said. "I'm feeling great. I don't feel down, I thought I won." The judges said different, however, with two giving Williams the win after three rounds plus completed. "I do feel disgusted by the situation, the way the doctors took it to another level, the way they treated me. I was allowed five minutes to recover, and I never got that."

The doctor who took the lead, Paul Wallace, according to Cintron, "right away told me the fight was over." The boxer said his back hit a TV monitor, and took his breath away. "That's what I was trying to recover from. I was trying to catch my breathing. I told the doctors, 'I want to fight.'" They were holding my head down, and said I needed to get to the ER. They were being cautious, OK, but they were over-exagerrating the whole situation. They said, 'You might have a punctured lung.' That was over-exaggerated."

And to the commenters who accused him of doing a WWE style leap and acting job? "I just laugh," he said. "They're just fans behind a computer, hiding, what are they good for? They don't know what's going on. I ignore that stuff. They do it to Mayweather, too. Fans or non fans, they just want to be heard. They're trying to be somebody. I know the truth. Only I knew how I felt at that moment."

Looking ahead, Cintron said promoter Lou Dibella will seek a rematch. The fighter said he wasn't sure if his contract had a rematch clause, but thought that a rematch clause was sought, by his crew, late in negotiations. "I just want the rematch, that's a fair thing to ask for," he said. "I was beating him every round, but c'mon, you can't score the first minute of the last round. I felt I hurt him in the fourth. I hope they (Team Williams, promoter Dan Goossen) give me a match."

TSS talked with Goossen Monday evening. He said he was happy with the win, and that the action to that point wasn't scintillating, and no broadcaster is chomping at the bit for a rematch. Cintron acted as if he couldn't go on, Gossen said, and that's on him. "I've been on the other side, with a fighter wanting to continue, like Gabe Ruelas, with a broken arm in 1990, against Jeff Franklin, Ruelas said he wanted to continue, and Rahman and Toney, Rahman said no. The doctors will give you the benefit of the doubt if you give them reason to. I can't say if Kermit was hurt or wasn't hurt. You gotta show it, that you want to fight. Even Larry Merchant mentioned it, that he hasn't moved since he fell. He was at my feet, he didn't give an indication that he wanted to fight. It was a victory, but we would've preferred it a different ending, a satisfactory ending."

Next for Williams if there is no Cintron redo? "I hope Pacqauio-Mayweather does get made, but if it doesn't, we should be a challenger for one of the two," Gossen said. "I don't think we should endure another Pacquiao-Clottey type of fight. Arum is talking about Pacquiao-Margarito, Paul has beaten Margarito. Three welterweights are standing there, the third is Paul Williams. I believe one has to take the challenge up with Williams. And if Mayweather-Pacquiao gets made, then Williams should fight the winner."

Guess what? In typical Libra fashion, I see things from both the Cintron and Goossen perspective. The truth, as always, may well lie in the middle...And I'm also all for Williams getting a shot, over Margarito, against Manny if Floyd doesn't want to get it on with Pacman. Would I feel even stronger saying that if Williams had been campaigning recently at 147, yes. (LTP last made 147 on June 7, 2008 against Carlos Quintana). But I'm more keen on Floyd-Williams or Manny-LTP than Manny-Margarito; I think Manny has his way with Tony in slightly less devastating fashion than he took down Clottey. And since Mosley took apart Margarito, and Mosley had little luck, save for his crackerjack 3/4 of the second round against Floyd, one can't think that there will be much market for Margarito-Mayweather.

EARLY MONDAY UPDATE

We have a case of competing recollections here..."I did say I wanted the fight stopped because the fighter twice said he could not continue," Dr. Paul Wallace told The LA Times on Monday. "He was asked, 'Can you continue?' and he said 'no.' "Twice. If he had mentioned to me something like, 'Give me a moment ... ,' I understand; these are warriors. Any hint that he still wanted to participate we would've given that to him. We would have got him up and given him a second evaluation." Yesterday, Kermit said that was not the case. Unless some late in the game home video of the interplay between Cintron and Wallace exists, we may never get to the bottom of this controversy.

Source: thesweetscience.com

Cintron decision will remain loss for now, head of state athletic commission rules -- Los Angeles Times

By Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times

The executive officer of the California State Athletic Commission has ruled that Kermit Cintron's technical split-decision loss to super-welterweight Paul Williams on Saturday at Carson's Home Depot Center will remain a defeat, although the entire commission can still hear Cintron's appeal at its next meeting in July, a state spokesman said.

Cintron's promoter and manager earlier Monday appealed to Executive Officer George Dodd to change Cintron's loss to a no-contest after the Puerto Rican former world welterweight champion became entangled with Williams and stumbled through the ropes, falling out of the ring and crashing to the floor during the fourth round.

Ringside Dr. Paul Wallace told The Times on Monday that Cintron twice told doctors he was unable to continue because of back pain, prompting Wallace to instruct referee Lou Moret that the fight should be stopped.

California rules allowed the bout to then be sent to the judges' scorecards, and while one judge gave Cintron all four rounds, another gave Williams all four rounds. The tiebreaker went to a judge who gave Williams three of the four rounds, although the fourth was never completed.

"If ever a fight cried out to be a no-contest," Cintron promoter Lou DiBella said, "this is the one."

DiBella said he received a text message from Cintron on Monday after reading Dr. Wallace's comments on latimes.com, and the fighter said he "may have said no," to the question of whether or not he wants to continue fighting, but that he was also "gasping for air" at the time and didn't fully understand the gravity of the situation.

"It was a confusing time," DiBella said. "No one was telling Kermit what the rule was, how he had a reasonable time to recover and then decide if he wanted to resume. There was no coherent instruction as to what was happening."

Wallace said he believed Cintron fully understood what was at stake, and had also told the doctors he was not experiencing any head or neck pain from the fall. The fighter was ultimately placed on a gurney with his head stabilized so he could be removed from the arena and transported to a hospital for supervision.

The loss was only the third in Cintron's career, following two defeats at the hands of former world welterweight champion Antonio Margarito.

DiBella expressed outrage that Williams' promoter, Dan Goossen, is hurriedly moving to put this event behind the fighter and move on to fights in the welterweight division, against possible foes including Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, instead of a rematch. DiBella said he is "angered" at Goossen's implications that Cintron wasn't that seriously hurt.

"Giving Kermit a loss is unfair, and will have a serious impact on his ability in this business," DiBella said. "Calling this fight a no-contest stops Goossen from doing exactly what he's doing right now."

Source: latimesblogs.latimes.com

Kermit Cintron literally hits the floor in loss to Paul Williams -- Los Angeles Times

By Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times

Kermit Cintron took a dive and lost his Saturday night super-welterweight fight to Paul Williams.

Cintron's dive wasn't the kind usually associated with boxing.

During the fourth round of a fight that was slow to become active, Puerto Rico's Cintron was rushing toward Williams when the 6-foot-3 southpaw slipped, causing Cintron's momentum to carry him through the ropes, toward a tennis-court landing at Carson's Home Depot Center that caused a fight-stopping injury.

"He hit his head twice, on a [television] monitor and then on the floor," Cintron promoter Lou DiBella said.

Cintron (32-3-1) remained face-down for minutes as Williams rested in the ring. Ringside doctor Paul Wallace then assessed that Cintron was "groggy," according to DiBella.

Cintron "feels like he's OK, he wanted to continue," DiBella said. "But the doctor said, 'No, you can't continue' "

That decision threw the fight, disputedly, to the judges' scorecards because of a California rule that says a bout can be decided by scorecards after the fourth round has begun. That differs with the Assn. of Boxing Commissions, which stipulates that four full rounds must be completed before the judges can determine a winner.

At the stoppage, almost midway through the round, judge James Jen Kin had Williams leading 40-36, judge Fritz Werner had Williams ahead 39-37, and judge Jerry Cantu gave all four rounds to Cintron, 40-36. Yet, a fourth round was judged without being completed.

Williams (39-1) accepted the victory almost in embarrassment, and suggested a rematch will be made.

"He hit me with a little [right-handed] shot, I hit him with one, we got tangled, and then he fell out of the ring," Williams said. "I know he wanted to fight. I know I wanted to fight. It's a strange way to get a win. I'll try to get a better one next time."

However, Williams' promoter, Dan Goossen, said he was not receptive "to look for a rematch." Goossen wants Williams to explore a richer fight in the welterweight division, which counts Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao as residents.

"There's nothing compelling to me, other than the uniqueness of how the fight was stopped, to do it over again," said Goossen, who also expressed some doubts about the severity of Cintron's injury.

Cintron was sent to a hospital for assessment.

DiBella and Cintron's trainer, Ronnie Shields, argued the bout should have been fought under ABC rules and should have been called a no-contest. They both demanded a rematch.

"Who should get a loss because of that?" DiBella asked. "I don't know what I can do, but I shouldn't have lost that fight. It was 3½ rounds. That's why there should be some uniform rules in boxing. Twenty years in this business, you see some weird [stuff]."

Williams started tentatively, and Cintron landed jabs and counterpunches in the first round. A good Williams left in the final 10 seconds was followed by a clean Cintron right.

The early inactivity drew heavy boos from the crowd, and Williams didn't become the pursuer until late in the third round. He landed two big lefts early in the fourth, and the action shifted left across the ring, with Cintron answering a Williams punch with a straight right before the entanglement, slip and ring dive.

Williams was hoping the fight would catapult him to a shot at Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Manny Pacquiao, but the outcome defused all that talk.

lance.pugmire@latimes.com

Source: articles.latimes.com

Williams-Cintron - Kermit Falls Out Of The Ring; Did He Also Fall Foul Of An Unjust Decision? -- Eastside Boxing

By James Slater, Eastside Boxing

Well, you'll be hard pressed to name a more bizarre ending to a fight than the one we saw last night in Carson City, CA, as Paul Williams won a four-round technical decision over Kermit Cintron. In a truly stunning ending to the contest between the two punchers, that was perhaps just beginning to catch fire, Cintron wound up basically being KO'd by a combination of dangerously loose ropes and the hard floor he crashed onto when he flew threw said loose ropes.

Unable to continue due to having hurt his head and neck (a brace was attached to the stricken fighter, before he was wheeled into a waiting ambulance), the Puerto Rican was then to receive the unpalatable news that he had actually lost the fight. Under California Commission rules, only three completed rounds have to have been fought, therefore the fight went to the cards - where a fittingly bizarre decision was announced. One judge had Cintron winning all four rounds at 40-36, one judge had Williams the victor by the same margin, while the third judge had "The Punisher" winning by a score of 39-37..

I think it's safe to say Cintron was the victim of an unjust defeat, and as soon as he is well enough to do so he and his team will, quite rightly, appeal the "loss." The correct result should surely have been a No-Contest, and for a while this was what referee Lou Moret was telling those at ringside would be the case - under ABC rules. But then the California Commission's rule book was checked and Michael Buffer announced how just three completed rounds were enough for the scorecards to be brought into play.

We've seen some weird things happen in fights over the years - the now infamous "Fan Man" incident that occurred during the Evander Holyfield-Riddick Bowe rematch in 1993 for example - but last night's events may have taken the cake. It really was shocking to see Cintron literally fly through the ropes and crash onto the monitors and then the floor the way he did. During the 4th-round - one that saw "The Killer" land a good right hand to the advancing Williams' chin shortly both men lost their footing - Cintron took to the air and then came back down with a nasty thud.

We must all hope Cintron is okay, yet at the same time the questions will be asked. Why, as Sky Sports commentator and former world champion Jim Watt demanded, were the ropes, A: so loose and, B: not tied together to prevent them from opening wide the way they did? Why, when a classic case for a No-Contest was apparent, was one not ruled? And finally, (there may well be more questions that many people may have to ask), as was also suggested during the Sky Sports broadcast I watched, will Cintron look to sue The California Commission for their shoddily erected ring?

As for last night's winner (if Williams' win actually stands in a few days or weeks time), he was asked post-fight if the whole fight was something of an anticlimax for him! Not surprisingly, Williams said, yes, it was. Wanting to make a statement that would hopefully get him a big fight with either Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao, Williams instead went home with an extremely hollow victory. No, it wasn't in any way his fault what happened to Cintron, but it must be said that Williams looked anything but sharp and accurate in the rounds preceding the bizarre ending to the fight.

Williams also mentioned new middleweight champion Sergio Martinez' name, saying the rematch can easily be made if Martinez calls him. Basing things on how he looked last night (when, who knows, he may simply have had an off night -or maybe he over trained for the fight), Williams would struggle (again in the case of Martinez) against any of the three names he called out.

As for Cintron, if his neck injury is as bad as it looked as he was being wheeled away on a stretcher, his own ring future may be in serious doubt.

Source: eastsideboxing.com

Cintron Flies Out Of Ring, Fight Halted After Three, Williams "Wins" -- The Sweet Science

By Michael Woods, The Sweet Science

Just when things started heating up, a freak accident halted the main event between junior middleweights Paul Williams and Kermit Cintron at the Home Depot Center on Saturday night in Carson, CA. At the beginning of the fourth, the fighters got tangled, and Cintron fell out of the ring, onto a table, and then to the floor. EMTs came for Cintron, and the fight was stopped. Three rounds finished so the scorecards were read, somewhat ludicrously. I will always view this abbreviated event as a No Contest, but the judges called it 39-37, 40-36, 36-40, for Williams.

The medical personnel put a neck brace on Cintron, and put him on a stretcher. TSS wishes Cintron, who was conscious, well.

Williams (age 28; 38-1 entering; ex junior middleweight, and two time welterweight champion; 6-1 1/2; from South Carolina) weighed 152 1/2 , while Cintron (age 30; 32-2-1 entering; ex welterweight champ; 5-11; born in Puerto Rico, grew up in PA, lives in Texas to train) was 154 on Friday. The bout was shown on HBO. Before the scrap, Manny Steward, Cintron's former trainer/manager, said Kermit had a real good chance going in. He said if Kermit was emotionally strong going in, Williams could have a hard night.

Jerry Cantu, Fritz Werner and Dr. James Jen-Kin were entrusted with judging the bout.

In the first, the lefty Williams used his height, and kept distance. Kermit touched him with a jab, and a left hook. It was a cautious round.

In the second, Kermit looked to counter, but Paul was cautious, looking for a big opening. Kermit's hands looked the quicker of the two. The crowd didn't like the excess respect the two showed each other.

In the third, we heard Larry Merchant say, "So far, Paul Williams has looked like a wind turbine on a windless day." Pretty classic, I'd say. "Little too much respect from both of them," he added, astutely. Williams maybe heard, and stepped it up.

In the fourth, Cintron buzzed LTP with a right. Then they got tangled, when Williams grabbed Kermit, Williams fell into the ropes, but Kermit fell out of the ring, onto a table, and then the floor. He hit his shoulder and head, and said he wanted to continue.

Williams said he started slow on purpose, and felt bad the fans didn't get their money's worth. Going forward, he said he wants Floyd, or Manny, or if not them, a rematch with Sergio Martinez.

SPEEDBAG Larry Merchant said before the main event that we shouldn't underestimate boxing's ability to get in its own way. He was talking about the prospects for Mayweather-Pacquiao. Larry said that as of now, it looks like Floyd is looking for an alibi, a way out of fighting Manny, by way of his insistence on Olympic PED testing, far and away beyond current boxing protocol.

---Merchant learned Kelly Pavlik is done at 160, that he weighed 11 or 12 pounds over 160 24 hours before his last fight, with Sergio Martinez. He said Tim Bradley's name has come up for Mayweather and Pacquiao. Don't see that happening, risk/reward ratio is askew there.

Source: thesweetscience.com

Paul Williams Wins Four-Round, Technical Split-Decision over Kermit Cintron -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

A very flat-looking southpaw Paul Williams was rescued from an off night by Saturday night's bizzare, four-round, non-title, junior middleweight (154 pounds) technical split-decision victory over Kermit Cintron, who could not continue after apparently injuring his head, lower back and right leg after tumbling to the ringside floor before a disappointed crowd at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles.

Because more than three rounds had been completed, California State Athletic Commission rules required that the decision go to the scorecards, and that the officials score all four rounds.

As a result, judges James Jen-Kin and Fritz Werner both had it for Williams, 40-36, and, 39-37, with Jerry Cantu scoring it, 40-36, for Cintron. FanHouse had it for Cintron, 39-37, who appeared to be boxing well from a distance early on in the HBO-televised bout.

There was no title on the line for the 28-year-old Williams or the 30-year-old Cintron.
After a rather uneventful first three rounds, during which Cintron boxed well from a distance and countered effectively over Williams' right jab with a right crosses and over hand rights, the two fighters became tangled during a clinch.

As Williams lunged forward, he grabbed Cintron around the waist and fell to the canvas.

Cintron's momentum, however, carried him forward and through the ropes, where his head, back, and apparently his leg collided with a ringside television monitor and table before he landed on the floor.

Cintron lay on the floor in a semi-prone position for about five minutes, running his right glove along his right leg in pain.

The fallen fighter indicated to the ringside doctor that he wanted to continue, but was not permitted to, according to HBO commentators.

Cintron was subsequently stabilized and taken from the arena on a stetcher.

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Cintron falls out of ring, Williams wins decision -- NBC Sports

By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports Writer

CARSON, Calif. - Paul Williams earned a bizarre victory Saturday night when Kermit Cintron wasn't allowed to continue after tumbling through the ropes and landing on a ringside table early in the fourth round.

The 154-pound bout ended with Cintron strapped to a stretcher and wearing a neck brace, though he wanted to get up and keep fighting.

Williams was awarded a technical victory by split decision because he led on two of the three judges' scorecards.

Williams and Cintron exchanged big shots in the early moments of the round before Williams connected with a punch and tried to clinch. When Williams slipped and fell to the canvas, Cintron tripped over Williams' leg and went headfirst through the ropes, hitting a monitor on the table.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: nbcsports.msnbc.com

Paul Williams-Kermit Cintron: 'You're Going to See Some Blood' -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

Southpaw Paul Williams is nicknamed, "The Punisher," and Saturday night's opponent, Kermit Cintron, calls himself, "The Killer."

They will bring a combined record of 70-3-1, with 55 knockouts into the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles for their HBO-televised bout.

"This is one not to miss, because there are two guys in this fight who fight crowd-pleasing styles. They both have knockout power. They are both boxers. They're warriors," said Lou DiBella, who promotes Cintron, to Elie Seckbach of FanHouse. "They'll fight anybody. And when they get in there, they let it all out and they leave it in the ring."

Although each is capable of getting on his bicycle and punching in volume, Williams' manager and trainer, George Peterson, does not expect that sort of a display.

"It's going to be an exciting fight. You're going to see some blood in this fight," said Peterson. "Some of the big fights that you've witnessed in the last, two, three months or so, there was not a nose bleed, not an eye swollen. But in this one, you're going to see some blood."

There will be no title on the line for the 28-year-old Williams (38-1, 27 KOs) or the 30-year-old Cintron (32-2-1, 28 KOs), who will fight at the 154-pound, junior middleweight limit.

But what is on the line for each of the former world champions is a potential lucrative payday, perhaps against a Manny Pacquiao, a Floyd Mayweather, a Sergio Martinez or an Alfredo Angulo.

"Paul Williams and I are not here for the money. We're trying to fight the best and be the best. I believe Paul Williams is the best, and he believes I'm the best, and that's why we're fighting," said Cintron.

"A lot of fighters are avoiding us, but my attitude is to fight the best. To be the best, you have to fight the best," said Cintron. "That's why I'm here -- to fight the best and win, and be closer to the bigger fights."

The nearly 6-foot-3 Williams has fought in the welterweight (147), junior middleweight and middleweight (160 pounds) divisions and still maintains his versatility to do so.



"It isn't killing us so far. Everything's good. So if it's not broke don't fix it. To me it's kind of fun. People can't really categorize me," said Williams.

"It's hard, because you can't get anybody to fight you," said Williams. "It takes discipline because once you finally pick a weight, you've got to get up or down in weight. I kind of like it."

Cintron has competed mostly at 147 pounds but has fought above that weight close to 15 times, including his past three matchups, which have been as a junior middleweight.

"All of them are comfortable for me. The weight doesn't matter to me," said Cintron. "I'm more comfortable with getting a fight and then working on what we've got to work on."

Williams is coming off of December's 160-pound, majority decision victory over Sergio Martinez (45-2-2, 24 KOs), a clash of southpaws that ended Martinez's run of 28-0-1, with 18 knockouts since being stopped by Antonio Margarito in February of 2000.

Already the WBC junior middleweight champion, Martinez dethroned Kelly Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs) last month for the WBC and WBO middleweight titles by unanimous decision.

Although Williams was cut badly around both eyes and required post-fight surgery following his bout with Martinez, he enjoyed virtually every minute of their fight.

"When we fought, I had looked into the crowd, and I got caught, and I didn't see the punch and I went down. So I was like, 'We've got to get it, now.' But it was a good thing for the fans, because they got to see a good, drag out fight," said Williams of a battle during which both competitors were floored in the first round.

"Mr. Peterson, he was kind of mad at me, because he was telling me to go to the body and all of that, but I was so pumped up because I had got dropped. And I was in the mind frame like, 'Okay, this a war, this is a fight, this is what everybody comes out to see -- two guys, going back and forth,'" said Williams.

"And I was in my rhythm, so I was like, 'I'm just going to go get it the way that I can get it.' I could have done a lot better, with head movement and stuff like that, but I just wanted to fight," said Williams. "I wanted to make him fight, tire him out in the later rounds. I knew that if I could have gone to the body and maybe stopped him, but I was looking for a head shot. I wanted to spank him."




Williams is riding a five-bout winning streak that includes three knockouts since being dethroned as WBO welterweight champ via unanimous decision against Puerto Rican southpaw Carlos Quintana (27-2, 21 KOs) in February of 2008.

Williams regained the crown from Quintana with a first-round knockout in their return bout in June 2008, his first of three consecutive first-round stoppages.

Prior to facing Martinez, Williams dominated a one-sided, unanimous decision over former world champion Winky Wright in April at 160 pounds.

"Kermit's a big puncher and can box, too. I've shown that I'm a big puncher and I'm a boxer too. I don't have to prove anything to anyone. I don't care what people think about me as a fighter,"

"I just have to go out and do my thing," said Williams. "I just have to go out and execute my game plan and my strategy, because you could be looking for one thing then get another thing."

Cintron is 3-0-1 with one knockout since losing his IBF title by sixth-round knockout in April 2008 to Margarito, whom Williams dethroned by decision to become WBO king in July 2007.

Cintron, who lost by knockout to Margarito for the second time, is coming off October's junior middleweight stoppage of Juliano Ramos (15-3, 12 KOs).

Prior to Ramos, Cintron earned a May 2009, 12-round unanimous decision over Alfredo Angulo in a WBC title eliminator matchup before battling Martinez to a disputed draw in February 2009.

"I think that it's going to be a great, great fight, no matter who wins. I think that you're going to see great entertainment and great boxing," said DiBella.

"I agree with Mr. Peterson that you're going to see some blood in this fight," said DiBella. "I just believe that it's going to be his guy that's going to do most of the bleeding."

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Boxer Paul Williams wants to step down to move up -- Los Angeles Times

By Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times

"A 6-foot-3 guy who can fight at 147 pounds, a guy who can travel three weight divisions who's never in a bad fight, left-handed, throws 100 punches a round and doesn't take a step backward," HBO's vice president of sports programming and boxing coordinator Kery Davis says, reeling off Williams' attributes without speaking falsely. "There's real potential for superstardom."

So why hasn't it arrived?

Williams, 28, will fight former world welterweight champion Kermit Cintron on Saturday night in a super-welterweight bout at Home Depot Center in Carson. Somewhere around 8,000 people -- maybe less -- will come to watch, and the bout will be televised by regular HBO, not pay-per-view.

If he wins by stoppage, Williams will be 39-1 with 28 knockouts, and his promoter, Dan Goossen, has taken to calling this bout "The Weight is Over," pressing the suggestion that Williams is willing to move back down to welterweight (where he hasn't fought since June 2008) to take on Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Manny Pacquiao if their possible super-fight fails to get made again.

"We just want to make the statement that we're a welterweight, and we're here," Goossen said. "We did that to enlarge the pool of opponents. To me, there's only three great welterweights still standing.

"If Floyd takes this fight, it'd do more at the gate and on pay-per-view than Mayweather-[Shane]Mosley did. Paul's fresher than Mosley, he's established himself, he'd make a real fight. The days of Pacquiao against the recyclables like [Joshua] Clottey, [Miguel] Cotto or [Antonio] Margarito are over too. You make a fight with the recyclables and it hurts the sport. If Pacquiao-Mayweather is not made, the focus has to go to Paul Williams."

That's Goossen's idea, but he's alone in his thoughts.

Mayweather's locked in on Pacquiao, and HBO officials have made it known that "Plan A is Plan B, C, D, E and F too. ... It's too important for the sport," Davis says. When he was pressed about anyone else to consider last week, Mayweather discussed only newly crowned middleweight champ Sergio Martinez.

Why even mention Williams? He's fresh off a December majority decision over Martinez, and since his name recognition is a work in progress, one boxing authority who knows the business well but requested anonymity said, "Paul's probably the last in line in Floyd's mind. Paul's just too good."

Pacquiao's Plan B at times seems like it's his fight of choice: a fall date against Mexico's popular anti-hero Margarito at Cowboys Stadium in Texas. Williams has already beaten Margarito too, by decision in 2007.

The purer reality is perhaps a rematch with Martinez, or a shot at the winner of next month's Yuri Foreman-Cotto super-welterweight title fight.

"We're kind of used to this, we don't get bent out of shape," Williams' trainer George Peterson said. "If I was another manager, I wouldn't want my guy to fight this kid. You ever see him fight? You ever see anyone call him out?"

Williams too expresses a saint's patience and says he trusts that Goossen and Wizard of Oz-like manager Al Haymon care for him as best they can.

"I'm just a boxer. The people who got me here, that's who I roll with," Williams said. "That's my loyalty. I'm going to stand my ground. I'm not hurting for nothing. I got some real estate. I don't have to go digging in my pocket for a sandwich.

"I'd love to get a $30-million fight. That's what I was doing at 147 before, but I went seven months without a fight and had bills coming. Good things come to those who wait. The fans will realize, 'This guy puts on good fights,' and my time will come."

For now, the challenge is Cintron (32-2-1, 28 KOs), whose lone losses are to Margarito and who last year fought Martinez to a disputed draw and beat the tough Alfredo Angulo.

"This is a great opportunity for me," Cintron, 30, said. "Supposedly, he's one of the best pound-for-pound fighters; this is a great opportunity to showcase my skills. I think what people say about him is a bit overblown. I'm pretty much just going to bring it to him."

The Saturday mission, Goossen says, is "setting the stage for where we want to be, so we can let Paul do whatever he wants. We know the fight everyone wants to see is Mayweather-Pacquiao, but the next name is Paul Williams and with a win Saturday, he's the most exciting guy out there."

The plan to drive that point home? "I'm going to try and hurt him," Williams said.

lance.pugmire@latimes.com
Copyright © 2010, The Los Angeles Times

Source: latimes.com