In the early 1960s, brutish Charles “Sonny” Liston terrorized boxing’s heavyweight division with his paralyzing stares and knockout power in both of his 14-inch fists, prompting his trainer, Johnny Tocco to label him a “killing machine.” A decade later came George Foreman, a Liston disciple and 1968 Olympic Gold medalist.. He kayoed 26 of his first 27 opponents in the 1970s and succeeded his idol as the sports’ ‘most feared big man.’ That same decade also saw one of boxing’s all-time most fearsome “pound for pound” warriors emerge in Panama’s Roberto Duran. Known as “Hands of Stone,” Duran used his intimidating tactics and superior skills to dominate the lightweight division.
Thomas “Hitman” Hearns, an unusually tall welterweight with a devastating right hand, took the welterweight division by storm in the late ‘70s-early‘80s by putting to sleep 29 of his first 32 opponents.
In the mid-1980s into the 1990s came a weapon of mass destruction in the form of heavyweight Mike Tyson, who flattened 33 awestruck victims in his first 37 fights en route to becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion and the undisputed ‘most feared man ever in boxing.’
Now eight years into the 21st century, there is only one clear-cut, stand-alone fighter now viewed as the ‘most feared man’ in his sport without regard to weight class.
Enter Paul Williams, a 26-year old southpaw from Aiken, South Carolina, is one of four recognized world champions in the welterweight division – arguably the most talent-blessed weight class in professional boxing today. The others being Miguel Cotto (WBA), Kermit Cintron (IBF) and the pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (WBC).
Last July at the sold out Home Depot Center in Carson, California, Williams – who has been likened to Hearns based on his physical stature, relentless aggression and knockout rate — captured the WBO title by outpunching the man regarded as the ‘most avoided fighter,’ Antonio Margarito. That is, was the ‘most avoided,’ until Williams forced Margarito to step up to his challenge.
On Saturday night, February 9 at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California, and televised on HBO, the man known as “The Punisher” for his ability to batter, dismantle and disarm his opponents with an endless and crowd-pleasing array of power punches, will make the first defense of his WBO crown against the only highly-ranked welterweight showing any willingness to step into the ring with him – Carlos Quintana (24-1, 19 KO).
“I have to give the most respect to Quintana,” Williams’ manager/trainer George Peterson acknowledged. “Whenever I read the papers or Internet, I saw all these so-called welterweight champions saying they’ll fight anybody, anytime. But when it comes to fighting Paul, they get the hand flu or they want to take one or two warm-up fights. They want to keep fighting everyone, but Paul. But I have to give credit to Quintana for taking the fight.”
Williams, a young soft-spoken, humble man out of the ring, but a ‘wrecking machine’ in it, recognizes the pros and cons of being so talented and so feared.
“In some ways I feel good, but when I hear guys don’t want to fight me I feel bad. How can they call themselves world champions or top contenders and be afraid to fight me?” Williams shared. “I will just have to do what we did with Margarito, and not allow the other champions the ability to run from me…it can get frustrating though.
“Guys don’t want to get in the ring with me because they know they are going to have to fight. They know that I’m not going to be showboating for the camera. I am going to fight and fight for the whole three minutes of every round. They don’t want to fight someone like that.”
So why else is Paul Williams the ‘most feared fighter’ today? The comparisons involving size, age and ability could tell the story.
Listed at 6-1 but nearly 6-3, Williams is the tallest welterweight champion in recent history, with an astounding 82-inch reach.
Among current world champions and top-rated welterweights, Cintron is the closest to Williams in size at 5-11, with a 72-inch reach, which is considered big for a welterweight; next is former world champion Oscar De La Hoya at 5-10 and a 73-inch reach; former WBC welterweight champion Shane Mosley is next at 5-9, with a 74-inch reach; Mayweather, at 5-8, is a full half-foot shorter than Williams, 10 inches shorter in reach; and Cotto is an inch shorter than Mayweather at 5-7 and his 67-inch reach is 15 inches shy of Williams’ wingspan.
Some mighty insurmountable odds to overcome when your standing alone in the ring with not only a man the size of a heavyweight in the welterweight division, but one that likes to fight, and fight, and fight some more.
At age 26, Williams has the advantage of being the youngest of the bunch and still years from his prime. Cotto is a year older than Williams; Cintron is 28; Mayweather, 30; De La Hoya, 34; and Mosley is the elder statesman at 36.
With Williams’ title bout win against Margarito, a top welterweight in his prime, promoter, Dan Goossen, is convinced that Williams has already established himself as the ‘most feared fighter’ in the world today – encompassing all the divisions.
“The first thing that separates Paul from the other welterweight champions,” Goossen began, ‘is his size’ with the second being his willingness to fight anyone.”
And while Goossen and Peterson realize it is a blessing to have a fighter so feared, with others afraid to step into the ring with him, they recognize the importance of maximizing the opportunities for the fighters, the fans and the sport itself by making the biggest fights possible.
“Cintron agreed to fight Paul, but citing an injury, the fight was postponed in what most thought was just to be a healing period. Now healthy, he completely ignored the agreement to fight Paul and instead announced he was looking to fight the man that Paul beat (Margarito), and for a lot less money, without as much referencing Paul Williams. To make matters more embarrassing for Cintron, now he has called out Cotto, completely ducking Williams once again.
“Some things just make Paul bigger and scarier to face without having to say anything, and this is a prime example of the impact he has on other fighters,” Goossen quipped, “certain fighters don’t care how bad they look ducking Williams as long as they can avoid him.”
“Mosley, although coming off a tough loss to Cotto, would be interesting if the other champions persisted to make U-turns every time they think of stepping into the ring with Paul.”
“I believe the one man that could take up the challenge and demand the fight be made, despite the refusal thus far from his team, is Miguel Cotto. Cotto actually believes he’s the best young warrior and has what the old time fighters had, the willingness to prove who the best was inside the ring. Obviously Paul feels he is the preeminent welterweight and no one can match him punch for punch, round after round. Some claim that Cotto is the best welterweight in the world and others believe its Paul. I know there is no one that can stand toe-to-toe with Paul and have their hand raised.”
With Williams set for an early February defense and Cotto slated to fight in April/ May, the best way to settle this would be for Cotto and William’s each committing to this challenge now.
“I heard he (Cotto) was looking to fight (Alphonso) Gomez next,” said Williams. “That would be tragic. I told my team, I would fight Cotto in my ‘home away from home’ of Puerto Rico next.”
“The Cotto-Williams winner would be elevated to the ‘superstar’ level of both Mayweather and De La Hoya on the big fight business side,” declared Goossen.
Meanwhile, Peterson – in assessing Paul’s performance to date – may have delivered the most ominous news to any of the welterweight champions planning to wait for the “right time” to confront Williams in the ring.
“Paul is a young man and is still a student,” Peterson observed. “Of course he has a lot to learn yet. He certainly hasn’t maxed out. He’s at the point now in his career where he is on schedule and in the next 1-2 years he will be most devastating.”
Not to mention, the most feared!