By Doveed Linder – Paul Williams is the man who can fight anywhere from 147-160 and there has even been some talk of him fighting at 168. He is also the most avoided fighter in boxing. After his dominating performance over Winky Wright, Williams is now considered to be among the top 10 fighters in the world. In boxing, you have to beat a top guy in order to be a top guy. Given the fact that Williams has recently made such a strong case for himself, one would think that some of the other top guys in the game would be beating down his door. But when you hear fighters calling each other out and talking about how they want to prove that they are the best, Paul Williams’ name is rarely if ever mentioned..
Shane Mosley is currently sitting on top of the welterweight division. Also at welterweight are Miguel Cotto, Joshua Clottey, and of course Floyd Mayweather, Jr. who is still considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. The junior middleweight division is without any dominant champions at the moment, but some of the top guys are Vernon Forrest, Cory Spinks, Kermit Cintron, and Sergio Martinez. And at middleweight, Kelly Pavlik and Arthur Abraham are the division’s best. Of all the fighters mentioned, no one seems especially eager to fight Paul Williams.
From 147-160, the three biggest fights that could be made for Williams are Floyd Mayweather, Jr, Shane Mosley, and Kelly Pavlik. Mayweather is set to fight Juan Manuel Marquez in July, Mosley is pursuing a match with Manny Pacquiao, and Pavlik’s team is attempting to once again secure a fight with Segio Mora. Other than these three fighters, Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey are fighting in the very near future, Arthur Abraham is fighting Mahir Oral, Cory Spinks recently called out Kermit Cintron, and Vernon Forrest and Sergio Martinez may end up fighting at some point. These fighters may not be ducking Williams in the traditional sense, but it does seem a bit ironic that one of the best fighters in the world is not in the mix for any of these potential match-ups.
The biggest fight in boxing that everyone has been talking about is Pacquiao/Mayweather. At the moment, that fight looks as if it may not happen in the near future, as Pacquiao and Mosley will soon begin negotiations for a fight of their own. If that’s the case, Williams may find himself with options at 147. Assuming Mayweather beats Marquez, a Mayweather/Williams fight could make for an exciting and meaningful match-up. And if that fight can’t be made, Williams against the winner of Cotto/Clottey is certainly a possibility.
But if Williams is unable to secure a meaningful fight at 147-160, he might have to go up to 168 to find a good opponent. Between Mikkel Kessler, Carl Froch, Andre Ward, Lucian Bute, Librado Andrade, and Allan Green, the 168 pound division is loaded with prospects. It’s hard to imagine that a fighter can compete from 147-168. At some point, it’s logical to think that he’s either going too high or too low. But Williams has had success so far at welterweight, junior middleweight, and middleweight and he might just be able to go up to super middleweight and be a force to reckon with.
There is some debate among fans as to how good Williams really is. Before the fight with Winky Wright, some were already of the belief that he was one of the game’s best, mainly because of his win over Antonio Margarito and because of the dominance he’s shown in other fights. Others believed that he was over-hyped and that his first match with Carlos Quintana exposed this, regardless of the fact that he avenged that loss via 1st round knockout. His skeptics believed that Winky would take him into deep water and expose him once again, but he proved his doubters wrong by dominating Wright for every minute of every round.
Since the fight with Winky, some of Williams’ supporters are not only convinced that he is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, but he could beat anyone from 147-160, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. included. But Williams’ skeptics are of the belief that Winky had the right style for him, which is why he looked so good. They also believe that he doesn’t have the strength to stand up to a hard-hitting middleweight and that he would crumble if a legitimate 160-pounder ever got his hands on him. Regardless of how a person may feel about Williams, it can’t be denied that he is one of the game’s best. He has won major fights on major networks and the fact that no fighter in the game seems to be anxious to fight him only validates the idea that he is a dominant force. It’s likely that Paul Williams would love to prove his critics wrong by fighting the best that boxing has to offer. But in order for that to happen, the top guys have to be willing to step up and give him an opportunity.