By John G. Thompson: Paul “The Punisher” Williams 39-2 (27 KO’s) granted a rematch to Sergio Gabriel Martinez 46-2-2 (25 KO’s), following Williams’ close majority decision victory in their prior meeting back in December of 2009. Martinez had won the WBC Middleweight Championship from Kelly Pavlik in the interim and put his title on the line at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey before a crowd of 5,500, televised live on HBO.
Paul Williams, from Aiken, South Carolina now living in Augusta, Georgia, came out pressing the action. Sergio Martinez, from Buenos Aires, Argentina and now living in Oxnard, California obliged immediately with counterpunches. This fight looked like their previous encounter from the start. Ringside commentator Bob Papa said, “No feeling out in round one.” The round was very close with Martinez landing the more accurate punches, but Williams controlling the action.
By the second round this fight was looking like it would be just as good as the first; however, just a minute into the round, both southpaws threw left hooks. The punch by Martinez landed first and Williams did not see it coming. Williams was clearly unconscious before he hit the ground. The medical staff did not even wait for a full count to come to his aid.
This was a huge victory for Martinez, who avenged his prior loss with the same sort of tenacity Williams had used in avenging his loss to Carlos Quintana, and so devastating was this win, there seems no immediate need for a trilogy. For Martinez, names like Pacquiao and Mayweather can enter the conversation.
In other action on the card:
Willie Nelson TKO 1 Quinton Whitaker
Noe Lopez Jr TKO 3 Luis Orlando Del Valle
Tony Thompson TKO 4 Paul Marinaccio
Fernando Guerrero TKO 4 Saul Duran
Zsolt Erdei UD 8 Samson Onyango