Paul Williams vs Sergio Martinez Preview
by Lee Payton on Dec 5, 2009 1:21 AM EST
in Fight Previews
Email
Print
Lee Payton previews Saturday night's HBO double-header featuring Paul Williams vs Sergio Martinez and Chris Arreola vs Brian Minto.
Paul Williams vs Sergio Martinez is not big business. The fight wasn't on anyone's must-see list and Boardwalk Hall can't be expecting anywhere close to a sellout.
However, I think this fight will deliver.
His opponent Sergio Martinez, is a highly skilled veteran and a fellow lefty. His 44-1-2 record includes a 7th round TKO loss to Margarito and a strange "draw" against Kermit Cintron. While you won't find anymore than that for names, he's been a pro for 12 years, having fought the first half of his career in his native Argentina before moving to Spain.
Martinez is a wily operator and at age 34, appears to be enjoying his best form. He works most often behind a quick, educated right jab. Smart footwork and athleticism allow him to take a semi-aggressive stance in order to set up straight punches up top. Many fans think he can make a real fight of it because Quintana, another speedy southpaw, counterpunched his way to a 12 round unanimous decision over Williams just 20 months ago. Williams and Quintana, whose rivalry officially stands even at one win apiece, have been sparring in preparation for upcoming dates. Quintana needed a good sweat in order to be ready for scrappy Jesse Feliciano, and Willams wanted another look at a style that gave him fits not too long ago. Their sportsmanship is to be admired. We all know Williams is going in there looking to take someone out with any of the 100 punches he'll let go in a round. To counter that, I believe the underdog will have to move some and pick his spots to bite down and deliver something big. If those are met with nothing but a cold stare, then he's in trouble. Everyone finds a way to land their best shot on Williams eventually. Maybe Martinez will be the first to catch him in one of those exchanges and make him blink. His knock-out ratio of 24 stoppages in 44 fights doesn't sound like much for Williams to be concerned over, but stranger things have happened in this sport. Actually, stranger things have happened in the last week or two! I'm going to play this one safe though and take the young man from Georgia on toughness alone. He'll take his usual share before ending it in 11. Chris Arreola vs Brian Minto I found myself more interested in Arreola's weight than the fight itself when it was officially announced. Would he back up his talk about staying in the gym and working like a true pro? Or was it more BS and excuses? He weighed in at 263 lbs. That's a career high for him, but no one should be surprised at this point. I've given Chris credit for the heart he showed in taking an awful beating from Vitali Klitschko as well as his fighting spirit, but he just doesn't want it enough. If a fighter enters the ring 20+ lbs overweight, they haven't done the work for one reason or another. He'll beat Minto, who will be the much smaller man in there, but will have proved nothing in the process, other than that he still eats too much or trains too little.
0 comments
|
0 recs |
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
