Sergio Martinez - The One Punch Marvel

By Andrew Fruman

The drinks were flowing and the place was buzzing with boxing chatter as a voice alerted everyone to turn their attention towards the televisions.

"They're showing it, they're showing it!"

All eyes at the bar turned just in time to see the highlight of Sergio Martinez' perfect left hand connect; the moment drawing an audible stir of wonder from the gathered throng of fight fanatics.

With no big screen to replay the action at the Boardwalk Hall venue, it was the first opportunity for many to see the punch up close - and to confirm their eyes hadn't played any tricks.  Yes, it really did happen.

The following slow motion replay drew more and even louder "Ooooohs!" as the moment of impact distorted the challenger's features for an instant.  The image reminiscent of that famous old photo of Jersey Joe Walcott getting tagged by a Rocky Marciano right hand.  Walcott sagged slowly down, his arm hooked on the rope to ease his descent.  There was no such cushioned landing for Paul Williams, as the lanky southpaw crashed face first to the canvas.

Knowing Williams had attended the press conference and had all his faculties intact made it easier to appreciate the savage beauty of the moment.  A couple hours earlier, stunned reactions to the crunching left hand landed by Martinez were tempered with concern as Williams lay prone, hidden from view by the attending medical personnel.

Few events in sports are more dramatic than the out-of-nowhere-one-punch KO, and this was perhaps as stunning - at least as far as major fights go - as any instance anyone could remember watching live.

Antonio Tarver's second round smashing of Roy Jones?  That's up there, but a woozy Jones was upright at the count of eight.

There was Mike McCallum's one-punch-job of Donald Curry.  Separated from his senses by a single left hook, Curry was remarkably able to find the strength to get to his feet by his own power - though was still on the canvas when Referee Richard Steele reached ten.

But unlike Jones and Curry, Williams was OUT.

"The only one I can recall that compares was Weaver-Tate," offered up one fan who'd been watching fights for longer than most present.   Comfortably ahead in the fifteenth round, Big John only had to remain on his feet for another minute to claim the WBA's version of the heavyweight crown.

Instead a tired and desperate Mike Weaver landed a fight ending hook on the inside.

"Timber, Tate just dropped."

An exhausted Weaver walked off to a neutral corner before collapsing to the canvas in exhilarated relief a few feet from where Tate lay with his face pressed against the canvas.

Never having connected harder with any one shot, Weaver could feel the impact right down to his toes and knew Tate wasn't getting up the moment the punch connected.

Judging by his reaction, it looked like Martinez was also certain no more leather would need tossing as he looked out at the crowd and lifted his right glove in the air before so much as glancing back at his fallen opponent.  A quick peak at Williams and an exultant leap onto the turnbuckle quickly followed, as referee Earl Morton completed the formality of counting to ten.

Fights of this caliber just aren't supposed to end that way.  The examples are few and far between, and the reactions of those present are always tinged with a dose of disbelief.

Fans were expecting twelve more violent rounds, and some were expecting another twelve after that down the road.  Instead, Sergio Martinez ended matters in one unfogettable instant.

La Maravilla indeed.

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