Paul Williams

At the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, two of the most avoided fighters in boxing created an instant classic nearly a year ago.  In their first encounter Paul Williams and Sergio Martinez traded brutal punches, knockdown, and fought to a 12-round war that ended in a controversial loss for Martinez.

In the most anticipated fight of 2010, their rematch started off the same way but ended in the second round with one crushing left hook.

Williams started off the first round by pressuring and backing up Martinez with combinations and precision punching.  Martinez would throw one punch at a time and in the second round landed a devastating left to Williams' jaw that dropped the fighter to the canvas.

A raucous, pro-Williams crowd that was on their feet for the first four minutes of the bout were left stunned and shocked in utter silence.

Williams attempted a lead left, but Martinez ducked underneath and threw a wide left hook that landed flush on his opponent's jaw.  The challenger’s eyes rolled into the back of his head, collapsed face first onto the canvas and the referee counted to seven before waving the fight off. 

Doctors immediately came into the ring as Williams lay motionless for several minutes.

Martinez ran across the ring in celebration of his victory in what HBO commentator Jim Lampley has labeled as “knockout of the year.”

“I didn’t want the judges to rob me this time,” said Martinez. “I knew I was going to knock him out.”

Several minutes later, Williams finally was able to make it to his feet and seemed to have cleared his head.

“I got caught with a punch,” Williams told HBO’s Max Kellerman while still being attended to.  

Last December, Williams and Martinez engaged in a fight of the year candidate that Williams won by a razor-close decision that could’ve gone either way.  One judge scored their first fight 119-110, meaning Williams won 10 of the 12 back-and-forth rounds between the fighters. That scorecard caused controversy not only between the fighters but also among the promoters and fans.

Martinez wasn’t going to allow this fight to go the distance and leave the decision in the judges' hands.  His promoter Lou DiBella said, “Martinez said, 'I’m going to knock him out. This fight isn’t going to go seven rounds.  I’m going to knock him out.'"

Martinez turned professional when he was 20 years old and seems to have just entered his prime.  After losing to Williams the first time around, Martinez was coming off of April’s unanimous decision win against Kelly Pavlik, earning him the WBC Middleweight Title.

With the victory, Martinez now is (46-2-2) with 25 wins by the way of knockout, and Williams falls to (39-2) throughout his career.  Martinez evened the score with Williams, which for now erases the memory of December 2009 when he left his opponent with severe cuts around his eyes that required stitches. 

What’s next for Martinez? After destroying one of the most feared fighters in boxing, it’s hard to think Mayweather or Pacquiao would be up for the challenge.  Possibly a third fight with Williams is in order to close out the trilogy.

“I want to listen to all offers and see what comes my way,” said Martinez.

I have called fights wrong before but never like this. I had Williams winning this fight by a close decision and thought that he was the better fighter coming into the rematch with Sergio Martinez.

I was wrong on both accounts and very wrong thinking that Williams was the better fighter. Martinez came out looking to erase the loss from last December and did it via big, stunning second-round knockout.

It was so stunning because you rarely see a rematch between two world class fighters end in a massive knockout. If you missed it Williams was out before he hit the canvas and as he later said he got caught cold.

Martinez smashed the very reliable chin of Williams and left everyone wondering who is he going to fight next. That is a very good question and he is going to have a very hard time finding a legitimate fight.

He is an athletic fighter with quick hands, a good chin, and very deceiving power. He put the power on display tonight and if I was a middleweight contender I wouldn't be in any rush to share the ring with him.

He did say he would be able to make a 156-pound catch weight fight if he had to. This pretty clearly was telling Manny Pacquiao that if he wants him he is ready to go. With reports coming out that Pacquiao is going to fight Mosley that seems highly unlikely.

That is now the best fight in boxing at this moment. Forget Floyd Mayweather Jr. Martinez is the fighter that everyone should want to see fighting Pacquiao. He showed he has power, speed and he is going to get in the ring with Pacquiao if given the chance.

The question here is does Pacquiao want Martinez? It is a bad matchup for Pacuqiao because Martinez is a big, slick, fast, powerful fighter that can out speed Pacquiao and is just as athletic as Pacquiao.

He is also one of the best offensive fighters in the game but his defense isn't great and he can be hit. If the fight was to be made I would favor Pacquiao but only by the slimmest of margins.

Mayweather is an option but he has more out of the ring troubles to deal with. His other options are pretty terrible at the moment especially at middleweight.

I can't think of one middleweight off the top of my head that I would want to see him fight. He would be the better fighter by leaps and bounds in any fight with a middleweight contender.

He has entered the realm of super fights and honestly I don't see anyone getting near him. One fight that would be intriguing is a rematch with Antonio Margarito who knocked him out back in 2000 when he was 16-0-1.

It would be a shot at revenge and Margarito is a hot name at the moment after his game effort against Pacquiao. If Pacquiao doesn't answer the call I would really like to see Margarito get the fight because it would have some intrigue at least.

It would also be a good chance for Margarito to prolong his moment in the spotlight and he would probably take the fight. On the flip side where does Williams go from here?

He got caught cold and is still a very good fighter. He will probably take a tune-up fight and then he will be back in the title hunt very soon. Williams is a classy guy and I hope to see him in the ring again fighting some meaningful fights.

Martinez delivered the knockout and stunning outcome of the year tonight. Hopefully he will get a chance to stun us again against Pacquiao.

This was originally published on www.kissingthecanvas.com.

Round-by-round updates below. The final scorecard of the night has been posted.  Please let me know your thoughts and comments in the comment box below.  What happens to the two fighters after tonight's fight?

Sergio Martinez vs. Paul Williams II, one of the most highly-anticipated boxing matches of the year, takes place tonight at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., and can be watched live on HBO at 9 p.m. EST.

Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Dave Carlson (who recently covered the Pacquiao-Margarito from ringside in Dallas with Nick Tylwalk and King J) will be live blogging the event and providing a round-by-round scorecard.  Refresh early and often, as updates will be posted below.  The action starts at 10 p.m. EST on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2010.

In their first bout, which was signed on short notice after a previous Williams fight had fallen through, Martinez performed admirably, as both fighters traded knockdowns in an action-packed first round that was decided via majority decision for Paul "The Punisher" Williams, long considered one of the most avoided fighters in the world. 

The decision, however, was controversial: Julie Lederman scored it a 114-114 tie, Lynne Carter had it 115-113 for Williams and Pierre Benoist awarded Williams a ridiculous 119-110 scorecard.

Sergio Martinez, a quick and crafty Argentine southpaw, now holds the WBC and WBO middleweight titles after his impressive win over Kelly Pavlik on April 17 of this year. 

Meanwhile, Paul Williams has also only had one fight since his win last December against Martinez.  However, Williams' fight against Kermit Cintron ended dubiously when Cintron stumbled through the ropes and injured his head, prompting the fight to be called off in Round Four, with Williams being awarded an unimpressive technical decision win.

Both fighters are among the top-six pound-for-pound fighters according to Ring Magazine, and it is highly likely that the winner could move up to No. 3 (just behind Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr.) in the P4P rankings after this fight.

The 6'1" Williams is tall, awkward and unceasing—delivering a constant stream of punches once he finds his rhythm.  He has only lost once (a loss to Carlos Quintana, which Williams later avenged via an overwhelming first round TKO), and enters the fight 39-1, having won his last six fights. 

The 5'10" Martinez is a much smaller fighter who relies on speed, accuracy and excellent spacing.  He is 45-2, losing only to Williams last year and Antonio Margarito as a young fighter in 2000.  He would be a highly marketable champion, for reasons recently covered in the article "Sergio Martinez, Not Manny Pacquiao, is the Most Important Man in Boxing." 

A win would boost his career tremendously, and at age 35, it couldn't come any sooner for the hard-working Argentine who has just recently become a top-tier fighter.

Live Updates

Tony Thompson vs. Paul Marinaccio.

This fight was an absolute snoozer.  4 rounds of dull, uninteresting heavyweight "action."

Zsolt Erdei vs. Samson Onyango

10:10 ET - Undefeated Hungarian Zsolt Erdei outpoints Samson Onyango, winning a 79-73, 80-72, 80-72 unanimous decision victory.  This is Erdei's first fight back since his retirement, and he looked good.  Didn't get the knockout but impressed us.  Up next, Fernando Guerrero vs. Saul Duran in an 8-round middleweight bout.

Fernando Guerrero vs. Saul Duran

10:16 ET - Guerrero is an undefeated young prospect and he looks very powerful against an overmatched Duran.  Duran is getting rocked hard by hooks, and though he keeps coming in, he simply can't contend with Guerrero's speed.  This fight could be stopped early, but Duran makes it through the first round.  Still, a clearly dominant round for Guerrero.  Carlson: 10-9 Guerrero

10:22 ET - Guerrero still clearly dominant and staggers Duran slightly.  Still, you get the sense he's not landing his punches as well as he can.  A minute into the round, a strong left knocks down Duran.  He makes it up, and starts to fight with a higher peek-a-boo defensive style.  Still, even if Guerrero is only hitting gloves, it's still knocking Duran off balance.  The southpaw Guerrero is doing a good job with spacing and positioning, not knocking feet often.  Round 2 is a 10-8 round for Guerrero.  Cumulative scorecard: 20-17 Fernando Guerrero.

10:27 ET - Duran is definitely fighting with a lot of heart at the beginning of round 3, but his punches don't seem to be landing.  Guerrero has an extraordinary right hook that he uses a lot more than his right-handed jab.  Guerrero doesn't look to be finishing right now, and is up against the ropes two minutes into the round.  He's still countering well, but it's not the best positioning for him.  Just like that, he lands a good right hook/uppercut and gets off the ropes.  His right hook is landing consistently.  Another dominant round, though not as strong as the first two.  Round 3: Carlson 10-9 Guerrero.  Cumulative scorecard: 30-26 Fernando Guerrero.  A ring doctor was taking a look at Duran's face between rounds, but he seems fine at this point.

10:31 ET - Guerrero lands a lot of flurries in round 4, and knocks Duran down early in the round.  Duran takes a knee, and doesn't get back up, and the fight is called off at the 8 count.  Good stoppage by the referee at 1:06 of Round 4.  TKO Guerrero.  20-0 record now for Fernando Guerrero, 16 knockouts.  He looked impressive tonight.  Saul Duran, if he wasn't a shot fighter before tonight, is looking like a man who should retire.  He had heart, but no speed.  Impressive win for Guerrero.

10:32 ET - We see a clip of Paul Williams jumping rope in his locker room.  He's wearing lime green trunks with a black trim on the side.  Looks sharp, from just a cursory glance.  Williams always manages to look very much in-shape, and always looks like Paul Williams.  Since there were some questions about Martinez's weight, so it'll be interesting to see how that plays.  We're now seeing a look back at Martinez-Williams I, starting from round 6 of that first bout.

10:40 ET - A lull in the action right now, as we're watching a recap of the first fight.  What will the strategy of Martinez be in this fight?  He looked really good early in the first fight, but his defense was affected and he lost a fair bit of his speed and power later in the fight.  Martinez is a very talented and well-conditioned fighter, but he's not getting younger, and Paul "The Punisher" Williams is unrelenting.  At the same time, he definitely can get knocked down early in fights, and Martinez is quick enough to be able to finish if he infiltrates Williams' defense .  Still, I think Williams is slightly favored.  Let me know your predictions in the comments.

10:52 ET - Still watching a replay of the end of the previous bout.  They're spending a lot of time replaying the whole end of the fight.  We're at the part in the 11th round where Martinez seemed to slip on his own feet.  This fight was an excellent one, and the 11th round was one of its better ones.  Constant trading, but I think the strategy works better for Williams because Martinez is set apart by his speed and ability to move in and out of range.  I think Martinez will be wise to keep this strategy in this fight, or it could be short.  Looking back at what happened in the first fight, it's amazing that it wasn't fight of the year.  Amazing boxing and thrilling action.

10:59 ET - Rewatching the 12th round of their classic original fight from last December.  Martinez definitely slowed and tired at the end of the fight, but surprisingly his punching power didn't seem to be too affected - just his ability to land it.  Still, Williams closes extraordinarily well, and never tires.  Martinez, on the other hand isn't getting any younger.  We'll see shortly how his camp prepared for this fight.  The strategy might be the most important aspect of what changes between the first fight and this one.  The big fight will be starting shortly.

11:03 ET - We see a clip of Martinez warming up in his dressing room.  He looks sharp in black trunks with red trim.  His punches look crisp, but as Mike Tyson said "Everyone has a plan until he gets hit in the head."  The lights have been turned back on inside the venue.  The fight is just minutes away.

11:07 ET - The venue looks completely filled.  I'm interested to hear the numbers that come in for this bout.  What an amazing November this has been, and next week won't be bad either, with Marquez-Katsidis, Froch-Abraham and Andre Ward vs. Sakio Bika.  If you don't have a Showtime subscription, it might not be a bad idea to get one this week to see two excellent Super Middleweight bouts.  HBO looks good next week too.  It's hard to believe that I'm not paying Pay Per View prices to watch this extraordinary boxing match between Williams and Martinez.  They're taking a long time to start introducing the fight, but the anticipation is building.  You can even see it... palpable excitement and anticipation in the crowd.

11:09 ET - One of the frustrating things about boxing is that if there are short undercard matches, the TV programmers aren't ashamed to buy some serious time before getting to the main event.  Still, the best things in life are worth waiting for.

Paul Williams vs. Sergio Martinez II

11:11 ET - Williams begins his walk toward the ring.  He's dressed up in a green and black robe, and looks like he's concentrating.  During the ring entrance, he walks solemnly before breaking out his charming smile.  The announcers are talking about Mayweather wanting the winner of this fight.  When you see Williams around other people in the ring, his physical stature is even more apparent.

11:14 ET - Martinez begins his walk into the ring.  He looks vigorous.  Good looking robe, black on the back with "Sergio Maravilla Martinez" on there, and red sleeves nand belt.  He looks upbeat entering the ring.  Michael Buffer is announcing the names now.

11:16 ET - Michael Buffer's introductions reminded me that this fight is being promoted by Dibella Entertainment and Goosen-Tutor Productions.  It's nice to see some names that aren't Golden Boy, Top Rank, and Don King.  Let's get ready to rumble.

A trim Martinez is introduced. 45-2-2 with 24 knockouts.  Reigning middleweight champ.  It looks like he had no trouble making weight.

Williams looks pumped up now.  Smooth.  37-1, 29 knockouts.  He's smiling and looks extraordinarily confident. 

"Let's Get Ready to Rumble!"

11:20 ET - Good show of sportsmanship, and Williams looks a bit stronger in the opening minutes, but Martinez is landing accurately.  A 7-inch reach advantage is hard to overcome without moving inside and using your speed.  It's great to see two talented southpaws in the ring together.  Halfway through, the round is really close.  Both guys have landed well, but haven't landed anything exceptional.  Martinez unloads with a flurry at 1:10 remaining in the round.  Martinez has a funny style where he looks like he's tired or something, but he's clearly not.  He's landing some good head shots.  Very tough round to score.  Williams probably landed more, but the big shots came from Martinez. This fight is looking like it could capture some of the last fight's magic. Round 1 - Carlson: 10-9 Martinez

11: 25 ET - These guys just put together exceptional fights.  Williams seems to be landing a bit more early in Round 2, but Martinez has good defensive instincts.  Martinez lands a huge shot and Williams goes down!  Knockout for Sergio Martinez!  Round 2.

Amazing victory for Martinez!  Astounding left hand caught Williams off-guard.  Martinez's corner puts a crown on him.  Williams is still down.  What an amazing knockout.  Maybe not fight of the year, but definitely a knockout of the year candidate.

11:27 ET - A replay confirms that Martinez caught Williams while Williams was walking in to land a power punch.  Williams' head was moving and Martinez's extraordinary accuracy and surprising power pulled it off.  The hottest man in boxing is Sergio Martinez.  He is now the frontrunner for fight of the year and a fight with Mayweather or Pacquiao.  What a shot!  Martinez had good head movement while Williams was coming in for the punch.  I think we all underestimated Martinez in this bout.  Stunning victory!

11:30 ET - Kellerman agrees that it was probably knockout of the year.  Question from Kellerman: Where do you go from here?  Martinez gives a diplomatic answer: I want to hear offers and see what comes in.  Martinez breaks up the interview to show respect to Paul Williams. 

Kellerman: Do you want to fight Mayweather or Pacquiao at a catchweight fight?  How far will you go?

Martinez: I would have to hear offers. 156 lbs would be fine, but I want to hear offers. 

Final words from Martinez - thank you, and I want to thank everyone who came for the fight. Thank you Latinos, everyone from Spain, everyone from Argentina, and my family.

Williams seems conscious and aware.  He knows what happened, and he said that he felt good and simply got caught by a punch.  I agree: he looked good and before the knockout punch, I was leaning toward giving Williams the round.

What happens next in his career is up for debate, but he may not be the most avoided fighter in boxing.  Meanwhile, I'm feeling good about my Martinez article calling him the most important man in boxing.  For true boxing fans, this win is much, much bigger than Pacquiao's decision over Margarito.  People who questioned Martinez have no reason to now.  I think he is now unquestionably the #3 Pound for Pound fighter in boxing.

We are now one day away from the rematch between Paul Williams and Sergio Martinez. Williams of course won the first fight by a very slim margin in a FOTY candidate.

It was a fight that saw both fighters have little time to prepare for their opponent and that resulted in a fight that nobody saw coming.

It is a statistical fact that the winner of the first fight almost always wins the second fight. That is a fact that you can throw out the window for this fight because the first fight was on such short notice.

This is a fight that is massively hyped as it should be but it won’t be the repeat of the FOTY candidate we saw last year.

The question then becomes what kind of fight should we expect and who should we expect to win? This is a pick 'em fight if there ever was one.

I think both of these fighters are so close when it comes to skills that I really don’t know how to argue that one fighter will decisively beat the other.

Their chins, heart, power and defense are all about the same. I would say their speed is about the same but in a different way.

Williams has speed when he gets into his rhythm and starts throwing punches nonstop. When he starts throwing he can throw four or five punches before his opponent ever gets off.

Martinez on the other hand is just a fast fighter no matter what. He has speed that I rate very highly and as far as middleweights go he may be the fastest in the division.

Defense is an area that Martinez is slightly better in. Williams uses his offense as his defense by not letting you throw back.

Martinez is a cutie on defense and is just so slick that he can hold his hands low and you cant hit him. Power is nearly the same as both guys hit hard but they aren’t knockout artists by any means.

The style of how they throw their punches is much different. Martinez throws a slashing style that cuts fighters easily and can cause big problems for a fighter with a bad cutman (see Kelly Pavlik).

Williams throws a more thudding style that usually takes more than one shot to knock you silly but we have seen big power in the Carlos Quintana rematch and Andy Kolle fight.

These fighters are so close in skills that the fight is going to come down to how bad the fighters want it mentally and I think that Williams has more at stake at this point in his career.

He hates to lose and he proved that when he blitzed Quintana in their rematch and although he didn’t lose the first time a lot of people are questioning his win. He is going to want and erase that with a big win.

He also has the chance to win a title in a third weight class which very few fighters ever do. It would also give him titles from welterweight to middleweight which is a very impressive career feat.

There is also the little thing of having a potential fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Manny Pacquiao if he wins. They both seem like long shots but he will be a step closer.

If he wins the middleweight title he will have a much easier time making fights and may actually get to choose between a few different fighters.

My pick isn’t one with great confidence but I think Williams is the better fighter at this point and I pick him by a slim decision yet again.

This was originally published on www.kissingthecanvas.com.

Sergio Martinez

Birthplace: Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Resides: Oxnard, California
Age: 35
Height: 5' 10"
Reach: 76"
Current World Titles Held: Ring Magazine, WBC Middleweight (160 lbs.)
Former World Titles Held: WBO Middleweight
Professional Record: 45-2-2, 24 KOs
Record in World Title Fights: 1-0
Record in Fights Going 12 Rounds: 4-1-1

Notable Wins: UD12 Kelly Pavlik, KO4 Saul Roman
Notable Losses: MD12 Paul Williams, TKO7 Antonio Margarito

Paul "The Punisher" Williams

Birthplace: Aiken, South Carolina
Resides: Atlanta, Georgia
Age: 29
Height: 6' 1"
Reach: 82"
Current World Titles Held: None
Former World Titles Held: WBO Welterweight (147 lbs.)
Professional Record: 39-1, 27 KOs
Record in World Title Fights: 2-1, 1 KO
Record in Fights Going 12 Rounds: 3-1

Notable Wins: MD12 Sergio Martinez, TKO1 Carlos Quintana II, UD12 Antonio Margarito
Notable Loss: UD12 Carlos Quintana I

Analysis:

There hasn't been a boxing match in 2010 that has emerged as the clear favorite for Fight of the Year, but that could change come Sunday morning. That's because Sergio Martinez and Paul Williams will face each other for a second time at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Saturday night, and the first meeting between the two men produced all kinds of fireworks.

The stakes are higher this time, as Martinez will put his middleweight belts on the line. He lifted those from Kelly Pavlik in impressive fashion in April, vindicating those who felt he was the best boxer on the planet without a world title.

Williams has made no secret of his desire to try for titles anywhere between 147 and 160 pounds, but he's often found the biggest fights difficult to come by. The lanky southpaw settled for a bout last year with the equally avoided Martinez, but he almost regretted it after barely squeaking out a majority decision - aided by a suspect 119-110 scorecard in his favor.

Despite lacking serious knockout power or wide mainstream recognition, both fighters appeal to diehard boxing fans thanks to their flashy combination punching and offense-first mentalities. It helps that each man can be hit flush on occasion, Martinez due to his reliance on reflexes over solid defensive fundamentals and Williams because he's already busy thinking about his next punch.

The bout will be contested at a catchweight of 158 pounds, a fact that should please both sides. Martinez has already made it known that he prefers campaigning at junior middleweight, and 160 pounds is probably pushing it for Williams, who still maintains that he can cut to welterweight if necessary.

Martinez's Winning Strategy: Don't Be a Stationary Target

What Martinez could really use to be a downright scary fighter is for his defense to catch up with his offense. But at 35, it's probably asking too much of him to expect a sudden devotion to blocking and slipping punches.

Sergio often fights with his hands down and uses his athleticism to dodge punches, and it works for him against most opponents. He's also an excellent counter-puncher, and it would negate one of his best weapons if he was constantly trying to remain elusive.

Despite all that, it's his foot speed and lateral movement that stand out as his clearest advantages over Williams, and he could certainly put them to better use. They were the biggest reasons he was able to defeat Pavlik, and for all of his firepower, Williams is similar to the former middleweight champ in that anyone standing in front of him is playing into his hands.

Martinez will want to stand and trade at times, but he's got the tools to be more judicious about when and where he does it.

Williams' Winning Strategy: Use That Wingspan Wisely

Martinez isn't a small guy, but Williams is something else entirely. Virtually no one at middleweight or below can look him in the eye, and his long arms enable him to throw punches that people just can't see coming.

There were times during the first fight that Williams used his jab to set up his offense, but those were vastly outnumbered by moments he just went for broke and started winging power shots. Considering how often he ended up on the wrong side of Martinez's hooks and counters, he may want to rethink that balance.

No one would ask The Punisher to fight strictly from the outside. He's always been at his best when he's overwhelming his foes with a barrage of punches, and he does need to eventually get closer to pull that off.

But Martinez can't counter what he can't reach. If Williams wants to give himself an edge, he'll throw a few more shots from range before he steps up.

Nick Tylwalk is the editor and co-founder of BoxingWatchers.com. Follow his Twitter feed @Nick_Tylwalk or the site's feed @boxing_watchers.

According to a press release the most anticipated rematch of the year and quite possibly the fight of the year candidate: Sergio Martinez vs. Paul Williams II has all of the boxing world buzzing as well as many celebrities who found their first matchup to be one of the greatest fights the sport has seen in a long time.

Many boxing experts including myself actually scored the very close fight for Martinez who found himself on the short end of a political business decision loss.

I personally like Martinez in the rematch for his time has finally arrived and he's on top of the world right now with his huge dominating win over Kelly Pavlik. I will also go as far as saying I feel a win for Martinez in the rematch is much better for the sport of boxing and for HBO for several reasons that I won't go into in this article.

Las Vegas currently has the odds very close on this fight with Williams a slight favorite at 6-5 it's 3-1 that the fight goes the distance and 5-2 it ends early.

So lets see who the celebrities are predicting on the biggest rematch of the year.

"I am familiar with both fighters and believe it is 50-50 pick em. Both fighters
 have good hand speed and both have punching power. Williams has height and reach advantage and Sergio has slightly more power.  I am looking forward to seeing a great fight. Great event for HBO."—Sugar Ray Leonard, world champion in five weight divisions

"Paul Williams by a decision! If he keeps his head up this time should be an easier
fight for him."—George Foreman, two-time world heavyweight champion

"Sergio is a great fighter and Paul is very skilled, but it all comes down to conditioning for this fight. This is going to be an exciting fight that we haven't seen in a long time, well worth our money. I predict it will go the distance and the man in
the best condition will be victorious."—Tommy Hearns, World Champion in five weight
divisions

"If it's anything like the first fight it!! Should be the fight of the year! I wouldn't
miss it for the world...Martinez!!"—Actor Mark Wahlberg

"In the Words, of the great Rocky Balboa" I don't Wanna Lose what I got." Sergio
 is A champ that is strong and quick and just won't quit. KO in the 8th Sergio over
Paul!"—Actor Andre Royo, The Wire

"I think Williams is going to stop him this time and live up to his name, The Punisher.
 He knows what he has to do and use that reach to take care of business.  I think
it is either a TKO or KO before the 10th round."—Bernard Hopkins, former undisputed middleweight champion

"I like Martinez in a rematch. He appears to be a little more skillful to me."—Roy Jones, Jr, world champion in four weight divisions

"That is going to be a great fight. Sergio is going to give Paul everything he can
handle, but Paul has a lot of vengeance from the last fight. It's going to be a
very entertaining, action-packed bout, and Paul will come out on top."—Andre Berto,
WBC welterweight champion

"Going to be a great rematch but I think Williams might pull it off with a KO or majority decision, usually does well with his rematches and Martinez hasn't had many"—Amir Khan, WBA jr. welterweight champion

"Both of these guys are great talents, but I think Martinez has shown his skills and power are the superior to Williams.  I think Williams looses by 10th round TKO!"—Peter Mandfredo, two-time world champion

"I feel Paul Williams will beat him unanimously this time around. I've heard Sergio
was 176 pounds just a few days ago and needs to be at 157 is allot for a 36 year
 old."—Sergio Mora, former jr. middleweight world champion

Goossen Tutor Promotions and DiBella Entertainment in association with Caesars Atlantic City and Corona are presenting this evening of boxing Martinez vs. Williams II will be broadcast on HBO's World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT.

Tickets, priced at $400, $200, $100 and $50 can be purchased at the Boardwalk Hall
box office, or by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at ticketmaster.com.

This Saturday night at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, Sergio Martinez will take on Paul Williams for the second time in 11 months.  Their first fight was an epic duel that had both men standing toe-to-toe and giving just as good as they received.  Their twelve round phone booth type of affair resulted in the taller Williams narrowly eking out a majority decision. 

With the exception of ringside judge Pierre Benoist, who turned in an atrocious score of 119-110 in Williams' favor, most people would say that the fight could have gone the way of either fighter.  As soon as the bout ended fans wanted more from Martinez and Williams and now they get the chance to see it again, this time with the World Middleweight Championship on the line.

But it's not just a world title that makes this bout different than the first; let's take a quick look at what other factors change the landscape of their upcoming rematch.

From Plan B to Plan A

For several months prior to stepping into the ring with Martinez, Williams had actually been scheduled, and therefore, training to face then middleweight king, Kelly Pavlik.  It wasn't until Pavlik finally withdrew from the bout that Martinez was considered to be an opponent for Williams.  Essentially, you can say that both fighters took this bout on short notice.  With that being the case, there's just no way they could have been fully prepared for what was in store.  This time around there were no last minute changes;  they're getting exactly what they signed up for.  The respective training camps of both men will most likely have a completely different air to them, which could very well carry on into the fight itself.

Up Close and Personal

These guys spent 36 hellacious minutes in the ring with one another a little less than a year ago.  In their minds, they have an idea of what to expect from the other.  They also have a better idea of what worked for them as well as what got them into some trouble.  Sergio Martinez has already stated on numerous occasions that he's planning on moving out of the pocket while attacking from all sorts of different angles unlike the first time around.  If his plan of attack differs, you can be sure that the way Williams reacts to Martinez will have to change as well.

A New Beginning

Mike Tyson once said, "Everyone has a plan until they get hit."  In the first fight, both combatants came out hard and fast trading knockdowns within the first three minutes.  It appeared that any sort of game plan either guy had was thrown out the window once that happened.  They both smelled blood and went for the kill. 

If I'm correct, Martinez and Williams will start off at a slower pace which will keep both guys from straying from what was drawn up in the gym and merely relying on adrenaline and instinct, very possibly leading to a much more technical fight than we witnessed last December.

What Have You Done For Me Lately?

Both Williams and Martinez are heading into this rematch in very different circumstances than they were a year ago.  Paul Williams, often referred to as "the most feared man in boxing", was taking on a relatively unknown fighter in Martinez.  His fight with Williams put Martinez on the map and he parlayed that momentum into a title fight with Kelly Pavlik where he pulled off the upset to earn the World Middleweight Championship.  Williams, on the other hand, looked less than spectacular in an odd bout with Kermit Cintron.  The momentum is clearly on the side of Martinez as he seems to be getting better and better with each outing since his own clash with Cintron as he's fighting with a new sense of confidence.

Verdict

Given the styles of both fighters, in no way do I anticipate a boring night in the squared circle.  I still fully expect Martinez and Williams to trade enough to keep the fans on the edge of their seats, yet I can't help but feel that this time there's going to be a more skillful and tactical approach taken by both of them.  I do expect a close fight and don't plan on seeing another lopsided scorecard by a judge clearly favoring the known fighter.

Just like the first time, it's going to be a good fight and it's going to be a close fight.

But this time around it's going to be Sergio Martinez' night.

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Questions and comments can be sent to brianoblake@yahoo.com .

At the risk of having this piece be completely drowned out by Mannymania, I've decided to take a look forward to this Saturday instead of back to last weekend.

If you were looking for a fight of the year candidate from the sport's top dogs in 2010, you ended up disappointed: Floyd Mayweather was brilliant against one of the world's top welterweights, but the fight became predictable as Shane Mosley faded out in the later rounds. 

Manny Pacquiao was his normal storm of beautiful violence against Josh Clottey and Antonio Margarito, but his opponents at times looked like sparring partners and at other times simply like heavy bags.

On November 20th, however, we really have something to get excited about—two of the best boxers in the world are having a rematch of one of the best match ups of 2009. 

Problem is, nobody outside of the hardcore boxing fans are likely to notice.

Paul Williams (39-1-0, 27 KOs) has been considered a top pound-for-pound fighter for years now, but is barely a blip on the mainstream sports radar screen. Everyone seems to have a theory on this, with poor promotion being one of the most common. He's an east coast fighter that seems to fight out in California far too often, where he draws next to nothing in terms of crowds.

He also isn't the most interesting interview. While he seems like a decent enough guy, he doesn't exactly entertain you with trash talk a la Mayweather or charm you like Pacquiao.

Despite his shortcomings as a money maker, Williams is an entertaining fighter. He throws a huge amount of punches, he's constantly moving forward and he has good enough power to cause some damage. 

Add to his ability the fact that he is massive for the weight classes he fights in (6'1" with an 82 inch reach) and he is a formidable opponent for anybody from 147 to 160 pounds.

His opponent Saturday, Sergio Martinez (45-2-2, 24 KOs) is a different style of fighter, but probably no less dangerous. A former professional cyclist and soccer player, Martinez is easily one of the best all around athletes in the sport. 

This athletic ability makes up for a somewhat unpolished boxer. Martinez, who didn't enter in to the sweet science until age 20, was knocked down in both of his last two fights, and both times it seemed to be more the work of poor balance and footwork than his opponent's punch.

One of those knockdowns happened in the first round of his fight with Williams, last year.  Those who were watching certainly haven't forgotten that round, where both fighters hit the deck and the stage was set for an epic brawl.

By the end of the night, some fans were scratching their heads over the scores of Williams' majority decision win. 115-113 for Williams and 114-114 even seemed pretty reasonable, but the third score, 119-110 for Williams did not tell the story; this was a very close fight.

Since their last meeting, Williams had his bizarre showdown with Kermit Cintron, where Cintron injured himself falling out of the ring, abruptly ending the fight in the fourth round. 

Martinez, on the other hand, had the performance of a lifetime, winning the legit middleweight championship from Kelly Pavlik.

It's that middleweight title that will be on the line Saturday night, though not at the 160 pound limit, as Williams' camp demanded a catch weight, something that has become far too common in world title fights in this era.

Boxing politics aside, we have a great match to look forward to this weekend. I invite everybody to calmly set down their computers, stop arguing about Pacquiao-Mayweather on message boards, and watch a great, competitive fight that is actually happening.