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The Stage Is Set For Paul
Williams To Make History |
George
Peterson must have seen something special in the young man who came
to his gym as a teenager. This was his future world champion, the
boxer that he would put his heart and soul behind and help guide to
a title shot. As a veteran of the professional boxing world,
Peterson had a plan for young Paul Williams.
"Save it for the stage," is a term used by entertainers who save
their best for the important performances. This appears to be the
strategy Williams' trainer and manager George Peterson has taken
with his young protégé, as he prepares to take to the world stage on
HBO for his most important performance. Some may disagree with that
notion, but in a dangerous sport where so many fighters never get
their big break, WBO number one welterweight contender Paul Williams
has been carefully preserved for this very moment.
Goossen Tutor Promotions along with Top Rank have joined forces to
present Antonio Margarito (34-4, 24 KO’s) defending his WBO
welterweight belt against unbeaten Paul "The Punisher" Williams
(32-0, 24 KO’s) at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California on
July 14. The fight will be live on HBO as part of the interesting
double-header that includes Arturo Gatti's fight with Alfonso Gomez
of Contender fame that will be broadcast from Atlantic City, New
Jersey.
As the best professional boxer currently fighting out of South
Carolina, he can help open the doors for other young fighters in
this area. Unlike so many South Carolina fighters who have fallen
short when stepping up in competition, Williams has gained voluble
experience by staying on the road and in the best gyms sparring with
the top boxers of the world. I have been a witness to his work ethic
and the aura that surrounds him in a gym setting and it is something
special.
The perfect example of quiet confidence, his recent verbal jabs
appear to be more for publicity than anything. Paul Williams does
not have to sell himself with words he just needs to keep winning
and gain more TV exposure. His high intensity style will take care
of the rest.
He appears to have all the tools necessary to bring the world title
back to Aiken, South Carolina. With an incredible size advantage and
an unrivaled work rate, Paul Williams has ripped through his
opponents with relative ease. But many question whether or not his
trainer Peterson has matched him tough enough to prepare him for a
warrior like Antonio Margarito.
The only flaw in the southpaw Williams' game may be that he gets hit
too easy at times and a strong counterpunching effort from the cagey
veteran Margarito could offset some of Williams' advantages. Not
your typical lefty stylist, Williams is an aggressive punching
machine who gets right down to business, throwing combinations and
working behind a steady jab. This is something that could be a major
factor in the early rounds against the sometimes slow starting
Margarito. An early knockout victory for Williams is not out of the
question, since Margarito has shown signs of deterioration in his
most recent fight with Joshua Clottey.
My heart tells me that this will be the breakthrough fight that can
help destroy the stereotype of "southern circuit fighters," as Teddy
Atlas likes to call them. This is not your average southern fighter
and he is not the only one that will break out of here in the next
few years. Paul Williams combines the experience of a world ranked
fighter with a stubborn determination that should put George
Peterson in the running for boxing's manager of the year.
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