20-20 Hindsight: After Watching Winky's Beatdown, Who Wants to Fight Paul Williams Now?

When Winky Wright actually admits he's been beaten, that's saying something.

I had to leave for work right after the tenth round of the Paul Williams-Winky Wright fight on Saturday, but I had seen enough by then. As I walked out the door, I told my brother Spartan117 that I already knew what was going to happen: Williams was going to win by decision and Wright was going to complain about it.

Turns out I only got the first part right. The man AP writer Greg Beachem correctly pegged as a "notoriously sore loser" wasn't sore at all (except in the face, probably), admitting that the lopsided scores turned in against him by the judges were correct.

Wright was flummoxed by punches thrown from impossible angles. At one point, Williams threw a left uppercut under his own right arm, which was being held by his foe. The ref was so taken aback that he instinctively issued a warning to Williams.

Winky also acknowledged that while he was ready to face a lot of punches, he didn't understand it was going to be quite that many. The volume that Williams delivers really needs to be seen to be believed.

Before we get too carried away, I should stop short of making it seem like Williams is invincible. I'd stop way short of saying what promoter Dan Goossen said when he called his fighter the best in the world, regardless of weight.

His defense is a little sloppy, for one thing. Though he's quite capable of enough head and leg movement to prove evasive at times, Williams got tagged a number of times by a fighter nearly ten years his senior. He seems to have a sturdy chin but hasn't exactly faced tons of noted one-punch KO artists.

That's nitpicking though. Williams' blend of activity, offensive variety and conditioning are tough enough, even without considering his freakishly long reach and the fact that he's a lefty.

He comes across as likable as well, so he should be on his way to becoming a true star. One problem: most boxing scribes agree (as do I) that his near blanking of Wright isn't likely to make other top boxers want to fight him - which was already difficult before Saturday.

One thing Williams does have going for him is that he seems like he will actually be able to pull off his team's plan to fight anywhere between 147 and 160. With that in mind, I've brainstormed some possible opponents at welterweight, junior middle and middleweight and separated them by likelihood:

147 pounds:

Intriguingly possible - Miguel Cotto - He seems like the kind of guy who would relish the challenge, and if he convincingly gets past Joshua Clottey, his stock will be back on the rise. Cotto is also a big enough star to sell tickets if the fight is held in the right place (say, NYC).

Doubtful - Shane Mosley - Sugar Shane supposedly already nixed fighting Williams in the past. He's close to the end of his career and wants to take only the biggest money fights, which probably rules out The Punisher.

No freaking way - Antonio Margarito - He's suspended, and he's already lost to Williams once.

154 pounds:

Intriguingly possible - James Kirkland - Perhaps enough of a badass to say to himself, "I don't give a f---" and just wade through punches to go after Williams. Hard-hitting Alfredo Angulo may fit that description too, but he's less likely to be ready for such a big step up.

Doubtful - Vernon Forrest - The Viper just pulled out of a fight due to injury and is even older than Wright. Plus even he is shorter than Williams.

No freaking way - Oscar De La Hoya - It's funny just to think about the Golden Boy facing down 100-plus punches a round.

160 pounds:

Intriguingly possible - No one comes to mind, unless Bernard Hopkins jumps in a time machine and rewinds the clock by about ten years.

Doubtful - Kelly Pavlik - Team Pavlik seems to be content with a safer path for Kelly for the time being. If he and Williams cross paths, I'm guessing it will be a couple years down the road.

No freaking way - Arthur Abraham - Right now it's tough to get him to come across the pond to fight the much more conventional Pavlik. Think he's going to do it to try to solve Williams? Me neither.

Posted by The Franchise

Wright v. Williams: Round by Round

The main event is here. Winky Wright versus Paul Williams is live from Mandalay Bay. There are lots of fighters in attendance tonight: Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley, Ricky Hatton to name a few. The fighters are about to make their way to the ring.

Paul Williams enters first. He's coming out to something by T-Pain and has a big smile on his face. He looks comfortable.

Before Winky enters, HBO shows a background video for him. He says he has some unfinished business in the sport of boxing. Winky comes out to "The City is Mine" by Jay-Z and Blackstreet.

The intros are finished, it's about to start.

Round 1

Winky looks to be in better shape than I thought but not the best he's ever looked. Williams starts the action first with a lot of jabs. Winky tries to establish his own jab. Winky is smiling. Williams throws an uppercut and Winky blocks. Winky still has the grin. Tons of punching from Williams. Winky lands a great right hand. Now a left. They both land cleanly. Winky has landed the better punches but Willliams has been the aggressor. Williams should be using more head movement.

Spartan117: 10-9 Wright

Round 2

Williams comes out with a smile of his own. Williams lands a jab. Williams throws a four-punch combo and lands maybe two. Williams is punching like a madman. Williams throws about a six-punch combo and lands four or five. Williams is really working Winky this round. Winky hasn't landed a meaningful punch yet in Round 2. Now he lands a jab. Paul keeps the punch output up. There is already some swelling on the face of Winky. Williams lands a great left uppercut that knocks the head back of Wright.

Spartan117: 10-9 Williams

Round 3

Williams wastes no time throwing. He throws a three-punch combo. They trade punches now in the center. Each lands one good one upstairs. Winky tries to get his jab going. Winky lands a left hook and Winky clinches. Winky lands a right hook. Winky lands a right counterpunch. He follows up with a left. It doesn't look like it hurt him. Williams goes back to his big combos. Winky isn't throwing any punches to the body.

Spartan117: 10-9 Wright

Round 4

Williams is throwing a ton of punches as usual. Williams is throwing about 10 punches for every punch that Winky throws. Winky lands a good left-right combo. Williams is busier but Winky is landing the better punches. This has been a tough round to score. Williams throws some good shots to the body.

Spartan117: 10-9 Williams

Round 5

Williams comes out firing again. Winky is blocking a lot of jabs out there. Winky lands a left hand. Williams lands a left and right to the body. This has been a good round for Winky, maybe his best. Williams is still working hard in there. Winky is landing good, meaningful shots.

Spartan117: 10-9 Wright

Round 6

Winky comes out swinging this time and Williams is ducking and dodging. Williams just landed three out of a five-punch combo and the fighters swing away. Williams got the better of the exchange. Winky goes back to the jab. Williams lands a straight left. Winky shakes his head. Williams is moving a lot now. Williams lands a left hook and a left uppercut. Wright lands a right hand to the body. Another tough round to score.

Spartan117: 10-9 Williams

Round 7

Williams throws the jab first. Williams has thrown twice as many punches compared to Winky so far. Winky lands a jab. The crowd starts to chant Winky's name. Winky lands a straight right and Williams lands one of his own. Not many meaningful shots landed so far in this round. Williams lands a double jab. Now Winky goes on the aggression and lands a left hand. Williams keeps busy and lands two shots.

Spartan117: 10-9 Williams

Round 8

For the first time, Winky doesn't come out swinging. Williams now lands a jab. Williams lands a stellar right hand and wobbles Winky. It was his best punch of the fight. Williams tries to end it. Winky is still fighting strong. He looks fine now. This has been a great round for Williams. Winky's face really looks like it was in a fight. No cuts yet though. They exchange in the center to end the round.

Spartan117: 10-9 Williams

Round 9

Williams is still grinning and he has a reason to. Williams lands two punches upstairs and one to the body. He looks very comfortable in there. Winky throws two shots and Williams laughs. Now Williams is throwing and landing like crazy. Winky holds as he usually does. Williams refuses to stop punching. Winky makes it out of there. Winky comes back and lands a left hand. Williams shrugs it off. Williams lands another left-right combo. Another great round for Williams.

Spartan117: 10-9 Williams

Round 10

More swelling forms on the face of Winky. Williams comes out stronger than he has in any round thus far. A lot of the punches have made it through and Winky is getting rocked. Winky isn't landing enough to win these rounds. Williams is dominating down the stretch. Winky hasn't given up and he throws a few punches but they miss. Williams throws a bunch of hooks and one or two make it in. Winky lands a left hook. Williams comes right back and throws six more. I can't get over how busy Williams is.

Spartan117: 10-9 Williams

Round 11

Winky throws the first jab. Williams throws a counterpunch that lands cleanly. He isn't letting up. Williams lands a great right hand. Williams throws another left-right hook combo and Winky shakes his head. Williams throws another combo but Winky blocks it. Williams winds up his left hand but doesn't unleash it. Not much happened, but it's still Williams' round.

Spartan117: 10-9 Williams

Round 12

Williams' face looks fine. Both trainers tell them to let everything go. They trade power punches in the center of the ring. Williams gets the better of Wright. Williams is, as you can imagine, throwing more punches. Wright looks a little tired. Williams wants the knockout. Williams lands a good right hook. There is about a minute left. Williams lands another left-right combo. Williams throws another great combo. They trade in the center to end the fight. That round is tough to score.

Spartan117: 10-9 Williams

Spartan117 scores it 117-111 for Williams.

The judges score it 119-109 and 120-108 twice, all for the winner by unanimous decision, Paul "The Punisher" Williams.

Williams says that he felt great and stayed with his game plan and outworked Wright. He said he's ready to fight any middleweight in the sport.

Winky says he felt good. Williams just threw too many punches. Wright said that Williams can face anyone in the sport. Wright added that this will definitely not be his last fight.

Posted by spartan117

Williams-Wright and Arreola-McCline Live Round By Round Updates Tonight

It's Easter weekend, so you know what that means: boxing!

Okay, so there's no connection that I know of between Easter and the sweet science, but there is actually an intriguing card on HBO tonight. Two much-avoided lefties do battle when Paul Williams meets Winky Wright, preceded by a heavyweight clash between Chris Arreola and Jameel McCline.

If your holiday plans keep you from getting to an HBO-equipped television, Spartan117 and I will be doing live round by round updates. Look for new posts out on the main page beginning shortly after 10 pm Eastern time.

If we get a chance, we'll also recap the first episode of the always excellent 24/7, which debuts tonight with a look at the preparations of Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton.

Posted by The Franchise

Predictons: Williams-Wright and Arreola-McCline

The Franchise says...

I hate picking against Winky Wright. I've done it before and felt like a dope later, as Winky's style, defense and height added up to frustrate another opponent.

Still, there's reason to think things will be more than a little different on Saturday night when he faces fellow southpaw Paul Williams. The Punisher throws a never-ending stream of punches, he packs a harder wallop than he's given credit for and - this may be the most important part - he's even taller and lankier than Winky.

He's also younger than Wright by more than a decade, and he's stayed busy by fighting four times in 2008. By contrast, we started this blog in November of 2007... and you still need to go back another four months to find the last time Winky stepped in the ring.

The one thing I could see tripping Williams up is overconfidence, as he's had a pretty easy go of it since avenging a loss to Carlos Quintana last June. If he sees Wright as a difficult puzzle to solve, I think he's got enough tools to do it.

Maybe. At least I feel good enough to pick Williams to come away with the unanimous decision.

On the undercard, people are so desperate for a bright young American heavyweight prospect to come along that they are willing to back one who pretty much admits he often prefers eating to training.

I've been wondering if there's a night when that attitude would catch up with Chris Arreola, and Saturday could be it. If he takes Jameel McCline too lightly, his undefeated record and his buzz could both vanish.

And yet this is exactly the kind of fight that Arreola needs to win if he's exepcted to be taken seriously in the division. McCline is a good but not great fighter, and a big step up from the competititon in Arreola's previous two outings.

Maybe this is blind faith, but I'm looking for Arreola to at least partially step up to the challenge. I think there may be some rough patches but Arreola will emerge with a mid-round KO.

Posted by The Franchise

Spartan117 says...

I have been looking forward to tonight's fight since it was announced months ago.  I'm a fan of Williams' style, technique and personality.  Winky has been enjoyable to watch too even though most of the boxing community may disagree with me.  Winky has personality and some up-and-comers could learn from him in that department.

Although I like watching Winky, he has been known to slack off between fights.  Now he fights tonight in the first time in almost 2 years.  I can't see him being in top form tonight.  He loves Krispy Kream Donuts and he loves Dominos Pizza.  I'm sure he enjoyed a lot of both of those foods during his time off.  

Williams fought 4 times last year.  He'll be in better shape and has more natural punching power.  I see Winky suffering from serious ring rust and Williams taking advantage.  I predict Williams catching Winky in the mid to late rounds.  Williams by mid to late round KO.