-Inside Look at the Williams vs. Martinez Rematch-
Easily the most anticipated rematch of 2010, Sergio Martinez is set to defend his newly-won WBC Middleweight Title against Paul “The Punisher” Williams in a bout to be televised live from Atlantic City by HBO on November 20. The first encounter between these two men was an action-packed engagement that brought out the best in both fighters. Rematches often fail to live up to the drama of the original encounter, largely because both fighters now know the other guy well, a factor that creates a different dynamic in the ring. For that reason and more, who might win Williams vs. Martinez II is anyone’s guess.
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Paul Williams (39-1 with 27 KOs)
29 years old, 6’1″, 82″ reach
Former welterweight champion
American
Williams has been sliding between 147 and 160 lbs. for much of his career, making the tall, lanky, long-armed warrior a true freak of nature. Where most men blessed with “The Punisher’s” kind of height and reach tend to make use of it by boxing their opponent, Williams instead applies it as a pressure fighter. The fact that Williams could ever make 147 lbs with comfort is a testament to the man’s conditioning, and throwing 100 punches a round is perfectly normal for him.
That style led him to decision Antonio Margarito, beating the Mexican at his own game in 2007, back when people thought Margarito was an indestructible monster. He dropped one to Carlos Quintana, but learning from that encounter, he returned four months later to overwhelm and smash Quintana in a single round. Williams also owns a good win over banger Kermit Cintron, as well as wins over faded names like Winky Wright, Sharmba Mitchell and Verno Phillips. Finally, in his first encounter with Sergio Martinez, Williams pulled out a Majority Decision.
Sergio Martinez (45-2-2 with 24 KOs)
35 years old, 5’10”, 76″ reach, southpaw
WBC Middleweight Champion
Argentine
After years of toiling in relative obscurity, Martinez has finally come into his own, with a big win over Kelly Pavlik in April 2010 (something I predicted, much to the dismay of Pavlik’s diehard fans). Martinez is one of those fighters who, until that moment when he was declared the new middleweight champion, never seemed to catch a break. His resume is not a good indicator of what kind of a fighter he is, despite the fact that excepting the close, hotly contested loss to Williams, Martinez hasn’t lost a fight since 2000.
For example, Martinez should have beaten Kermit Cintron in a 7th Round TKO, but was screwed out of his win in a truly wretched example of boxing officiating at its worst. Many think he also beat Williams the first time around. Martinez is a good, well-rounded boxer-puncher who uses movement to good defensive and offensive effect.
Williams vs. Martinez Rematch Preview
As previously stated, many thought Martinez won the first bout. Summing up that fight in a nutshell, Martinez timed Williams very well from the outset, and used that plus his movement to get in under those long arms and score with one or two clean, hard punches, and then get out with a minimum of fuss. Williams responded by doing what he does best: he kept going forward, throwing punches in bunches, attempting to shut Martinez down
Once Williams figured out Martinez and the older Argentine started to tire, Williams tactics started working. Although Williams was certainly the more busted-up fighter at the end of the night, he did go forward and land plenty of leather in most rounds. The results were close, so if you like a busy guy who goes forward, Williams won. If you like clear, hard shots, Martinez did.
Martinez has a psychological edge going into this bout. He feels he won the first encounter, and went on to finally win a world title. Martinez is therefore more confident than ever before, and in a rematch that can make a big difference. He also has the advantage of now being a “name,” so hopefully Martinez will not need to endure the outrage of another Pierre Benoist 110-119 scorecard.
Williams, on the other hand, went on to win a fight with Kermit Cintron in a Technical Decision. He is basically in the same place that he was in December 2009, except that now he has the memory of all those punches Martinez made him eat. It might make him a little gun shy to press the action, although that would be completely out of character for “The Punisher.” Given his height and reach, Williams also has the option of switching tracks and attempting to box Martinez by playing a jab-and-move game. It isn’t part of his standard repertoire, but of the two men, Williams has the best “Plan B.”
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Williams vs. Martinez II Prediction
The truth is, however, the fighter in the best position to improve his performance is Martinez. He is the sneakier, slicker guy, is riding a wave of success, and to top it all off he punched with great authority the first time around. Still, Williams won’t wilt and I don’t see Martinez hitting the big guy hard enough to knock him out. I see another close fight, with Martinez’s victory on all three cards cemented by a solid knockdown.
Sergio Martinez by close UD12
