“What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
“I’m still the same, do everything the same, I’m just chillin in a wheelchair because I got tired of walking,” -Paul Williams- interview with Showtime Boxing
Paul “The Punisher” Williams was 41-2 with 27 knockouts before a motorcycle accident on May 27th of this year stopped his boxing career short when the accident left him paralyzed from the waist down.
Williams was scheduled to face Saul “Canelo” Alvarez this past weekend in Las Vegas before the crash derailed not only his boxing career but has changed his life in many ways. It was a fight that many fight fans felt Williams would win.
While many boxing fans including myself had the opportunity to watch the Showtime segment with Jim Gray, one thing is certain-Paul Williams is hopeful he will one day walk again.
In the ring, Williams was one of the most gifted boxers of this era. A fighter who at 6’1, could fight anywhere from 147lbs up to 160lbs- was also one of the most avoided fighters. He was known to have a high output punch work rate with most rounds of his fights averaging over 100 punches thrown a round. He dominated Antonio Margarito in 2007, when many people believed that Margarito was going to run through the lanky Williams, he shutout Winky Wright and handed Sergio Martinez his second and last loss in 2009.
Williams was also part of some other memorable fights, including his 2010 fight with Kermit Cintron, a fight that ended before it really got going when Cintron fell completely out of the ring and was unable to continue. He was also part of the 2010 knockout of the year against Sergio Martinez in their rematch in the fall of 2010, however he was on the receiving end of the highlight reel.
Regardless of Williams being on the winning or losing end of his fights, Williams will always be known for facing any and all fighters. From Margarito to Martinez and even Canelo Alvarez,Williams was a fans fighter. He never backed down in the ring and he will not back down to what life has challenged him outside of the ring.
“all this right here, this is just temporary, I’m on injured reserved right now, so don’t count me out,” Paul Williams-interview with Showtime’s Jim Gray.
And then…
On a personal note. Paul Williams was one of my favorite fighters, I recall watching him fight Walter Matthysse in 2006, a fight that he just kept punching and punching, it was that fight that I became an instant fan. I followed his career as most fight fans do with fighters and recall his 1st round demolition of Carlos Quintana in their rematch after Williams lost their first fight. I was also on hand to see Williams lose to Martinez in Atlantic City. However the most memorable Williams fight was my first fight I had the privilege to cover for MyBoxingFans.com. He faced Erilandy Lara, in a fight that many people felt he lost. However, while I scored that fight for Lara, I also could see how Williams could win as well.
No matter the outcome all I have to say from the bottom of my heart. From a boxing fan,
Thank you.