Photo Gallery: Fernando Guerrero vs Ossie Duran

Fernando Guerrero (pictured left), one of the most exciting young fighters in the sport was back in action last Saturday night against Ossie Duran (right).

In front of his hometown fans at a cold Arthur W. Perdue Stadium in Salisbury, Maryland, the 23 year old battled it out with the tough veteran from Ghana over 10 closely contested rounds.

Photographer Cheryl Nemazie was ringside to capture all the action.

Fernando Guerrero vs Ossie Duran

Photos © Cheryl Nemazie / cherylnemazie.com- Click on the images to enlarge. The two fighters pose for photographers at the Thursday pre-fight press conference. Guerrero brought a 15-0 record into the bout, while Duran entered with a ledger of 23-7-2. Fans peer down from their seats at the walkway leading from the dressing rooms to the grass field - normally the domain of the Class A Delmarva Shoebirds baseball club - as they wait for the fighters to make their entrance. The hometown fighter acknowledges the near capacity crowd gathered at the 5,200 seat ballpark. Below - Referee Gary Camponeschi has the fighters touch gloves before the start of hostilities. Duran proved to be Guerrero's toughest test to date, extending the youngster the full 10 rounds in narrowly losing a majority decision. The scores were 97-93, 96-94 and 95-95. Guerrero proudly shows off his first piece of professional hardware - the NABO 160 pound belt. On the under-card, Fernando's brother Alex (pictured on the right in the first photo) made his second pro-start a winning one with a unanimous decision over Rodricka Ray in a 4 rounder. The two fighters previously met back in June with Guerrero taking a majority decision.

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British Scene Weekend Recap: Macklin Annihilates Asikainen

Matthew Macklin claimed the vacant European middleweight title this past weekend in Manchester, making quick work of Finland's Amin Asikainen. Dave Oakes has the recap.

Photo © Chris Royle

Matthew Macklin became the European middleweight champion on Friday night after a stunning first round stoppage of Amin Asikainen. Asikainen was regarded as being Macklin’s toughest challenge to date but he couldn’t survive a round against an on fire Macklin.

Both fighters started cautiously, seeming happy to take a look at each other before firing the occasional range finder. That all change just after the midway point in the round when Macklin landed a huge left hook that dropped Asikainen heavily, it looked as if the fight would end there and then as Asikainen’s head bounced off the canvas.

He managed to beat the count but was on unsteady legs, the referee allowed him to box on but it was clearly only a matter of time before he was going to get stopped. Macklin finished off the job just thirty seconds later when he sent Asikainen sprawling to the canvas after two clubbing right hooks connected to the side of Asikainen’s head. He beat the count yet again, but this time the referee had seen enough and waved the fight off.

Asikainen complained bitterly about the stoppage but his eyes looked unclear and his legs weren’t exactly sturdy either. If the referee had allowed him to box on, I feel he would’ve been dropped again almost immediately.

The win puts Macklin in a great position in the rankings; he mustn’t be too far away from a world title shot. He’s in a weight division that’s fairly devoid of big names and top class talent, so you’d have to think he’d be in with a great chance of winning a world title if he can consistently reproduce the form he’s shown in his past two fights.

He seems to be targeting a fight with Sebastian Sylvester, a fighter who’s won one and lost one against Asikainen. I think Macklin stands a very good chance of beating Sylvester, especially if his promoter can secure him hometown advantage.

Check out Chris Royle's photo gallery of the main-event: Matthew Macklin vs Amin Asikainen

On the undercard...

The undercard was a collection of mismatches that provided a few highlight reel knockouts, the main one being Cello Renda’s obliteration of the previously unbeaten Sam Horton. The light punching Horton unwisely decided to stand and trade with the extremely heavy-handed Renda; he was knocked down early in the second round but didn’t seem to learn from this and walked onto a monstrous left hook just seconds afterwards.

The shot hit him with such force that he was unconscious before he hit the canvas, the referee sensibly decided not to bother with a count and waved for medical help immediately. Thankfully, after a few worrying minutes, Horton got to his feet with nothing more than his pride hurt.

Joe Murray scored the first knockout of his fledgling career, stopping the durable Delroy Spencer in the first round. Murray was teeing off on Spencer for most of the fight forcing the referee's intervention.

The undefeated Scott Quigg kept his record intact with a two round blow-out of the hapless Nico Schroeder. Quigg looks to be a top talent but needs more competitive fights than this to help him progress.

Other results...

Martin Murray bt George Aduashvili KO 1, Mark Thompson bt Gari Abajian TKO 5, Denton Vassell bt Vasile Surcica PTS, Rhys Roberts bt Steve Gethin PTS, Anthony Crolla bt Jon Baguley PTS, Andreas Evensen bt Gianpiero Contestabile TKO 5, Graeme Higginson bt Adam Kelly PTS.

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Daniel Jacobs-Ishe Smith Results

By Lee Payton

Check out our live round by round blog coverage of the show, including the Klassen/Guerrero and Malignaggi/Diaz bouts.

Daniel Jacobs and Ishe Smith gave it what they had for 10 rounds, and while there wasn't much in the way of clean punching, the fight was a little better than many fans expected. Jacobs did most of the work, while Smith came forward, finding the mark with the occasional power shot. This was the pattern for about 90% of the fight, until the final round when both men dug their heels in and went for it.

Smith's high guard, quickness and reluctance to let his hands fly seemed to give his opponent trouble throughout. While he was mostly unable to land his big stuff, Jacobs did succeed in throwing many more punches, which was enough to get the unanimous decision.

Smith seemed comfortable giving chase, he just didn't have the offensive tools to be all that dangerous. Still, he may have spoiled some other young fighters tonight. I give the younger man credit for showing a willingness to do what it takes.

With the win Jacobs goes to 18-0 (15), and Smith falls to 21-4 (9). Read more!

Kelly Pavlik vs Paul Williams is a Done Deal... Now Let's Look at the Match-up

by Lee Payton

Photo Credits: Pavlik vs Hopkins © Marty Rosengarten / Ringsidephotos.com,
Williams vs Wright © Ray Kasprowicz

Kelly Pavlik will defend the Middleweight Championship against Paul Williams, October 3, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The two camps were finally able to come to an agreement after weeks of grueling negotiations. At times it looked like they would never come together, but HBO made it worthwhile for those involved so we have ourselves a fight.

Now that it's a done deal we can start to seriously think about how it will look in the ring. Both are long, thin fighters who would rather use their stature to deliver pain than avoid it. One is a heavy right hand puncher, the other is a quick southpaw who just won't stop. The ingredients are there for a memorable evening worthy of the title on the line, which is why fight fans love it.

Questions will be answered. How is the champion going to deal with the challenger's effortless combination punching and fighting heart? Can Williams take Pavlik's "A" punch? Who is the best middleweight in the world?

I've given some thought to how these two men match up, so allow me to take a stab at determining the most significant factors on my way to picking a winner. The final result may surprise you, but that's boxing, isn't it?

Those who are backing the champ to successfully defend his title seem to be going all in on that idea that Williams will not be able to take Pavlik's punch. Given the fact that we've never seen him take a shot from a strong 160 pounder, I'd say that's fair. However, it hardly guarantees that Paul will fold when he gets tapped on the chin.

One of the biggest problems for Kelly is actually finding the homerun shot on a quicker, more athletic southpaw, who is sure to throw more punches. He may just be too busy defending himself to line up the bomb that changes everything. I'm also not convinced that his favourite shot is all that accurate (he whiffs on it quite often), nor am I sure that it's going to be there with any consistency against a tall left-hander, because it's really more of a right cross than a straight punch.

I have never seen The Ghost in there with a southpaw before, but I just have a hunch that his feet are going to be a little slow for this one.

Another strike against him is the fact that he rarely ever counters. When the opponent lets go with some offense, he responds by covering up. That's just not going to work against the whirlwind from Georgia. He loves it.

I've heard the argument that Antonio Margarito landed some good shots on Williams, so Pavlik should be able to as well because he's bigger and his punches aren't as wide. The problem with that theory is it leaves out too many details.

Margarito was never the sharpest hitter around, but he applies heavier pressure and is just plain tougher than Kelly. I think it's important to remember that Paul was in his first big fight, and has probably improved at least a little since then.

Pavlik will not go to the body or walk through punches like the gritty Mexican did. That's not his kind of fight anyway.

When all is said and done I believe we will have a brand new Middleweight Champion of the World. I think Paul Williams is going to dominate Kelly Pavlik. He has too much going for him in this particular match-up not to be considered the favourite going in.

Paul has nearly every physical advantage to go with his difficult style, but it's his fighting heart that will allow him to shake off whatever does land only to come back like an unforgiving storm.

The bottom line is that Kelly will struggle against the salvos that are headed his way. I'm going with Paul Williams to take the title with a violent late stoppage.

e-mail Lee Payton


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Breaking It Down: Hopkins vs Trinidad Revisited

Welcome to The Boxing Bulletin's new feature series, Breaking It Down.

In this first edition, Michael Nelson revisits the 2001 middleweight title contest between Bernard Hopkins and Felix Trinidad, and takes a look at just how the masterful Hopkins made it look so easy.

My friend looked at me with a skeptical eye when I said that Bernard Hopkins was going to knock Oscar De La Hoya out. "You always pick against De La Hoya," he noted.

Can't say the man didn't have a point. I had been tabbing De La Hoya to lose in nearly all of his major fights since 1997.

After trying to convince him that I was picking Hopkins more because of his tactical brilliance than my personal biases, he asked me for evidence.

I went to the Hopkins DVD set I had accrued a few years prior. There were a number of fights I could have pulled out - the fourth round destruction of the quicker, but smaller Joe Lipsy. The relentless pounding of Glen Johnson. The revenge exacted on Robert Allen after a lackluster no contest (Bernard's 'Montel Griffin II' moment). The cunning performance against KO artist Antwun Echols.

But anything other than Hopkins' masterpiece against Felix Trinidad on September 29, 2001 wouldn't have sufficed. For one, Hopkins was the underdog against a known commodity, future hall of famer, and consensus top three pound-for-pounder. He was forced to be on his 'A' game.

Two, it was a rare fight where the ring intelligence displayed was so stunning, it was apparent to those who don't watch boxing on a regular basis. Far from just running around and pot-shotting, Hopkins would outmaneuver Tito from the outside and pick him apart with jabs one minute, then outmaneuver him on the inside and pick him apart with uppercuts the next.

Let's take a look at some of the nuances that helped make my friend see the light.

:58, Round 2 - Hopkins makes his presence felt for the first time in the fight. He lands a hard counter jab, circles Trinidad without moving out of range, and lands two more hard jabs within 6 seconds. In contrast to the skittish dance around the ring Oscar presented Tito with, there's little wasted movement. At the five second mark, Hopkins lands a strong right hand that definitively gives him the round.

2:45, Round 4 - Hopkins comes out moving forward in an aggressive stance. As a consequence, he eats a counter left hand that snaps his head back, perhaps Trinidad's best punch of the fight. Hopkins decides to step back and lure Tito into traps, rolling his shoulders and landing a few of his own counter punches.

2:25, Round 5 - Naazim Richardson is calling for the 36 year old to take "the young boy to school". Bernard promptly abides. Hopkins' feints are getting Trinidad all out of sorts this round; Tito gets stuck with a jab, then bites on a feint and gets cracked with a clubbing right hand.

1:03, Round 6 - With his back to the corner, Hopkins persuades Trinidad into delivering a left hook by throwing a left uppercut and giving the impression he was open to a counter. He blocks the hook and counters with a right cross. It's not a hard punch, but old man Hops notes that Tito took the bait.

:46, Round 7 - Hopkins does a move that he's done in previous fights when he feints with a right hand and catches Trinidad out of position with a hard blow to the ear. He drops another right as soon as Trinidad regains position and slides to the side. It's a sequence that requires footwork and balance not many fighters possess.

:12, Round 8 - George Foreman, while clearly biased towards Trinidad for most of the night, makes a good observation: "All night, Trinidad has been trying to lay on Hopkins' left hand, and Hopkins seems to get his left hand out of the trap and hold Trinidad. If he's able to just lay on Hopkins' left hand once, he's gonna get him with the overhand right." Catching opponents coming out of a clinch had been one of Tito's bread-and-butter moves throughout his career. Hopkins neutralized it by pinning Tito's arms and stepping out of range before Tito could respond with a right hand. The times Trinidad did manage to lay on Bernard's left hand, Hopkins made sure to duck down and get his left up quickly enough to at least partially block the overhand right.

Whether inside, mid-range, or outside, Trinidad had much difficulty making solid contact on Bernard.

2:16, Round 10 - Hopkins revisits the maneuver he pulled in the 6th round by baiting Trinidad with a left uppercut, blocking the counter left hook, and dropping a right cross. He still doesn't throw it with full force, but it lands solidly enough to elicit a reaction from the crowd.

2:03, Round 12 - Hopkins baits Trinidad with another left uppercut, and once again, Tito bites. This time he puts all his weight into the cross and deposits him on the canvas. Felix struggles up at the count of 9, but his father saves him from further punishment. Just as Hopkins predicted.

The old professor would go on to have a few more great performances as an underdog in his career, and he may have one or two more inside of him yet. But whenever I'm asked about the purest example of the sweet science I can think of, the Trinidad fight will not be far from my grasp.

e-mail Michael Nelson Read more!

Darren Barker vs Darren McDermott Photo Gallery

This past Saturday night at The Colosseum in Watford, Dazzling Darren Barker put his Commonwealth middleweight title on the line against The Black Country Body Snatcher, Darren McDermott.

Photographer Justin McKie was ringside to capture all the action.

Darren Barker vs Darren McDermott - Commonwealth Middleweight Title

Photos © Justin McKie, click on the images to enlarge. Trainer Tony Simms prepares Dazzling Darren Barker for his Commonwealth middleweight title defense. With the bout doubling as a British title eliminator, a showdown with Matthew Macklin is also at stake. The champion on the left brings a perfect 19-0 mark into the contest. Pictured on the right, challenger Darren McDermott comes into his title challenge with a record of 16-1-1 Barker prepares to unload with a left hand during a contentious opening frame. While both fighters tried to establish their jab, it was the champion who landed the cleaner more effective punches. While McDermott gamely battled to stay in the fight, the story was Barker's combination punching. The champion consistently found the mark with straight 1-2's on the taller man's chin. By the fourth round, Barker was in control and opening up with a variety of shots. Here he catches the challenger with a left. The end came in the final minute of the fourth round - and no surprise it was a perfect 1-2 combination, with the right hand landing flush on the side of McDermott's jaw. McDermott was on his feet by the count of 7, but referee Dave Parris didn't like what he saw and called a halt to the contest. The impressive victory improves Barker's record to 20-0, and despite having protested the stoppage, McDermott is classy in defeat.

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British Scene: Cleverly, Barker and Fury Score Stoppages

It was a busy weekend in British boxing with both Sky and ITV featuring Commonwealth title contests.

On Friday, Nathan Cleverly defended his light-heavyweight belt against Billy Boyle, while on Saturday Darren Barker (pictured right) put his middleweight crown on the line against Darren McDermott.

Dave Oakes and Matt Chudley have all the details

Photos © Justin McKie

Check out the previews of both shows: Barker vs McDermott & Cleverly vs Boyle

Friday May 22 Cleverly Stops Boyle in Two By Dave Oakes Nathan Cleverly retained his Commonwealth light-heavy title on Friday night after stopping the tough but limited Billy Boyle in two one-sided rounds at the York Hall, Bethnal Green. Cleverly controlled the fight from start to finish with the much shorter Boyle unable to land a single punch of note. The fight soon settled into a pattern of Boyle trying to close the range and Cleverly hitting him with sharp jabs and straight rights before moving out of range. After a one-sided battering in the first round, you knew that Boyle was in for a hard night’s work. The ending still came earlier than most expected though, when Cleverly trapped Boyle on the ropes and began to hammer home some heavy looking punches towards the end of the second round, Boyles trainer, Glyn Rhodes, jumped in to safe his fighter from taking any more punishment. Rhodes complained bitterly about the fight being stopped, but in truth, it saved him from taking a sustained beating. The end would’ve come within the next two rounds anyway. Cleverly is scheduled to fight Danny McIntosh on July 18th for the vacant British title in what should be a much more competitive fight. On the undercard… Kevin Mitchell needed just three rounds to stop late substitute Lanquaye Wilson. Mitchell struggled to find his rhythm in the first two rounds and was looking rusty after nearly a year out due to a hand injury. He was just starting to find his feet in the third round when the referee, Dave Parris, prematurely stopped the bout with Wilson still on his feet and not looking in trouble. Mitchell had landed a couple of heavy shots but the Ghanaian had taken them well enough and in my opinion, should’ve been allowed to continue. Heavyweight prospect Derek Chisora got away with chewing on Paul Butlin’s ear to take a wide points decision to keep his unbeaten record. The controversy came in the fifth round when Chisora was tied up against the ropes with Butlin resting his head on his chest. He decided this was the perfect opportunity to have a munch on Butlin’s ear and stooped low to emulate the Mike Tyson incident of yesteryear. It was a moment of madness and one he was very lucky to get away with, he can consider himself very fortunate that the referee was unable to see it. The incident took the shine of what had been a good performance up until that point. Chisora went on win 79-72 on the referee’s scorecard but major questions have got to be asked about whether or not he’s got the temperament required to succeed against higher level opponents. e-mail Dave Oakes

Saturday, May 23 Barker and Fury Score Stoppage Victories By Matt Chudley Darren Barker impressively stopped English champion Darren McDermott this past Saturday night at the Watford Coliseum to retain his commonwealth title and set up a marquee fight with British champion Matthew Macklin. Though the eventual outcome appeared in little doubt, the ending to the fight saw referee Dave Paris at the centre of controversy once again. After Paris's contentious handling of the climax to the Martin Rogan-Sam Sexton fight last Friday, the referee angered many with his somewhat premature stoppage of McDermott. Outclassed, but still competitive, McDermott was not given a chance to continue after being put down in the fourth, despite not appearing to be seriously hurt. Before the bell it appeared that McDermott's physical attributes may cause some difficulties for the unbeaten North Londoner. From the outset though the undersized Barker used his movement and quick reactions to surprisingly out jab his larger opponent who possessed a significant height and reach advantages. By the third round, Barker had settled into a comfortable rhythm, and McDermott's lack of head movement was being punished consistently with 1-2 combinations and lead right hands. The challenger still fired back and appeared resolute, but much of his work was being caught by the arms and gloves of the champion. The end came at 2:30 of the fourth round. After catching McDermott's attention with a solid jab, Barker put the challenger down with a big right hand that landed on the side of the chin. Figuring that the fight was on its way to a predictable conclusion and that McDermott may have been shipping a few straight rights, Paris waved off the contest. With his career at stake in possibly his last big opportunity, the Black Country fighter understandably felt it was a quick call. With the fight doubling as a British title eliminator, Barker now finds himself in line for a shot at the all action Matthew Macklin after the latter's voluntary on the Khan-Kotelnik undercard. If promoters Frank Warren and Mick Hennessy are unable to agree terms the British boxing board of control will hold purse bids for the fight which is likely to take place in September or October. In an eagerly awaited co-feature, heavyweight sensation Tyson Fury (pictured left) moved into British title contention by impressively stopping fellow British Heavyweight hopeful Scott Belshaw. The wild and clumsy, but vicious swings of the Belfast fighter were way too crude to trouble the 20 year old Fury. The Cheshire youngster employed a cultured and much improved body attack to discourage and finish the previously 10-1 Belshaw at 0:52 of the second round. In a classy move, Fury opted not to pile on further damage to his winded opponent, who after being down twice in round one, was still standing but doubled over in pain from a left hook to the body at the end. On the undercard... Staying busy was Bermondsey-based middleweight Matthew Thirwall who stopped former sparring partner and good friend George Hillyard. Hillyard’s corner called it off in between the 4th and 5th rounds after a big left hook put their man down at the end of the round. Along with Coventry’s Steve Bendall, the 19-3 Thirwall is now a possible opponent for Matt Macklin on the 27th of June for his voluntary defense. e-mail Matt Chudley

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British Scene: Barker vs McDermott, Fury vs Belshaw

For the first time since Carl Froch's dramatic late win over Jermain Taylor across the Atlantic in April, Mick Hennessy's stable of fighters will be back in action.

Matt Chudley has the preview for Saturday night's ITV4 show that features Darren Barker (pictured right) defending his Commonwealth middleweight title against Darren McDermott.

Photos © Justin McKie

Check out our recap of both UK shows from this weekend: Cleverly, Barker and Fury Score Stoppages

Saturday May 23 Darren Barker vs Darren McDermott, Tyson Fury vs Scott Belshaw (ITV4) By Matt Chudley In the main-event, highly skilled middleweight Darren Barker (pictured below left doing road work with John O'Donnell), defends his Commonwealth title against Dudley's once beaten English champion Darren McDermott, while Scott Belshaw and the ever talkative Tyson Fury go at it on the under-card. While on paper Barker's title defense against McDermott may seem like a small but appropriate step-up in class for the North London native, it also indicates some serious intent and ambition from Barker and his promoter Mick Hennessy. Considered by most to be the best middleweight in the UK is the all action brummie Matthew Macklin and rather than deciding to navigate their assents in separate routes as is nearly always the case, Hennessy has received sanctioning for this upcoming defense to also qualify as a final eliminator for the British title. With Macklin under the guidance of Frank Warren and the likelihood that negotiations would be beyond complicated, Mick Hennessy is showing supreme confidence in his man by looking to drag Macklin and Warren into purse bids. First though Barker must concentrate on getting past McDermott, who at 16-1-1 holds a career best win over former reigning English champion and common opponent Steve Bendall, with his one defeat coming via an unfortunate stoppage due to cuts. Having bettered McDermott’s decision win over Bendall with a seventh round stoppage and beaten a few more accomplished fighters, Barker will undoubtedly be extremely confident but should be wary of looking beyond the black country fighter. Though billed as the chief-supporting bout, the 8 round clash between heavyweight prospects Tyson Fury and Scott Belshaw has arguably become the most anticipated bout of the weekend. Belshaw had been scheduled to fight on the under-card to Rogan-Sexton in Belfast last week but was left on the sidelines after his opponent pulled out. Having missed the opportunity to fight in his hometown and with the incessant claims from Tyson Fury that no UK heavyweights wanted to fight him, Belshaw has decided to step up to the plate. The 10-1 Frank Maloney promoted fighter presents a unique challenge for the loud mouth Fury, being that its the first time Fury will have faced an opponent of a similar size and stature. Both men are amongst the many young heavyweights to have come up against well traveled yardstick Daniel Peret. The limited but brave Peret has been able to separate the wheat from the chaff in terms of Heavyweight prospect, coming up short against the likes of Fury and Derek Chisora yet beating Larry Olubamiwo and Belshaw. While avenged, this defeated does not bode well for Belshaw as it shows that he may only be able to intimidate overmatched opponents with his heavy but extremely slow hands. Filling out the televised portion of the card are the modest but always game, under-card battlers George Hillyard and Matthew Thirwall who go for 10 rounds at middleweight. Carl Froch will return to his part-time role as ITV pundit for the evening and possibly elaborate on a future bout with Lucien Bute. e-mail Matt Chudley Check out Dave Oakes' preview of Nathan Cleverly vs Billy Boyle

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Williams vs Wright Predictions

On Saturday night, Paul "The Punisher" Williams takes on tough and crafty former World Champion, Winky Wright. Can Paul handle this class of fighter? Does Winky still have some fight left?

Here are our predictions...

I've seen deterioration in Wright since he fought Soliman. I can't imagine 20 months off is what he needed to cure his rapid decline. Couple that with the fact that an active fighter has always posed problems for Wright and I see a complete white washing.There is no possible scenario for a Wright victory in my view. Williams wins every round until the corner stops it in the late rounds. -Mark Lyons

If Wright hasn't lost much during his long layoff I think he has what it takes to beat Williams. Williams is good, but I'm not sure he's ready for a guy with an educated jab who's never been knocked out. I see a close decision in Wright's favor because Williams throws with enough volume to keep it tight. - John Vaci

I've always had a soft spot for Wright but I can't see him winning this fight. Williams is the younger, hungrier, more athletic fighter. If you add Williams' height and reach advantages and Wright's inactivity into the mix, then it makes for a one-sided fight. I think Wright's experience and mental toughness will be enough for him to make it to the final bell but I envisage a wide points decision in favour of Williams. -David Oakes

Paul Williams of today against the Winky Wright of 3-4 years ago would be a pick-em fight. Now, with Wright getting older and coming off a nearly two year hiatus, I'd give the definitive edge to Williams. How much of the old Winky's left is a bit of a mystery. But he's never been dominated or anywhere close to getting stopped since the Vasquez fight 15 years ago, and he's been in against tough opposition for the last 3rd of his career. That means something. I think he'll put a good fight. I wouldn't be shocked if Wright continued the recent trend of old fighters beating young volume punchers who were penciled in to conquer them. But with a 21 month layoff, I see Williams outworking him for a 116-112 decision. -Michael Nelson

The fight really depends on what Winky shows up and how old that Winky is. If it's the Wright who doggedly sticks to his defensive, jab and turtle shell style whether it's working or not, he will lose. But if it's the Wright who came forward and worked inside on Jermain Taylor, then I think he has a chance to make it a good fight and maybe pull the mild upset. Winky takes a lot of crap at times for his safety first approach, but he can actually be pretty gritty. I wouldn't necessarily be surprised to see Winky win the fight, but I think at this stage of the game he's not hungry enough to do what it takes, and his recent flat footed style is going to be a tough sell against Williams' bunches of punches. For Williams, he just needs to swamp Wright and keep him at bay. I expect Winky to have some moments, but for Williams to win by decision as the older man just can't keep up. -Jeff Pryor

The age and lay-off will have Winky stuck in the mud enough for Paul to beat him 9-3. He'll have to fight hard to win those rounds, and will learn a few things along the way. -Lee Payton

Williams is an exciting fighter with a ton of talent, but he's still not polished enough for me to pick him here, even against what is reasonable to assume will be a somewhat diminished version of Winky Wright. I'm taking the cagey vet in a close one. - Andrew Fruman

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Can Winky Ruin Paul's Big Plans?

By Lee Payton

Photo © Marty Rosengarten / Ringsidephotos.com

Winky Wright was the kind of fighter manager's feared most. His southpaw jab, craft and tendency to make otherwise special fighters look ordinary was enough to convince many big time players look the other way.

A decade after making a name for himself in the US, Wright finds himself in with another of the sport's very best. This time it's 6'2 fellow lefty Paul Williams, a banger from Georgia, who was thought of as the best welterweight in the world until he left the division in search of meaningful fights.

Both of these men know what it is to be "too good", and it was the familiar reluctance of others that drove the two camps toward an unlikely agreement.

At first glance it would be perfectly understandable to conclude that the younger Williams will just be too fresh for a 37 year old who hasn't fought in about a year and a half, and while I agree that Paul should be heavily favored, I'm not sure we're in for the domination many fans expect. In the 13 years he has competed on the top level, not one opponent has shined against Wright, and many others didn't even bother taking the chance.

Of course, age and inactivity create special circumstances. We've seen time play tricks with what used to be trusty legs and a sturdy chin. Sometimes the stuff that a fighter has counted on in the past just isn't there anymore, and that's the danger for an aging athlete.

However, this is a guy who has seen it all in boxing. He fought extensively on the French circuit during the early part of his pro career. In 1997 he retained his belt in South Africa against unbeaten Harry Simon, only to have it taken away in the locker room minutes later because of a "scoring error". Fernando Vargas saw his KO streak come to an end when he was enjoying his prime years. Wright was able to hush the crowd that came to see him get flattened by Felix Trinidad, and just being in the trenches with Bernard Hopkins probably means the older man has forgotten more about boxing than his young opponent knows.

For as good as the man they call "The Punisher" is, fighting someone with this kind of skill and experience is new to him. Sure, Verno Phillips was a tough nut, and a fighter I've got loads of respect for, but he's certainly never been in the same class as Wright and wasn't capable of giving Williams anything new to think about. And even though Antonio Margarito had more fights, the problems he presented were almost strictly physical.

He's gone up against one other tricky southpaw, named Carlos Quintana, and the results were wildly mixed. A sluggish effort that saw him eating way too many clean punches, was avenged in sudden fashion with a KO in 1. While blasting away a guy that had bested him 4 months earlier is obviously impressive, it doesn't wipe away the defensive lapses that have shown up in virtually all of his fights.

Wright has only one stoppage in his last 15 fights, so there is little worry of getting clipped on the sweet spot. Not that Paul's chin appears to be a concern, as it seems to be right up there with confidence as his best assets. If he needs to worry about any punch in particular, it's that bothersome right jab.

Stylistically, it's quite interesting. Neither fighter is into giving too much ground without getting something in return, which leaves you to wonder who will command the space and the pace of the combat. If they end up standing in front of each other, chipping away behind a high guard, the veteran will be getting what he wants out of the action. That said, I don't think Williams will be all that uncomfortable with what's going on, so it's up to Wright to stay with him.

As professional as he has been, it's a fighter's hubris that keeps me from picking another seasoned underdog. There have been moments like the 12th round against Jermain Taylor, and the free shot he gave Shane Mosley, that force you to wonder about his concentration. There was also a less than desperate showing in final round of a tight one with Vargas. How deep is he willing to dig at this point?

Winky is a tough guy. He's not going out easy to anyone. In fact, if I was confident that the same guy who fought Taylor was going to show up, I'd roll with him to win a close one, but how do I know that he hasn't been splitting his free time between the gentleman's club and his favorite Krispy Kreme?

I'm one of those fans who happens to think Paul Williams has "it". He's not the most technically sound or careful pug in the world, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a guy with more heart. A talented kid with a scrapper's ticker is a dangerous proposition for anyone, even a proud spoiler. With the fight on the line, I have more faith in Williams to take it, and that's enough this time.

The young, hungry man knocks off the old-timer, who teaches him a thing or two along the way.

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