The Punisher Gets Punished: Quintana Vexes Williams

I told you that Carlos Quintana (25-1, 19 KOs) would expose Paul the Punisher Williams (33-1, 24 KOs) for the fraud that he is! I am just kidding - my prediction of Williams stopping Quintana late in the fight was way off. Not only did Paul Williams lose, he was pretty much handled over twelve brisk rounds.  On my unofficial scorecard, I only had him winning four of the12 rounds.

As expected, the fight started off at a fast pace, but Paul Williams was not throwing the high volume of punches that he normally does.  The guess here is that Quintana’s slick defense, and his wicked counter right and left hands had something to do with that.  Rounds one through four consisted of Williams stalking ineffectively while Quintana was picking him off with well-timed counter-punches.  Much to my surprise, the eight-to-one favorite Williams was simply being outclassed.

…this was not the man (Williams) that I thought was the biggest threat to Floyd Mayweather…he needs to get back to basics, like moving his head.

The Punisher made a nice little comeback in rounds five and six.  However, even as he fought better, Williams’s face was paying a heavy price. His right eye was swelling, he was bleeding from the nose, and both eyes appeared to be cut.  Round seven was probably the best round of the fight with both men landing stinging punches.  But like the previous rounds, Quintana’s punches simply did more damage.

Undeterred by the incoming fire, Williams showed a durable chin and indomitable spirit, seemingly winning rounds eight and nine.  Quintana appeared to be on the verge of wilting, breathing heavily as the championship rounds approached.  However, he put up a final stand in rounds 10 and 11 and coasted in round 12.

Hats off to Carlos Quintana.  He fought one heck of a fight, and added Paul Williams to his growing victim list of former "stars-in-waiting" (Joel Julio being the other). This classy boxer-puncher now has many options in a loaded welterweight division.  Personally, I would love to see a Carlos Quintana-Joshua Clottey fight. 

As for Paul Williams, this was not the man that I thought was the biggest threat at welterweight to Floyd Money Mayweather.  By the look of things last night, he needs to get back to basics, like moving his head.  If I were his manager, I’d have him fight a tuneup and then throw him back into the fire against a Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito or Kermit Cintron.  Once-avoided, the vulnerability he showed tonight may make other contenders more willing to fight him.  Funny how things work out sometimes.

On the undercard, Andre Berto (21-0, 18 KOs) stopped an outgunned journeyman named Michel Trabant (43-3-1, 19 KOs) from Germany. As expected, it was proverbial batting practice for Berto, as he showed his full arsenal - loaded with speed and power.  Unfortunately, the fight proved very little.  I look forward to Berto’s next assignment, as long as it is a little harder than an open book quiz in geography class.