The HBO Saturday B.A.D. double dip, featuring Jhonny Gonzalez and Fernando Montiel on top, and Paul Williams-Walter Matthysse underneath, arrived wrapped in promises - and when the curtain dropped, only one stood tall among the rest.

The pre-fight propaganda looked just fine on paper - for openers, what better than a pair of undefeated welterweights with similar glowing rap sheets - Williams at 29-0, 21 whacks and Matthysse boasting 24 stoppages among his 25 kept appointments.

And the main event, bantamweights Gonzalez at 32-4, 28 by knockout in with Montiel moving up from jr. bantamweight and a rap sheet of 32-1-1, 24 - yes, on paper, this card had can’t miss scribbled all over it.

Then the bell - it’s the much taller at 6’1 Williams quickly bringing it to Matthysse behind a long right jab - the southpaw with a look of confidence and the Argentine more confused over it all.

Maybe it was one of them 24 stops in 25 outings showing its proverbial down side -  as in traveling the soft lanes, and now, looking down from above is a giant, and one that works from the port side - still, Matthysse finished opening candle with a flurry of punches.

Took no more than three stanzas to see more amateur than prospect in the Argentine with a strong chin - over the early going intermittent offense actions were looping arm punches with "Hail Mary" tags attached.

Eventually, the ongoing Williams show, from stanza five until the finishing candle ten had sapped the power in the puncher’s chance, and the look in the Argentine’s eyes spelled I wanna go home - referee Jack Reiss obliged at the 1:56 mark of ten with Williams pitching and Matthysse catching while backed into a corner.  

Closing Comments: So much for recruiting strangers with scalps taken from strange sounding places - fact is Matthysse in style and technique is the stuff novice amateurs on maiden pugilistic voyages are made of. The B.A.D. fite programming covered its keister in this pairing but little else.
                                    Paul Williams ~ has size at 6-1, southpaw advantage and reasonable punching power - the post-fite ring interview with new HBO fite hysterian Maxie Boy Kellerman saw him shouting for welter champion Margarito … maybe the Mayweather, Hatton, and some dozen others ranked above his 15th spot are chopped liver?

                                    Walter Matthysse ~ the view here is not based alone on being soundly spanked by Williams. Understandable when a first serious threat towers above and shows excellent skills and willingness to exchange serious leather. Not to mention ability to absorb whatever comes its way. The brain trust dropped the ball - corner clueless as well - camera caught one fool struggling on which end is up with mouthpiece between rounds.     

                                    Referee: Jack Reiss ~ other than repeating himself but never following up on threats, did a commendable job. By far an improvement over most working the California circuit.
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Main event a disappointment for those that ate up the pre-fite viewer trap - fact is, regardless of the impressive respective stats reflected on the resume` of Jhonny Gonzalez with 32 wins with 28 knockouts and Montiel with 32 wins and 24 by knockout, both fighters are career counter punchers.

Fighters, regardless of style, and working in a 36 or 34 bout career is stuck with what they’ve always done - counter puncher vs. counter puncher translates to what one gets in a southpaw vs. orthodox on most occasions.

So, what we got was a fight crowd in more a boo-bird mood than a go Jhonny go type atmosphere - Gonzalez the bigger of the two and reputed banger couldn’t sustain an offense and the smaller Montiel wouldn’t dare.

A slow, surprisingly boring affair between solid practitioners played out to nothing better than a twelve round two-step instead of a rock-n-roller.

Gonazalez claims the vacant WBO Bantam title via spit decision - Gonzalez 118-111, 116-112, Montiel 115-113. This unofficial had it Gonzalez 116-112 in points and 8-4 under round by round method. Regardless, says here neither has a prayer in a Rafael Marquez of IBF fame unification affair.

******* Pick here for star of the nite is Paul Williams who should move up in the rankings off impressive TKO win over past "prospect" Matthysse. Still young enough at age 24 to maybe tread water before splashing among the big fish. Smart move would be to first upgrade the already impressive skills. Could well steal rounds behind the right jab alone - handy weapon when doing biz with the serious ones.

Post Scripts: Lennox, Fran, Maxie not as yet in sync - also a weak backup to the HBO mainliners Merchant, Steward, Lampley - more like castoffs from the bush league ESPN gang.
 

GEL -    

Questions? Comments?   Email George Elsasser

5-27-2006