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WILLIAMS PUMMELS WRIGHT;
ARREOLA BLITZES McCLINE... by George Elsasser
The HBO Saturday Special twin-bill went
as expected with both favorites delivering the proverbial
goods - Paul “Punisher” Williams showcasing his skills
round after round, in a lopsided decision win over a game,
yesterday multi-champion Ronald “Winky” Wright in the main
event, while undefeated heavyweight contender Cristobal
Arreola moved up a rung after a stanza four blitzing of
former talent Jameel McCline.
Show opens with Arreola the quicker out
of the gate finding the target with big right hands - then
stanza two it’s Arreola scoring with left hooks to the
body coupled with straight right hands to the head.
Then the veteran McCline surprises
during an action round three, as he rocks Arreola with
power punches to the head - big left hook and right hands
to get back in the game - but then come candle four with
the age 38, at 6' 6”, 270 excess poundage, McCline had
little left in the tank.
PASSING THE TORCH: HIS NAME IS
PAUL WILLIAMS... by Jeff Mayweather
Well, there always comes a time for
the old to make room for the new, and on this Saturday night
that was exactly what happened right in front of my eyes. I
was fortunate enough to go to the fight and witness the
changing of the guard as Paul "The Punisher" Williams
thoroughly dominated Ronald "Winky" Wright.
The first round it appeared as though Winky was about to
take the youngster to school but the first round would be
the only round in which Winky even looked as though he
belonged in the same ring with Williams. Williams' punch
out put was way too high for Winky to deal with. Williams
forced Winky to come out of his shell and fight if he was
going to give himself any chance of winning,
"THE PUNISHER" OVER WINKY BY DECISION.... by Bill Stephens
From the start of the fight I
got the impression the younger, fresher Williams would make quick
work of Winky Wright by the end of the second round. I have to
give credit to Winky for standing in there for twelve rounds and
taking the abuse at the hands of Paul Williams. Winky Wright's
year and a half lay off seemed to be too long for the once great
fighter.
The faster and fresher Williams dominated Winky throughout the
fight with speed and power. The twelfth round was all or nothing
for Winky. "The Punisher" continued to dominate through the last
round winning by unanimous decision over Winky Wright.
Paul Williams looked in great form and looks forward to a
middleweight championship match.
WRIGHT vs WILLIAMS: A PICK 'EM
FIGHT... by Jeff Mayweather
The fight between Williams and Wright is so difficult to pick
if you honestly access the talents of the two, and not pick
either one because as a fan you favor one more than the other.
Paul Williams, although he has already won multiple
Championships, needs to beat Winky to raise his status in
the boxing world. Williams is exactly where Winky was until he
beat Shane Mosley. Winky brings to the table intelligence
and one of the best defenses in the game of boxing, extremely
hard to penetrate or even hit clean. Still on the other side
you have youth, hunger, tenacity, will and an eagerness
to prove himself just as Winky had to do.
Will Williams be able to penetrate Winky's solid defense?
Will his volume of punches allow him to land because so many
will be coming non-stop? Will Winky's almost two year layoff
become a factor against a young, hungry lion, or will Winky
use his wisdom to not only frustrate Williams, but to take him
to school?
QUOTES FROM FINAL WRIGHT VS. WILLIAMS PRESS CONFERENCE...
Winky Wright, Former Undisputed Junior Middleweight:
"I want to fight the best, I've been out for 21 months and I'm ready to
get back in the ring."
"There won't be any playing around. I won't be just blocking, I'll be
throwing a lot of punches, a lot of hard punches on Saturday night. No
one can win a fight by just blocking."
"I'm going to win this fight."
Paul Williams, Two Division World Champion:
"I'm excited to be here fighting at the Mandalay Bay and to fight one the
greatest fighters in boxing."
"Winky can block, he can jab, but I'm going to make him work on Saturday
night."
"Its' going to be explosive."
"Old dogs can't run from new dogs and I'm gonna get him on Saturday
night."
WINKY WRIGHT AND PAUL WILLIAMS SET TO
BATTLE AT MANDALAY BAY ON APRIL 11 - TIX ON SALE NOW!
What happens when two of boxing's most feared superstars
can't find anyone willing to step up and face them?
They fight each other. On Saturday, April 11th, at
the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las
Vegas, Nevada, former Junior Middleweight World Champion
Winky Wright will look to stop the meteoric rise of
two-division World Champion Paul 'The Punisher' Williams
in a 12 round middleweight bout that is destined to land
the winner on the list of boxing's best' pound-for-pound.
Tickets priced at $300, $200, $150, $100 and $50 go on sale
Friday, Feb. 13 at 10 a.m. at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster
locations (select Smith's Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo
Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per
person. To charge by phone with a major credit card,
call Ticketmaster at (702) 745-3000. Tickets also
will be available for purchase at www.mandalaybay.com or
www.ticketmaster.com.
WILLIAMS vs WRIGHT: "BLACK, SOUTHPAW AND GOOD" ...
by Martin Wade
Paul Williams is actively campaigning in three divisions,
and this alone, by definition, is pound for pound conduct;
yet, there are men ranked ahead of Williams that won't
even mention him. How unmentionable is the name of Paul
Williams? In an era where everyone seems to be jumping up
and down the scale nobody seems to land in the ring with
him. With Paul willing to go as far up as 168 lbs, I am not
sure that even a champion in waiting like Andre Ward would
take on the risk. Wright, who is gaining more of a
reputation for "pricing himself out" of fights, will
literally be fighting to save a career that only a guy
like Williams can appreciate. Based on Winky's late career
walk-down approach and Williams sitting down on his
punches at 160 lbs. I think this fight is a Cinderella
pick for Fight of the Year. For those of us who allow
ourselves to be marketed to, don't let perceptions harden
you into making limited assessments based on dated
criticisms. I love Larry Merchant but I won't let past
knocks against Wright and Williams cloud what I see
shaping up as a great fight in 2009.
UNDERCARD...
Before world champion Paul "The Punisher" Williams and Winky Wright enter the ring on
Saturday, April 11th to battle it out at the Mandalay Bay
Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, three of boxing's up and
comers will look to impress ringside observers as they continue their
move up the boxing ranks.
In a super middleweight bout scheduled for four rounds,
2008 United States Olympian Shawn
Estrada (3-0, 3 KOs) will look to keep his knockout streak
intact when he battles Las Vegas hometown favorite Thomas Rittenbaugh
(3-2-2). A six round junior welterweight bout will see
Mike Dallas Jr. (6-0-1, 1 KO)
take on another local Las Vegas fighter, Terrance Jett (4-12-2, 2
KOs), and unbeaten super bantamweight
Rico Ramos (8-0, 5 KOs) puts his perfect record on the line
against Gino Escamilla (5-4-1, 2 KOs) of Laredo, Texas.
HBO will open the broadcast with the most significant step in the
career of the undefeated heavyweight Cristobal Arreola when he
faces the very dangerous former four-time world title challenger
Jameel 'Big Time' McCline.
The event is being presented by Golden Boy Promotions, Goossen Tutor
Promotions and Winky Promotions with the Arreola vs. McCline bout being
presented by Goossen Tutor. HBO World Championship Boxing will air live beginning at 10:00pm ET /
7:00pm PT.
Questions? Comments? Post them in BRC's new Message Board...
4-2-2009
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