Williams looking to augment résumé as a middleweight

Rafael

By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com
(Archive)

Updated: September 19, 2008

Williams aims for middleweight statement

Paul Williams holds a welterweight world title, which he is quite proud of, but "The Punisher" has designs on dominating weight classes beyond 147 pounds.

Williams and his brain trust, including promoter Dan Goossen, trainer George Peterson and manager Al Haymon, believe he can fight at an elite level from welterweight all the way up to the 168-pound super middleweight division.

But thinking it and doing it are two different things, which is why Williams, who is 6-foot-1 with a lanky build and an 82-inch reach, is going to begin testing the theory.

Early in his career, Williams fought numerous fights as a middleweight and junior middleweight -- although never against a top opponent -- before settling in at welterweight, where he made his name.

He did that by defeating Antonio Margarito to claim his title on a close decision in an outstanding fight in July 2007. In his first defense, Williams was upset by Carlos Quintana, but then regained the title in sensational fashion via first-round knockout in their June rematch.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Williams will test his pugilistic skills in the 160-pound middleweight division Thursday.

With no big-name opponents available to him at welterweight for the rest of the year -- Margarito rejected a career-high payday of $4 million for a rematch -- Williams (34-1, 25 KOs) is going to get his feet wet again at middleweight, where he hasn't had a fight since 2001.

There was a possible fight with middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik on the table but it fell apart and Pavlik wound up signing to face Bernard Hopkins. But Williams still wanted to test the 160-pound division, so he'll fight a scheduled 10-rounder against 26-year-old fellow southpaw Andy Kolle (17-1, 12 KOs), who has won eight in a row since giving 2004 Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward a tough fight in an April 2006 sixth-round TKO loss, on Thursday night (Versus, 9 ET) at the Soboba Casino in San Jacinto, Calif.

"Paul is now looking to add to his résumé from the standpoint of simultaneously fighting within the 147-pound to 168-pound divisions, as requested by Paul," Goossen said. "Originally, we were looking only from 147 to 160, and Paul added that he believes any good challenges that can be made for him up to 168 pounds is on the table.

"Paul understands that the pool of fighters willing to fight him is very limited. He's not the most feared man in boxing for nothing. So rather than sitting back and peeling off two or three HBO dates a year, we're looking to keep Paul busy and to create opportunities. The fight with Kolle will answer some questions and hopefully open up new opportunities. People are going to see how does Paul handle a fighter that's naturally bigger."

Williams didn't sound too concerned.

"I'm facing a bigger guy, but it's nothing," he said. "I've been in with bigger guys all my life. I'm smaller, so I'm taking Andy very seriously, because I know if you take somebody lightly they can get you out of there."

In the co-feature, heavyweight contender Cristobal Arreola (24-0, 21 KOs) faces Israel "King Kong" Garcia (19-1, 11 KOs). Wins by Williams and Arreola will propel them into appearances on HBO's "Boxing After Dark" on Nov. 29, although neither have set opponents, and in Williams' case, it is not even certain which division he will fight in.

He could defend his welterweight belt, possibly against mandatory challenger Michael Jennings of England, or he could fight at junior middleweight. Goossen has been talking to Banner Promotions' Artie Pelullo about Williams challenging 154-pound belt holder Verno Phillips.

However, either of those plans could be disrupted without a victory against Kolle.

"He's bringing his A-game to the ring, I'm going to bring mine to the ring," Williams said. "It will be a big explosion in the ring. That's his weight class. I'm coming to his weight class, so he feels like he's the man in that weight. I've got to earn his respect. I've got to make him earn my respect. If I get in the ring with him, we're going to have to duke it out."

Goossen described Kolle as "A natural middleweight and someone that, believe me, is a very hungry fighter. Kolle believes that he's in this fight and can give Paul a type of challenge where he'll send him back to the 147-pound division for good."

Although he was sluggish in his first fight with Quintana, Williams insisted that his reason for taking a middleweight bout was not because of a problem making 147 pounds, as many have speculated.

He's doing it to show he's serious about fighting in multiple divisions.

"Paul wanted to make a statement in the various weight classes," Peterson said. "His whole objective is to clean out the 147-pound division and move up through the various weight classes. So that's going to be his approach to it. This was an opening, and Andy is a nice opponent for us. So we're looking for it. I'm sure it's going to be a good fight. Paul has not fought anybody his size and his reach."

Williams, 27, said he had no plans to relinquish his welterweight title regardless of the outcome next week.

"We're not vacating the 147 title" he said. "You know, we'll fight anybody in there. If we can't get any big fights at 147, we're like 'Let's go the other way.' What other weight classes can I make? That's how that fight [with Kolle] came about."

HBO's '24/7' returns

The Emmy-award winning "24/7" returns to HBO with a three-part Sunday night series that will follow the buildup to the Nov. 8 Joe Calzaghe-Roy Jones Jr. light heavyweight championship fight at New York's Madison Square Garden.

AP Photo/Jason DeCrow

After a long overdue wait, Joe Calzaghe and Roy Jones will finally duke it out.

The first 30-minute episode airs Oct. 26 (8:30 p.m. ET/PT) followed by an episode Nov. 2 (8:30 p.m. ET/PT) and the finale the Thursday before the fight, Nov. 6 (11 p.m. ET/PT).

The first two runs of the series, which followed the buildup to last year's mega-fights between Floyd Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya in May and Mayweather's December showdown with Ricky Hatton, were greeted with massive critical acclaim, as they provided exclusive behind-the-scenes access and in-depth interviews with the fighters and members of their camps as the training camps unfolded. Calzaghe and Jones have agreed to allow HBO's cameras similar access.

"We are looking forward to presenting the remarkable contrasts of these two dynamic characters," HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg said of the new series. "We will again take viewers behind the scenes as Joe and Roy prepare for this important fight. '24/7' is now a valuable franchise of HBO Sports."

Liev Schreiber, who narrated both previous "24/7" series, returns.

Although it has not been formally announced yet, HBO also plans a "24/7" leading to the Dec. 6 showdown between De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao.

Dawson feeling good, talking smack

Chad Dawson (26-0, 17 KOs), who gave up an alphabet light heavyweight title in order to facilitate his much-anticipated showdown with belt holder Antonio Tarver (27-4, 19 KOs), is already close to the 175-pound limit.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Undefeated Chad Dawson is confident he will take the light heavyweight belt from 39-year-old Antonio Tarver.

According to the Dawson camp, he weighed only 178 pounds with about a month to go before the Oct. 11 (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET/PT) fight at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas.

Dawson is physically in shape for the fight, which will air along with same-day taped coverage of the Samuel Peter-Vitali Klitschko heavyweight title bout from Berlin, and he's also in fine form as far as talking goes.

"Tarver has 28 days left on death row before he faces my two-gun firing squad on Oct. 11," Dawson said. "Instead of music, he'll be making his ring entrance to the chant of 'Dead man walking.' If they ever do a remake of 'The Green Mile,' Tarver will have the experience to play one of the death row prisoners."

Dawson outpointed Tomasz Adamek to win a title in February 2007 and defended it three times, but he relinquished it in the summer in order to face Tarver rather than take a lesser mandatory defense against Adrian "The Shark" Diaconu.

Tarver will be making his first defense of his third reign with a belt. In April, he won a belt from Clinton Woods on the same card as Dawson's final defense.

Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com.
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QUICK HITS

Torres

• A third bout between junior welterweight titlist Kendall Holt and ex-belt holder Ricardo Torres is under heavy discussion. Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told ESPN.com that he's talking with Showtime about putting the fight together for December, and offers have been extended to both fighters. Arum said the target date is Dec. 5 in Las Vegas on the eve of De La Hoya-Pacquiao. In their first meeting in Torres' native Colombia in September 2007, Torres retained a belt via a controversial 11th-round TKO in a fight in which fans pelted the ring all night with debris. In the July rematch in Las Vegas, Holt claimed the title with a savage first-round knockout in a wild 61-second fight. Holt (24-2, 13 KOs) was down twice before knocking Torres (32-2, 28 KOs) cold after an accidental head butt. Showtime was booked for the rest of the year, but Arum said that when Joan Guzman failed to make weight for his fight last week with Nate Campbell, it meant Showtime, which didn't have to pay for it, suddenly had money left in the budget. "I guess fortunately for us, Guzman saved them a lot of money," Arum said.

Chavez Jr.

• Top Rank will make its Nov. 1 pay-per-view show from Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay official at a news conference Monday in Los Angeles, but Arum outlined the card for ESPN.com. It will be headlined by a rematch between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Matt Vanda, who fought a pitched battle in July, which Chavez eked out by split decision. Flyweight titlist Nonito Donaire will face mandatory challenger Moruti Mthalane of South Africa in the co-feature. There will be three other televised bouts, including appearances by Jorge Arce, who will defend the interim junior bantamweight belt he won Monday, and rising junior welterweight Lamont Peterson. In the TV opener, 2008 Russian Olympian Matvey Korobov will make his pro debut. As long as he wins Friday night and comes out clean, Arum said junior middleweight prospect Vanes Martirosyan will also be on the card with highlights being shown.

Hearns

• Promoter Lou DiBella told ESPN.com he has a deal for his fighter Ronald Hearns (son of Thomas Hearns) to meet John Duddy in a junior middleweight fight in late January at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, as long as they win interim bouts. Although DiBella was talking to Showtime, he's now also talking to HBO, which is interested in it as a headliner for its first "Boxing After Dark" of the year. Duddy is a proven ticket seller in New York, but the proposed co-feature certainly will also help draw a crowd: an all-New York super middleweight fight between James McGirt Jr., son of former two-time champ Buddy McGirt, and "Kid Chocolate" Peter Quillin.

Jacobs

• Golden Boy and HBO are discussing a co-featured fight to open the Nov. 22 Ricky Hatton-Paulie Malignaggi junior welterweight championship fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Middleweight prospect Daniel Jacobs (9-0, 9 KOs), one of a slew of Golden Boy prospects, is likely to land the slot, Golden Boy and HBO said. The 21-year-old New Yorker with an outstanding amateur background has seven first-round knockouts in his nine fights, albeit against woefully weak opposition. He's slated to fight again Sept. 27 on the Shane Mosley-Ricardo Mayorga undercard and then take a big step up in competition Nov. 22.

Rahman

• Top Rank's Arum revealed the latest on his Dec. 13 card in Macau, China, although he said American TV plans aren't finalized. Arum hopes to lock in Mexico's Fernando Montiel to defend his junior bantamweight title in the main event against Z Gorres of the Philippines in a rematch of Montiel's February 2007 split-decision win. Ex-heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman, apparently out of the running to face David Haye, will also be on the show against fringe New Zealand contender Shane Cameron, who has to take care of Terry Smith on Sept. 27 before the fight is official. Also, if Ulises Solis retains his junior flyweight title Saturday, he'll face ex-titlist Brian Viloria. Filipino featherweight Bernabe Concepcion, who first fights Sept. 25, will also appear.

Suarez

• Affable trainer Oscar Suarez, known for his compassion toward his fighters, died Saturday after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. Suarez, who is survived by his wife Marie and their children, was 47. Suarez, whose funeral was Thursday, was best known for his work with former two-division titleholder Acelino "Popo" Freitas, who flew from Brazil to New Jersey to see Suarez in the days before he died. Suarez also worked with fighters such as Naseem Hamed, Jhonny Gonzalez and Omar Sheika. "Boxing has lost a great trainer, and I have lost a great friend," Freitas said in a statement. "We were together for seven years and we won three titles together."

Pacquiao

• Manny Pacquiao has arrived from the Philippines and will begin training next week in Los Angeles for his Dec. 6 showdown with Oscar De La Hoya. According to Top Rank, trainer Freddie Roach requested videos of De La Hoya's fights against Pernell Whitaker and Hector Camacho (both southpaws, like Pacquiao), as well as his May win against Steve Forbes. Noted cutman Miguel Diaz will join Pacquiao's corner for the fight. Diaz, 70, who has worked for a who's who of fighters around the globe, was thrilled to get the call. "This will be one of the biggest events I've ever been in," he said. "I will do all I can to help Manny. He's a real warrior who fights with all his heart every second of every round. Every member of Manny's team, including me, is convinced we will win on Dec. 6."

Lopez

• Junior featherweight titleholder Juan Manuel Lopez's first defense against Mexico's Cesar Figueroa (30-6-2, 23 KOs) on Oct. 4 from San Juan will be available on pay-per-view in the U.S. as part of Top Rank's "Latin Fury" series. Lopez (22-0, 20 KOs) scored a spectacular first-round knockout of Daniel Ponce De Leon in June to win the belt. Also on the PPV: rising junior welterweight Alex De Jesus and flyweight contender Jose "Carita" Lopez in separate 12-rounders. If Lopez wins and is healthy, Top Rank's Arum said he'll make his second defense on the De La Hoya-Pacquiao HBO PPV undercard. "He'll have two months to get ready," Arum said. "We want to make a big title defense with Lopez on that card."

Haye

• The search for an opponent for David Haye, the cruiserweight champion moving up to heavyweight Nov. 15 at the O2 Arena in London, continues. For months, numerous opponents have been discussed and negotiated with, but none has been signed because the Haye camp can't make up its mind. The most recent opponents to fall out of the running are Kevin Johnson and J.D. Chapman. Now Haye, manager/trainer Adam Booth and his American promoter Golden Boy are talking to two more opponents: Eddie Chambers and Monte Barrett, Golden Boy matchmaker Eric Gomez told ESPN.com. Chambers and promoter Dan Goossen confirmed they've accepted a deal, but they are waiting for final approval from Booth. But Booth continues to look at tapes of Barrett and may make him an offer. "We're ready to go," Goossen said. "We've accepted the fight. If they don't want it, we'll move forward with what we had planned for Eddie." Chambers is supposed to fight Oct. 3 in Philadelphia, his hometown.

Santiago

• Featherweight contender Mario Santiago (19-1-1, 14 KOs) is getting back to work. The Puerto Rican southpaw, who battled to a draw with titlist Steven Luevano in an outstanding fight in June, returns Oct. 17 (Telefutura) to face José Angel Beranza in Hatillo, Puerto Rico. Santiago's appeal to the WBO for a rematch with Luevano was denied.

Quintana

• Former welterweight titlist Carlos Quintana (25-2, 19 KOs), who upset Paul Williams to win a belt in February but was knocked out in the first round of their June rematch, will return to action looking to make another run. Quintana will fight an opponent to be named Oct. 25 in his native Puerto Rico, promoter Lou DiBella told ESPN.com. Although the fight is at 152 pounds, DiBella said Quintana may still campaign at welterweight.

QUOTABLE

McCain

"I don't think it's as good as it could be. I think pay-per-view has had unintended consequences as well as intended, and it has narrowed the viewing audience. You see this 'ultimate fighting' filling in a bit of a vacuum there. I'm a proud conservative; I still think it is the sport that needs a union, because these are the people with the shortest spans of participation. They need to have retirement benefits, and they need it as badly or worse than any professional sport." -- Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, on boxing, which he loves and has worked on pieces of legislation regarding the reform of, during a "SportsCenter" interview.