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Big Stakes For 2 Fighters
By Nat Gottlieb Courtesy of HBO.com
Of the two, Williams’ fall from grace was far more dramatic.
One second he was the aggressor and building up points, the
next he was out cold on his back, victim of a Sergio
Martinez left hook to the head that he never saw coming.
Lara, a Cuban defector and 2005 amateur world champion, was
steamrolling his way to the top, having beaten all 15 of his
opponents, including the last four by first round knockouts.
Then he took on rugged Mexican fighter, John Molina, whom he
was supposed to beat, but narrowly escaped with a draw. What
was most surprising was the lackluster effort by the
normally aggressive Cuban, who seemed content for long
stretches to let his opponent dictate the pace. When both
fighters’ arms were raised at the end, suddenly Lara didn’t
look like the sure bet to be world champion so many
predicted he’d be.
The 29-year-old Williams (39-2, 27 KOs) had already been a
champion, but many wonder how he will come back from such a
devastating knockout. Other fighters who have suffered
similar losses were never the same. Williams, however, was
apparently so unfazed by the defeat that he partied after
the post-fight press conference.
“We went to a little meet-and-greet party, met with fans and
signed autographs and then had fun in the casino,” Williams
says. That may have been surprising to some, but not to his
trainer, George Peterson. “Paul just came to the realization
that these kinds of things can happen and was ready to move
on.” Although Williams might have quickly forgotten the
fateful second round blow last November, many others didn’t,
including Ring Magazine, which named the one-punch kayo the
2010 “Knockout of the Year.”
Williams was far less impressed with the shot heard around
the boxing world. “That punch was like a Hail Mary pass a
quarterback throws in football,” Williams says. “He just
caught me on the perfect spot on my head.” Peterson also
downplayed the punch. “Paul had been pressuring him real
good, so in desperation he just threw that shot hoping it
would land.”
Not only is Williams getting right back on the bicycle, but
will be fighting Lara (15-0-1, 10 KOs) in the same arena he
got knocked out, Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall. Unlike
other top fighters who have suffered stunning defeats,
Williams did not take an easy fight back. Lara, when he is
on his game, is a handful. “Paul is a fighter, and it don’t
make no difference to him who he fights,” Peterson says.
“He’s a throwback to the old-time champions who would fight
anybody.”
Like Williams, Lara certainly didn’t take a gimme in his
return to the ring. Going from Molina (18-4-2) to Williams
is a huge step up, indicating his handlers still have great
confidence in him. Ronnie Shields, who trains Lara, claims
Williams had been ducking him and now sees him as safer
fight. “We never hesitated to take this fight, not at all,”
Shields says. “The draw with Molina in which Lara didn’t
look as good as he was supposed to could turn out to be a
blessing in disguise. The only reason Williams’ people took
Lara was because he didn’t look good. We had offered to
fight him before, and he said no. Now all of a sudden he
wants to fight him?”
Chances are very good Williams will not see the same Lara he
did against Molina. Although Lara dismissed the draw in the
post-fight press conference as “an off night,” Shields says
there was a more solid reason why he looked sluggish in the
ring. “For that fight I had no chance to train him. He was
supposed to come down here (Houston) for six weeks, and
didn’t. Instead he trained in Miami by himself. As a result
he wasn’t in the right shape and paid the consequences. This
time we will have had eight weeks together, and he’s been
working hard with his conditioning coach, Edward Jackson, to
get his stamina back up to where it’s supposed to be.’
Prior to the Molina fight, Lara had looked like the total
package. The heralded amateur, who would’ve been one of the
favorites in the 2008 Olympics had he not defected, is an
exciting fighter who works well behind a crisp jab, has
excellent hand and foot speed and power to spare in both
hands. He is also a strong counterpuncher, which might serve
him well against the overly-aggressive Williams, who
typically throws 100 punches a round. “We will use Williams’
aggressiveness against him,” Shields says.
Williams, on the other hand, will be a “tall” order for
Lara. At 6’1 with a heavyweight’s reach of 82 inches,
Williams is much bigger than the 5’9 Lara. That being said,
Williams generally gives up a lot of his height by leaning
over and fighting up close, which negates the size of his
arms and doesn’t allow him to utilize his long, hard jab.
Lara also has a flaw which could play to one of Williams’
strength. When the Cuban has his back to the ropes, he tends
to bring his gloves up high by his ears and leans forward,
leaving him in perfect position for one of Williams’ jarring
uppercuts.
Williams says it doesn’t matter what Lara has in his
arsenal. When the going gets tough, Williams expects his
experience under fire from top quality opponents like
Antonio Margarito, Carlos Quintana, Kermit Cintron and
Martinez will make the difference. “I’m going to go in there
and do my thing,” Williams says. “I ain’t worried about him.
I know you can’t walk into the ring and not get wet. Now
we’ll see if he can get wet and weather the storm.”
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