Moments ago at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Sergio Martinez successfully defended his middleweight crown with a beautiful second round knockout over Paul Williams. The Argentinean stylist delivered a sweeping left hand that Williams never saw coming and the Aiken, South Carolina native went crashing to the canvas without beating the count. With the victory Martinez avenges his December 2009 defeat to Williams at the same venue and also shows that at the age of 35 he is still blossoming as a fighter.
The first encounter between the two men was a wild, back and forth battle that saw each man absorb much leather, with Williams ultimately pulling out a majority decision victory. It looked like we would be in for more of the same on this night as the first round was full of heated, calculated action. The crushing blow that Martinez would deliver one round later was both shocking and worthy of consideration for 2010?s knockout of the year.
<--- Slideshow: Does Sergio Matinez want a fight with Pacquiao? A look back at Manny's finest moments
Now 46-2-2 with 25 knockouts as a professional, Martinez insisted the difference between this night and the first time around was a simple killer instinct that he unleashed from the get go.
?What happened was I started to attack. I was waiting for his mistakes,? he insisted.
HBO?s Max Kellerman asked Martinez what was in store for his future and he didn?t seem to fully known, instead opting to soak up the aftermath of tonight?s victory. Kellerman pressed the question further, asking how low Martinez would be willing to come down in weight to meet either Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather and the champion showed obvious interest.
?I want to hear offers and see what comes my way. I want to rest a little bit. We have to hear offers. 156 would be fine but I want to hear the offers.?
The win was a deflating one for Williams, who has lost a lot of momentum in the past twelve months. His record slips to 39-2 with 27 early outs after tasting his first knockout defeat and he seemed slightly dumbfounded as to what exactly happened.
?Just got caught with a punch, man. He caught me with one I didn?t see?
At 29 years of age Williams is now considered a veteran in the sport and he will have to go back to the drawing board to reassess his career aspirations. Williams can take heart in the fact that several champions have come back from stoppage defeats and his action style will always be welcomed by viewers. We?ll be seeing him again.
