Dan Goossen said he?s moving on, and the veteran promoter is right to do so. He needs to make boxing fans quickly forget the stench that was in the air in Atlantic City, N.J., on Saturday after the decision was rendered in the Paul Williams-Erislandy Lara fight on HBO.
Goossen suggested that Lara, a Cuban defector who did everything in the ring Saturday at Boardwalk Hall but separate Williams? head from his shoulders, should fight Carlos Molina next. Lara drew earlier this year with Molina, who on Saturday in Carson, Calif., routed Kermit Cintron.
Goossen was trying to put some world-class spin on Williams? majority-decision victory over Lara in a fight that Lara won handily. Judge Al Bennett scored it six rounds apiece and had it 114-114. He was overruled by judges Don Givens and Hilton Whitaker, who had it 116-114 and 115-114, respectively, in favor of Williams.
That was an unconscionable decision that has led many to question whether Williams? high-powered team played a role in it. For the record, I don?t think there was anything fishy going on other than incompetent judging.
HBO?s unofficial judge, Harold Lederman, had it 117-111 for Lara. Yahoo! Sports called it 116-112 for Lara after watching the fight four times. The person running the HBO Boxing Twitter account tweeted only minutes after the fight had ended, ?911? I?d like to report a robbery.?
The only advantage ? the only one ? that Williams had was volume. Williams is always a high-volume puncher and Saturday was no different. He threw 1,047 punches to 530 for Lara, according to CompuBox. That?s a big advantage.
But Lara outlanded Williams, 224-200, and landed by far the harder shots. Lara did far more damage and Williams was hurt several times in the fight. Lara was never hurt. Lara connected at 42 percent, an incredibly high percentage against a world-class fighter, while Williams connected on just 19 percent.
Lara connected on 28 percent of his jabs to just 14 percent for Williams. Lara landed 49 percent of his power punches to 21 percent for Williams.
HBO analyst Roy Jones Jr., whose loss in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, remains one of the most outrageous examples of poor judging, didn?t hold back his thoughts after the decision.
?Paul Williams didn?t win a decision here,? Jones said. ?This is what is wrong with boxing now. This is one of our problems. We don?t do athletes justice. I mean, if he won, he won. If he lost, he lost. For goodness sakes, how can you do this to a guy? This feels like Seoul, Korea, all over again.?
Goossen defended the call and said while he thought the fight was close, he agreed with the verdict in favor of Williams. He said the public was swayed by the announcing team?s commentary in favor of Lara and said that when he was watching the replay, his 12-year-old son, Rex, turned to him and asked why the announcers were being so mean to Williams.
Well, Rex, it?s because he got his butt beaten and he was given a decision he didn?t deserve. That?s why. Goossen said he thought Williams won five of the first six rounds and pulled it out by taking the 12th.
?I could never be a criminal defense attorney for O.J. Simpson or that woman in Florida, Casey Anthony, because I couldn?t stand there and sell something I didn?t believe in,? Goossen said. ?The fact is, the three judges were not on Twitter. They were not texting. They were not communicating with anyone and they all came up with similar scores.?
Goossen said he?s going to move on and won?t consider a rematch with Lara, though Jones said on the air he thinks Williams should retire.
Jones said late in the fight during an exchange with Max Kellerman that he felt Williams? life was in jeopardy.
Kellerman: ?There?s a good probability this is the last we see of Paul Williams in a boxing ring.?
Jones: ?I hope it is. He?s taking a real killing here tonight. I wish his corner would stop it before he gets knocked out. It?s not safe for him. He?s not about to win and this kid is really teeing off on him right now. Those shots take a lot out of a guy?s life.?
That?s a bit melodramatic, but the point is clear: Williams got a gift. The call won?t be overturned, because it?s a judgment call. However, Lara clearly deserves a rematch. If Goossen, HBO and Williams? powerful adviser, Al Haymon, don?t give him one, than there is a simple solution: Boycott Williams? fights. Don?t buy tickets to them. Don?t watch them on HBO. Write to Goossen and HBO?s Kery Davis and let them know how you feel and demand a rematch.
Williams may romp in a rematch, but it?s the only way to right this wrong. If Williams has any integrity, he?ll demand the rematch to prove that he is the better man.
Don?t hold your breath waiting for him to do that, but fans should pressure the powers that be to make it happen.
Hooks ?n? Jabs
? One-time welterweight champion Kermit Cintron returned to the ring on Saturday in Carson, Calif., after signing with Top Rank following a May 8, 2010, loss to Paul Williams in which Cintron was knocked out of the ring and couldn?t continue.
Promoter Bob Arum praised Cintron?s conditioning before the fight and said most of Cintron?s problems were the result of ?typical media assassination.? But then Cintron went out and was beyond horrendous against Carlos Molina in a bout that left trainer Ronnie Shields shaking his head.
Molina won eight of 10 rounds on all three judges? cards, and it looked as if Cintron could not have cared less.
Someone close to him needs to have a serious talk with Cintron about retirement.
? I?m just not buying this talk about a Wladimir Klitschko-Chris Arreola heavyweight title fight later in the year. Arreola was lackluster in a win over Friday Ahunanya on Saturday and later apologized for his performance.
Since losing to Vitali Klitschko on Sept. 26, 2009, Arreola defeated Brian Minto, lost to Tomasz Adamek and then defeated Manuel Quezada, Joey Abell, Nagy Aguilera, Kendrick Releford and Ahunanya. If that is enough to get one a shot at the heavyweight title, the division is in far worse shape than I thought.
? Urbano Antillon likely will never win a world title, but say this for him: He?s more exciting to watch than 99.9999 percent of the guys who have belts.
? Arum wants World Boxing Association lightweight champion Brandon Rios to fight against on Nov. 12 on the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez undercard. Rios, though, is likely to take at least one more bout before the Nov. 12 match.
? I loved Rico Ramos? one-punch knockout of Akifumi Shimoda in the seventh round on Saturday in Atlantic City, but I didn?t like what I saw from Ramos in the first six rounds.
? Congratulations to Ricky Hatton on his official retirement last week. He wasn?t a great fighter by any stretch, but he sure was fun to watch.
? Boxing suffered a big loss last week when Boston Herald columnist George Kimball died of cancer. He was a larger-than-life figure who wrote about the sport with passion and grace. His book, ?The Four Kings? on the Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran and Thomas Hearns rivalry, is a brilliant example of his depth, passion and insight.
Readers always write
How do fighters get seriously injured?
I watched the Paul Williams-Erislandy Lara fight on HBO and I still can?t believe Williams won. That had to be fixed. But my question is not about the decision but rather about something HBO commentator Roy Jones said. He was talking about the possibility of Williams being injured. I notice they didn?t say anything [about] Akifumi Shimoda possibly being injured after he was knocked out by Rico Ramos with a crazy wild left hook. Why would they be worried about Williams but not about Shimoda?
Don T. Philadelphia
Fighters generally suffer traumatic brain injuries when they?ve been repeatedly hit in the head, round after round after round. A one-punch knockout, like Ramos landed on Shimoda, looks scarier, but in fact is safer for the boxer. He doesn?t take any more punishment and will have a chance to recover. But Jones was referencing the clean left hands that Lara kept landing. The brain rattles against the skull in those types of situations and too much of that leads to injury. I have been at ringside for far more fighter deaths than I care to think about. In 2005, International Boxing Federation lightweight champion Leavander Johnson died after a bout with Jesus Chavez when Chavez repeatedly pummeled Johnson in the head. That was the kind of thing Jones was worrying about, though I think he got carried away on Saturday. The concern for fighter safety, though, is appreciated and welcome.
Will Williams walk away?
Do you think Williams walks away after Saturday, or does he get another big payday? Does a (Kelly) Pavlik matchup make sense? Nick Flaspohler Cincinnati
I have no reason to think he?ll retire, Nick, nor do I think he has reason to do so yet. He?s only 29 and he hasn?t taken a ton of punishment in his career. He doesn?t look like the same fighter he was, but I don?t see the indictors of wear and tear like I see on some guys. He?s going to shoot for a fight with Sergio Martinez, but even if he doesn?t get it, I believe he?ll fight at least once more. I don?t see him meeting Pavlik. Pavlik is fighting at super middleweight now and plans to take on Lucian Bute in the fall.
Plans for Rios
After watching Brandon Rios? win over Urbano Antillon on Saturday, the fight I have to assume that people are going to be clamoring for is for him to face Juan Manuel Marquez (depending upon the outcome of Marquez?s fight with Manny Pacquiao in November). I would love to see that fight, but I was wondering what you think the possibilities are that Nonito Donaire jumps up a weight class to take on Rios? That would instantly be a Fight of the Year contender, in my opinion. If Nonito doesn?t jump up, when do you think we?ll see him next?
Anthony Valade Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
Anthony, Donaire is a bantamweight and is nowhere near big enough to face Rios, who is a big lightweight. A great fight for Rios would be against Humberto Soto, the WBC lightweight champion. Both of them are talking about a move to 140, so it could happen at either class.
Will ?Canelo? get a fight with Manny or Floyd?
What do you think the chances are of seeing Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez fight Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather Jr.? I?m a big fan of ?Canelo?s? and I think he has the skill and definitely the power to defeat the likes of some of the top contenders in the world.
Jeremy Priddy Midlothian, Texas
I believe Alvarez will fight at least one of boxing?s ?Big Two? and perhaps both, because Alvarez himself is such a big draw. That said, he?d get destroyed by either. He?s not a bad fighter, but he?s nowhere near in their league. But a fight between Alvarez and one of them would definitely sell, which is why it?s going to happen at some point.
Quoteworthy
?You need to knock him out, Paul.? ? Trainer George Peterson, to Williams, in the corner after the 11th round of his fight Saturday in Atlantic City, N.J., with Erislandy Lara.
