World middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik and Paul Williams pose with New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs during the press conference announcing their December 5, 2009 world middleweight championship fight. The two will meet at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ.
By Andreas HAle
Many boxing pundits are curious if Paul Williams can stand up to the power of Kelly Pavlik. “The Punisher” has heard the skeptics and is well prepared for what Pavlik brings to the ring.
“I expect Pavlik’s shots, I’m game for that. I’m going to weather that storm and I’m going to come back and give him some big shots. I’m going to do what I do best and that’s fight. It’s going to be an exciting fight for the fans,” Williams said.
“I’m going to come and get those belts,” he continued. “I want to be a four time world champion. I always step up to the challenge and I like this challenge. He’s had some good fights and knocked out some guys. But this fight I’m not going to sleep, I’m putting him to sleep. May the best man win, and that man is going to be me. On December 5th you will definitely see some action. Believe that!”
For Pavlik, many wonder if he will be able to withstand the constant onslaught of punches that Williams will be firing at him.
“The big fight right now is Paul Williams,” Pavlik said. “This is the fight that everybody in boxing wants to see right now. I’m always out there ready for the best opponent available. He throws a lot of punches, wears fighters down and comes from different angles. He comes to fight. I do the same thing. You’ve seen the wars. I know I’m going to come away with the victory. Everybody asks “what round do you think?” But there are no rounds to pick. I’m going to go in there, be dominant, come away with the ‘W’ and make history. I’ve got a lot to prove still. I’ve got a lot of goals since I won the world title. I want to become one of the best middleweights of all time.”
New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs was on hand to give both Pavlik and Williams their own personalized Giants jerseys with the numbers “12” and “5” respectively etched onto the back to promote December’s clash. Also celebrated at the press conference was the 2-year anniversary of Pavlik defeating Jermaine Taylor and becoming middleweight champion. A cake was presented to Pavlik courtesy of Mauro from The Learning Channel show “Cake Boss.”
Will “The Ghost” continue his reign as middleweight champion or will “The Punisher” stake his claim as the best fighter in the world from 147 to 160lbs?