Paul Williams Conference Call

“Getting stopped has been a staple of our sport since I can remember…let his (Paul Williams) actions show exactly where he is July 9th..” Dan Goosen on the Conference Call.

Dan Goosen started the conference call with mentioning many champions have been stopped , “Lennox Lewis and Wladimir Klitschko comes to mind” Goosen stated in referencing Paul Williams 2nd round knock out by Sergio Martinez in November of 2010.

From there, Williams had to talk about his loss and also how he felt going back to Atlantic City NJ, where his fight with Martinez was held. Williams stated, he had “love for Atlantic City, but it didn’t matter where the fight was”, Williams was also asked if he felt he lost some luster from the loss and Williams said “ I don’t think nothing changed, I still can’t the top guys to fight me.” For most of the questions directed to Paul Williams it seemed as most were questioning how was Paul going to come back from such a devastating knockout and why he took on such a tough opponent with an undefeated fighter such as Erislandy Lara. Williams Promoter and trainer both said they want to always fight up and never down and Lara is a great fight, Goosen wanted to bring back “the punisher way.” Williams was also asked about a possible rubber match with Sergio Martinez and Williams said he was looking at two more fights and then calling it a career. That seemed a little surprising given that Williams seems to have a few more years left in the tank, but he stated that he has a thriving business outside the ring, owes no taxes so why keep boxing if he didn’t need to.

Lara was fashionably late (35 min or so) in which Eric Gomez of Golden boy acknowledged and admitted he was embarrassed. Lara spoke about having a good training camp so far and that he is looking forward to the Williams fight. Lara acknowledged that he has been waiting for a fight such as Williams and is ready to make a statement. Gomez also mentioned that if Lara can get past Williams that Lara should be considered a contender for the big names such as Cotto, (Saul)Alvarez and any Champion at Junior Middleweight. However Lara must first get passed Williams in order for any big things to happen for his career, which Williams is the biggest task Lara has faced to date.

In the end many will question how truthful Williams is about retiring after 2 or 3 more fights but if Williams wins and comes back with a statement fight then his tone may change; only time will tell. Lara must win in order to have any shot at the contenders at 154lbs, however with this being Lara’s 16th pro bout, he seems to have a few more years and will probably get a chance for a belt down the road no matter the outcome July 9th.

And then…

I had the opportunity to attend the International Boxing Hall of Fame a couple weekends ago and I must admit I was a little disappointed. I was only able to attend Saturday and just the day activity, so I was not able to see the induction ceremony or banquets, however, I was still bummed. It was neat to go, but if I get to go again, I will make sure to be there for the induction ceremony.

I will be attending my first UFC live event this weekend, I am curious to see how a live UFC crowd is versus a live boxing event. I’ve been to a UFC weigh in and it’s definitely a different crowd than a boxing weigh in crowd but the energy is similar, I don’t mind MMA and enjoy watching it as well, but no matter what- boxing is my first love.

R.I.P. Grandma Chavez. – I love you.