Williams vs. Quintana II: Still Very Intriguing

Before February 9, 2008 Paul Williams was feared by most, ducked by many, and intriguing to all. His gangly 6′1″ welterweight frame combined with his relentless punching style seemed unstoppable. But then a funny thing happened: Carlos Quintana. The respected but lightly regarded Puerto Rican was given little chance — he was listed as an 8 to 1 underdog — but managed to dominate the South Carolinian from Round One onward; winning a close unanimous decision that was more definitive than the close cards implied.

After his unexpected loss Williams immediately exercised his rematch clause setting up this Saturday’s Mohegan Sun Showtime Boxing fight, the undercard bout to the less intriguing Vernon Forrest vs. Sergio Mora scrap. Quintana comes into the fight 25-1-0 with his only blemish administered by Miguel Cotto. He is Ring Magazine’s #3 ranked welterweight. Williams is 33-1 and Ring’s #4.

Paul Williams remains the Las Vegas favorite for this fight, only his winning odds have been lowered to 5 to 2. It’s not just Vegas that still has faith in Williams. Everlast Boxing recently signed Williams to a long-term deal to exclusively wear their footwear, apparel, and professional fight gloves. A lot of people want to believe February was an aberration and that after his first loss Williams will get serious again and stop believing his own hype.

I’ll admit, it’s hard not to like and root for Williams. His freakish welterweight height combined with his punch frequency make him terrific viewing and give him an aura of scary unstoppability. His narrow cleanly cropped mohawk during the Quintana fight made him appear to be from another planet. In contrast Carlos was steady, workmanlike, and smart with little of Paul’s flair. Will he be able to solve Williams’ extraterrestial powers again?

Despite the Vegas odds, most boxing pundits seem to think so. In their respective fight previews both SC from Bad Left Hook and the Fight Writer Graham Houston think Quintana will prevail. They use the same “styles make fights” logic and believe that the smaller man has the ex-champ’s number. Tim from Ring Report also sides with Quintana believing that Williams’ drastic weight loss has taken a toll on his unnaturally gawky frame.

I’m going for Paul Williams because he’s far more interesting and because I want him to win. Simple as that. If you want detailed analysis and logical reasoning click on the above links because you’re not going to get it here. I’m siding with pop psychology. I think Williams pride was severely stung by the February loss when he took Quintana lightly. He’s going to roar back, prove his physical dominance, and avenge his loss. Maybe even after the win he’ll finally get his shot at Mosley, Mayweather, and Cotto.

Photo Source: Newscom.com