Jeff Mayweather calculates Sergio Martinez-Paul Williams down to a science
Jeff Mayweather, who trains celebrated and oft-avoided WBA featherweight interim titlist Celestino Caballero, has weighed in on the recent fight between Sergio Martinez and Paul “The Punisher” Williams.
Martinez stunned an Atlantic City audience with a second round knock-out of Williams, the much taller and rangier fighter. The twist was a surprise for many, who thought the fight would mirror their first war in December 2009.
Mayweather suggested with powerful insight that Martinez has become overrated as a fighter following the fight, and that Williams was overrated going into it.
He told boxingscene.com: “Martinez is much physically bigger than both of them, but he's not more skilled than either one of them. He's a very good fighter, but people are giving him too much credit for landing one punch. He's not no devastating puncher.
“Paul Williams can make everyone [look like] a devastating puncher if they could punch, because he's a guy with no defense,” Mayweather confirmed.
He furthered the assessment: “He [Williams] is 6'2 and fights like he's 5'8. What happened was eventually going to happen because of his style of fighting. He's always in the line of fire. He's a volume puncher and he wins fights by outworking a fighter.
He's not technically skilled as a big man should be.”
Mayweather, brother to celebrated trainers Floyd and Roger Mayweather, stated that Williams ought to be using his jab more to make opponents work to come in against him. Instead, the bout against Martinez saw Williams attempting to initiate contact, meaning
he was the aggressor and therefore open to hard lefts and rights.
Mayweather should know; as trainer of “Pelenchin,” he's familiar with the attributes of taller fighters and what will ultimately prove winning or losing for them.
Celestino, at 5'11'', is often the taller fighter against opponents in the flyweight division (112-pounds) and is therefore faced with many of the same tactical concerns as Williams.
Tags: