Sergio Martinez feels compassion for Paul Williams
Top rated pound-for-pound fighter Sergio Martinez has admitted that he felt bad for opponent Paul “The Punisher” Williams after brutally knocking him out in Atlantic City last Saturday.
In an exclusive interview with Fanhouse, Martinez said: “I felt a little bad to see a great fighter get knocked out like that.” He added that sympathy stemmed from admiring Williams and honouring their first performance together back in December 2009.
In their first outing, Martinez and Williams floored each other in the first round, and fought twelve spectacular rounds in a fight immediately considered for ‘fight of the year.’
While “The Punisher” ended up winning a decision, many, including boxing historian Burt Sugar, had Martinez ahead on points and felt that he landed the more meaningful punches.
Saturday proved to be quite a different fight, with Martinez landing a flash left hand in the second round that had Williams’ body give out on him and never recover.
Immediately after the fight Martinez showed his compassion and respect for Williams by hugging the fighter.
Martinez likewise notified Fanhouse’s Elie Seckbach that he would not be willing to entertain a third fight with Williams.
“Paul Williams needs to really take some time off and really recover, and then go down to 147 [pounds], 154, that’s where his weight’s at, not at 160,” Martinez said.
The comments echoed recent ones made by both Williams’ promoter Dan Goossen and Martinez’s promoter, Lou Dibella.
Both feel Williams, 6'2", is best suited as a welterweight and not a middleweight. Williams was all but forced to make the move up in weight to middleweight due to nobody in welterweight wanting to fight him on account of his freakish height and long reach.
Martinez hopes to take some well-deserved time off following his performance, and then take on a top middleweight or even a top super middleweight opponent. Some have speculated about him meeting IBF super middleweight king Lucian Bute, including Martinez
himself, but the fight has yet to be confirmed.
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