13.02.08 – By Cesar Pancorvo: Paul Williams’ loss, in his fight against Carlos Quintana, made me reorganize my thoughts and make some conclusions:
One: Puerto Rico is living a very good moment in boxing. The best weight division has three Puerto Rican beltholders…Miguel Cotto, who is also the #1 contender, Kermit Cintron and Carlos Quintana. Not bad.
Two: Quintana’s win is not only Quintana’s win, it also makes Miguel Cotto look much better, because we have to remember that Cotto defeated Quintana in his exciting debut at 147 pounds. Williams was seen as a very dangerous fighter –he is durable and dangerous, and lost the fight because of styles– and was defeated by someone that Cotto beat in a fight that, apparently, wasn’t so relevant. (At least, it was not seen as relevant, a priori, as the Judah or Mosley fights)..
This also reminds us that Quintana is not the first fighter that Cotto beats and that then becomes a titlist. Let’s remember some others: Carlos Maussa, Ricardo Torres, Paul Malignaggi, Lovemore N’dou.
Three: It creates a difference, it creates a fissure in the division. We have one group: Mayweather and Cotto, the best; and another group, the rest. This distinction is fundamentally marked by the qualities of their resumes. Mayweather and Cotto are clearly, without a doubt, the two most accomplished fighters in the weight division. Then you have Mosley, who not only lost recently but is also 36 years old, Cintron, who’s best win is against Mark Suarez, Quintana, a boxer that already lost against Cotto, and then you also have Williams, Margarito, Judah, Collazo, Clottey, etc. Of course, you could also count Andre Berto, who has no notable wins and isn’t ranked in The Ring’s Top10 –yet. Before Quintana-Williams, the fissure wasn’t so deep.
You didn’t have to be a genius to know that the people who thought Williams was a “new Thomas Hearns” were exaggerating. After watching his fights against Mitchell and Margarito, it was obvious that Williams didn’t fight like The Hitman.
His size, for the Welterweight division, is impressive, although 80% of his fights have been above the 147 limit. His workrate was also admirable in the Margarito fight, vicious. Someday, he won’t be able to make 147 pounds anymore and will have to move up to 154, which is a division in crisis were he could have success, or to 160, where he would become very vulnerable.
Mayweather-Williams doesn’t matter now. The path is clearer than ever: Mayweather-Cotto must happen and there are no obvious obstacles or other meaningful fights to be made, however, Mayweather entered semi-retirement and then agreed to rematch De la Hoya, and Cotto is busy with Alfonso Gomez, Margarito-Cintron winner and, possibly, Ricardo Mayorga. We will have to wait.