by James Slater – Visit just about any boxing web site today and chances are you will read a steadily high number of fans’ comments about the Antonio Margarito-Paul Williams fight from last summer. “The Punisher” won a close but fair decision, yet the debate goes on as to who the better fighter is, and who would win in a return match.
It does seem as though “Tony’s” fans, and there are many, refuse to give Williams the credit he deserves for the close points win. But to this writer’s way of thinking, Williams, and Williams alone, is the one fighter out there capable of challenging the teak-tough Mexican’s claim to being the best welterweight in the world right now. In fact Williams is probably amazed that the man he defeated is still seen as the better fighter by many.
The problem is, no sooner had “The Punisher” beaten Margarito he lost in an upset to Carlos Quintana in making the first defence of the WBO belt he’d taken from “The Tijuana Tornado.” Also during this same time frame Margarito came back in awesome fashion to destroy IBF 147-pound champ Kermit Cintron. And, just like that, the Williams defeat was all but forgotten and the 30-year-old warrior was seen as the world’s #1 welterweight once again – even more so when he upset Miguel Cotto three months after he’d seen off Cintron.
6’1″ southpaw Williams’ recent sojourn in the middleweight division and his calling out of the top men there also lessened his position as the best welterweight in the world in some minds. Look at a number of different peoples’ world rankings and you will see Margarito ranked at the very top, above Williams. Is this right? Didn’t Williams beat him fair and square? He sure did. And didn’t the 27-year-old lefty avenge his only loss to Quintana? Again, he sure did, in quite awesome fashion. So why is Williams getting none of the plaudits Margarito has been getting from the majority of the fans?
If ever there was a rematch that was badly needed so as to settle a score once and for all, this is it. Only a Williams-Margarito II will end the argument as to who the world’s best welterweight is today. For make no mistake, this honour can only go to Margarito or Williams – there is no other welterweight around who is even arguably better than either of these two.
For his part, along with calling out guys like Kelly Pavlik, Williams had made it clear he wants to get it on with Margarito for a second time. Indeed, though he was the winner last July, it has been “The Punisher” who has seemed more desperate for a return bout. No-one would ever even dare to suggest that Margarito is scared of a second meeting with the freakishly tall welterweight, but at the same time “Tony” has hardly been crying out for a shot at revenge.
The fans, however, have been nagging for a rematch and they started almost as soon as fight one had it’s scorecards read out. It’s simple as it could be, to decide once and for all who the planet’s superior 147-pound fighter is Paul Williams and Antonio Margarito have to fight for a second time.
Antonio Margarito should do everything in his power to see to it that he fights no-one but Williams in his next bout in 2009.