Join Will Cooling at 9pmET for live results and play by play of the eagerly anticipated rematch between Paul Williams and Sergio Martinez for the WBC Middleweight Title. Their first fight back in December was one of the fights of 2009 and the second should be of the same high standard.
We will also bring you live coverage of the matches televised on the international feed with former world heavyweight title challenger Tony Thompson, former WBC Crusierweight and WBO Light Heavyweight Champion Zsolt Erdei and American prospect Fernado Guerrero all in action. The full main card is as follows:
Paul Williams vs. Sergio Martinez for the WBC Middleweight Title
Fernado Guerrero vs. Willis Locket
Tony Thompson vs. Paul Marinaccio
Zsolt Erdei vs. Samson Onvango
Evening folks, welcome to our live coverage of Paul Williams vs. Sergio Martinez II. Whilst America is busy watching a rerun of Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito, I’ll be providing play by play of the undercard matches that are televised on the international feed. We start with a match in the heavyweight division.
Heavyweight Match (10 Rounds)
Tony Thompson (251.5Ibs) vs. Paul Marinaccio (228Ibs)
Round One
With star power like this one has to wonder why HBO passed on the undercard. Or not as the case may be. Parinaccio has not fought in twenty one months whilst Thompson was actually on the undercard of the first Williams-Martinez show. Thomspon throwing out the jab, Marinaccio missed with a wild hook. Body shots from Thompson, followed with some overhand rights. Thompson in control but really going through the motions, not snap to his work. Thompson pushing Marinaccio around the ring with his jab, but can’t capitalize when he traps him on the ropes. The round ends with some lacklusture fighting on the inside. Thompson’s round 10-9.
Round Two
Marinaccio tries to push the action at the beginning but can’t get behind even the supsect defenses of Thompson. Marinaccio is looking heavy here, Thompson should be able to put him away but instead Thompson is happy to paw at him with the jab. Thompson working in some body punche and connects with a hard right hand. Marinaccio misses with an uppercut. Thompson again using the jab to setup the righthand. Round never really got going. 20-18 to Thompson.
Round Three
Thompson traps Marinaccio in the corner and starts letting his hands go a bit more. Thompson putting together successive left-right combinations, feeding in the occassional punch to the body. Marinaccio clearly has had enough, gets trapped in the corner again but is saved by the referee before he can take any damage. Thompson goes back to pawing with the jab, and Marinaccio is starting to clinch and hold. Marinaccio puts together some punches, which seemingly spurs Thompson to again trap him in the corner and actually put some oomph into his punches. Round ends with the best exchange of a tepid contest. 30-27 to Thompson.
Round Four
This is like watching a boxing match in slow motion. Thompson again pushing Marinaccio around the ring with the pawing jab. Thompson really isn’t doing much, content to coast in complete control. He traps Marinaccio in the corner and Thompson starts landing repeated left-right hooks to the head of his opponent. Marinaccio shows no defense and quickly succumbs, with the referee rushing in to stop it at 2minutes 2seconds. More of a sparring session than a fight, Thompson in complete control against an overmatched, barely interested opponent.
You know, looking back at all the heavyweight fights I’ve liveblogged over the past year…its says everything that’s wrong with heavyweight boxing that the only competitive, fun one was Adamek-Grant.
Light Heavyweight Match (Eight Rounds)
Zsolt Erdei (175Ibs) vs. Samson Onvango (175Ibs)
Round One
Zsolt Erdei is an unbeaten two-weight world champion looking to make a comeback after a year’s retirement. Onvango is significantly taller and longer. Erdei is trying to jump in and fight on the inside, Onvango trying to keep it at range. This gives us some opening exchanges that consist of Erdei jumping in and Onvango leaping back. Erdei is catching Onvango as the round progresses, although his stocky build is making it difficult for him to connect on the chin. Onvango fighting on the back foot, catches Erdei with some nice counter punches. Shocking lack of the jab from Onvango is letting Erdei take most of the round. 10-9 Erdei.
Round Two
Onvango starts positively, firing out the right hand. He however is still not using the jab, which allows Erdei to move inside and connect. There’s a head clash as they both lean in. The fight is slowing down after an enjoyable first round, Erdei being able to move inside at will but he’s not staying in the pocket and putting together the type of sequence that light Onvango up. Onvango is connect from long range with right hands, but he’s not using the jab to dominate. So instead we get a stop-start fight that lacks rhythm. 20-18 to Erdei.
Round Three
This fight is grinding down, with Onvango falling back whenever Erdei threatens with a punch. Erdei is in control but he’s looking very one-dimensional, happy to move forward and head hunt. He’s not doing anything to set up punches or angles. So instead we just get a round of Erdei throwing a big punch, Onvango moving back…rinse, repeat. 30-27 to Erdei.
Round Four
Onvango is told to work the jab more by his corner, instructions that he dutifully follows. He however looks extremely uncomfortable whilst doing so with his jab lacking authority. While Onvango connects with a couple of punches, the jab is not stopping Erdei from landing punches of his own. Erdei is coming inside frequently throughout the round, and on several occasions in the last minute actually stays in the pocket long enough to put together several good punches. He has however guilty of rushing throughout the round, looking to finish with a spectacular headshot rather than grind his opponent down 40-36.
Round Five
Very much more of the same, as although Onvango is slightly more ambitious early on he soon begins to full back whenever Erdei threatens. A very even fight with Erdei’s work lacking urgency, it doesn’t look like he’s especially eager to put his opponent away. Nothing of real quality is landed in the round but with Onvango tiring, Erdei takes the round. 50-45to Erdei
Round Six
This match is really starting to grate, with Erdei quite clearly fighting within himself in his comeback match. The pattern is the same as its been for the past few rounds; Onvango falling back when Erdei moves forward, Erdei’s ringwork lacking the imagination or urgency to block the exits off. 60-54 to Erdei.
Round Seven
This is nothing but a sparring match…Erdei could have finished this rounds ago but is keeping it going to get ringtime. This is absolutely insufferable. 70-63 to Erdei.
Round Eight
Erdei ignores two clear chances to really press the advantage, one neglecting to trap Onvango in the corner and second to follow up when he staggered his Onvango with a left hand. Onvango looked terrible throughout the fight; constantly falling back, always breathing everything and lacking basic coordination. Erdei was clearly superior but was equally clearly fighting within himself. And finally its over! Hallelujah! I have it 80-72 to Erdei.
The judges scorecards are 79-73, 80-72, 80-72 to Zsolt Erdei.
In a fight taped earlier in the evening Fernado Guerrero made short work of Willis Locket, dropping him in the second and finishing him in the fourth. Guerrero showed tremendous handspeed in the final act of the fight, putting together numerous right-left combinations before slipping through a powerful straight left to secure the knockout at 1:06.
WBC Middleweight Title Match (12 Rounds)
Paul Williams (156Ibs) vs. Sergio Martinez (157.5Ibs)
Round One
Here we go, Williams is obviously the significantly bigger man and the key to the fight will be whether he fights tall and long or can Martinez goad him into another war. They start out furiously, Williams throwing the jab but Martinez is able to move inside with easy. Martinez is twice penalised for laying in with body shots whilst holding. The referee seems very keen to separate. Both throw wild punches that miss and then they exchange big shots off the ropes. Martinez lands some big body hooks. Williams again coming to land some shots to the body. Really good first round, very even with both guys fighting at a fast pace and looking very aggressive. Difficult one to separate but Martinez probably landed the better punches in that round. 10-9 to Martinez.
Round Two
This is great action with Williams eschewing all advantage that should come from his reach to trade inside with Martinez. They fight inside the clinch at the start of the round, with both landing punches to the body. They separate and Williams lands several right hands. Martinez moves back and Williams follows with a pawing jab. Williams opens up to throw a big hook but Martinez beats him with a beautiful overhand left. Williams is down like he’s been shot and there’s no question of him even trying to beat the count. It may not have been the Fight of the Year, but Martinez may have just landed the knockout of the year at 1 minute 10 seconds of the second round.
Fantastic, shockingly early finish to an emphatic sequel to the first fight. The mistakes that Williams got away in the first fight came back to haunt him in the second with the taller, longer man strangely willing to fight inside against the shorter man. He paid for it in a big way tonight, standing in front of Martinez just long enough to be hit with a thunderbolt of a punch. They interview Martinez afterwards and he confirms that he would be willing to fight either Mayweather or Pacquiao at 156Ibs.
Sergio Martinez defeated Paul Williams at 1 minute 10 seconds in the second round via knockout
This concludes our live coverage of Paul Williams vs. Sergio Martinez. Stay tuned to Inside Fights for all the latest news and analysis from the boxing world.
