The next P4P will be Paul the Punisher Williams

Why don;t the guy who bea Clottey wanna fight him? Answer that one. PW has been trying to fight that dude for almost three years....

 

How come theres no word on his next fight?

I'd like to see him fight the top guys at 154, clean it out. He could be the king of that division.

 

The original meaning of "Pound For Pound" has been completely lost. I first encountered the term in an article about Alexis Arguello. It said "pound for pound" Arguello had the best right hand in the business. The term has nothing to do with division hopping. It simply provides language we can use to compare the skill sets of fighters from different divisions. For example, if a bantamweight throws 100 punches per round, that's a good work rate, but no big deal at the weight. If a guy like Williams throws 100 punches per round, pound for pound, he has a better work rate than the bantamweight. That's what the term means. It has nothing to do with division hopping.

 

Paul Williams has a frame typical of boxers that can go up the weight divisions with success as they mature, ex. Leonard, Mayweather, Hearns, De La Hoya, all long limbed and wide shouldered. He's one of my favorite boxers, just wished he had more power, then he'd be a modern Tommy Hearns. Definite P4P #1 future candidate. Pacquiao, on the other hand, has defied boxing logic with his success moving up the divisions with his midget-like (sorry Manny) proportions. Right now Pac is the true definition of P4P #1!

 

He's quietly building his case.

Before he has even turned 29, wins over Mitchell, Margarito, Quintana, Verno Phillips, and Wright (all beltholders or world champs at one time or another) make a foundation for a very solid resume.

Add a win over Pavlik for the CURRENT undisputed middleweight world title and he would have two marquee wins (the other being Margarito).

147 WBO Title (2x)
154 WBO Interim Title
160 WBC/WBO/Ring/World TItle

He'd have to jump to at WORST #5 P4P with a win over Kelly, maybe even higher based on what happens with Pac-Cotto and PBF-JMM.

I'm picking Williams to win by the way!

 

Too much D? Maybe Mayweather, but not Cotto. You need fast hands and great timing, like Marquez and Mayweather, to beat Pacquiao. Cotto has great timing, but little speed. Cotto needs to hit Pacquiao with a flush power shot to the body to win. Not gonna happen. Pac too quick on his feet. Cotto will be a stationary target for Pac. Too many things going wrong for Cotto as well outside the ring. Pac by late KO, when Cotto gasses.:tired

 

What? P4P came up BECAUSE Ray Robinson was doing exactly that: division hopping. Long before the days of "junior" divisions, Sugar Ray was gunning for titles at 147, 160, and 175. While it did have something to do with skills translating over divisions, I think that's a minor part of the definition, with the major part having to do with accomplishments against quality competition, cleaning house in divisions, and moving up if possible WHILE constantly taking on challenges. Sugar Ray Robinson was the epitome of this definition.

 

Look at the cover of Time Magazine.

http://www.adclassix.com/images/51timesugarrayrobinson.jpg

There's another famous Ring cover of him ascending the steps from 147 to 160 then 175 before he ran out of gas against Maxim. I can't find it though.

 

About Pac-Cotto, Cotto has very, very good D. It took many rounds for a hacksaw like Margarito to finally wear him down. Pacquiao has something Margo doesn't though, and that's handspeed/footspeed. However, handspeed and footspeed can be neutralized by constant in-fighting and locking a guy's arms up. Look how effective a guy like Hatton or Ruiz was when they were given refs who allowed Greco-Roman free-for-alls.

I think much like Pac-Hatton, the choice of ref will be just as important if not more important than the choice of judges.

 

Well, while we can assume that, it was never proven. And no, I'm not a Margarito fan, I'm just saying we can only go on what is verified fact. But yeah, I think if Cotto gets to lock up on the inside, and you get a ref like Robert Byrd (Hopkins-Wright) whose philosophy is to let them clinch until the cows come home, or idiots like Vic Drakulich or Marty Denkin who are asleep at the wheel, then Cotto can do to Pacquiao what he did to Mosley, which is wear him down, come forward, and trade with the confidence that he is the stronger man.

But if you get a ref like say, Kenny Bayless or Jay Nady who will break you up 50 times a round if he has to, then Pacquiao has the footspeed to get around and away from any clinches or body attack on the ropes that Cotto might plan (and should plan). Pacquiao is not a classic counterpuncher. Historically he has used a move to counter an opponent who might initiate out of an orthodox stance, which has been a lead left cross followed by a pivot to his right to duck the left jab. Look here against Larios at 0:44.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unuPL3OACsg

I see this punch along with the counter right hook he has developed ever since his fight with Hector Velasquez to be the keys for Pac, because they will allow him to elude and stymie any attack Cotto would want to initiate and force him to reset.

But again, Cotto has shown before he can cut the ring off from a faster fighter like he did with Mosley. This is a great matchup!