ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY — A bloodied and battered Paul Williams (40-2, 27 KOs) looked as surprised as everyone else in attendance at the Boardwalk Hall
tonight (July 9) when he received an unmerited majority decision win over Erislandy Lara (15-1-1, 10 KOs).
As Williams showed significant rust from eight months out the ring, Lara jumped out to an early lead behind what would be tonight’s money punch, the overhand left. Lara repeatedly timed Williams with this shot throughout the first three rounds, mimicking the southpaw blueprint worked to perfection by Sergio Martinez last November.
Williams’ signature punch output picked up in the fifth and sixth rounds. As Lara’s movement slowed, Williams capitalized on the inside by throwing flurries of combinations to the body. While Lara was still landing the harder and more visible punches, it was Williams who carried these rounds on sheer activity.
The tide turned for good by round seven. Lara re-asserted his left hand counters and also established a home for right hooks. In rounds eight and nine,
Lara prevented Williams from using a high punch output to work himself back into the fight by countering and quickly stepping far back out of range, causing
Williams to constantly reset. The punishment and pace of the battle reflected in Williams’ legs, which buckled several times from Lara’s assaults.
Going into the championship rounds, Paul Williams’ face had been turned into a mangled, dripping crimson mask due to the blood spewing from his mouth and
nose. Feeling emboldened, Lara pressed for the knockout with constant loud, punishing overhand lefts. Williams held on when needed and continued coming forward and working inside. Still, the overwhelming majority of clean Lara shots kept him in complete control despite a short Williams rally to close out the 12th round.
What was seen as dominant, foregone conclusion win for Lara soon gave way to looks of confusion from both camps when the first judge’s score of 114-114 was announced. Two more tight scores of 115-114 and 116-114 followed, giving Paul Williams a majority decision win to scattered boos and groans of disbelief.
Afterward, Paul Williams affirmed his desire for a rubbermatch with middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, who knocked him out in two rounds last November. Erislandy Lara heavily criticized the judges’ verdict and called for an immediate rematch.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 