Paul Williams batters Winky Wright for unanimous decision

(From The Associated Press)
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LAS VEGAS - If Paul Williams thought the world's top boxers were scared of him before, just wait until they see the holes he punched in Winky Wright's once-impenetrable defence.

In his first main-event bout in boxing's capital city, Williams (37-1, 27 KOs) pounded at Wright's famed defensive posture from the opening bell. The Augusta, Ga., native was simply masterful, systematically breaking down the former champion in Wright's return from a 21-month ring absence.

With so many punches to block, Wright (51-5-1) simply didn't have time to land enough scoring blows against his much taller, longer opponent. Williams barely appeared tired by the closing bell, chasing Wright around the ring up to the final seconds while anticipating what his biggest win yet will do for his blossoming career.

"I felt like I did in the first round in the 12th," Williams said. "That was because of my hard training, and running seven miles a day. It helped my breathing."

The Mandalay Bay Events Center was half-full, but those fans now understand why Williams might be the sport's most intriguing talent. Williams threw 104 punches in the first round and 106 in the 12th, rarely taking a break in between.

Judges Jerry Roth and Robert Hoyle favoured Williams 119-109, while Adalaide Byrd gave every round to Williams, 120-108. The Associated Press had Williams winning 118-111.

In his first fight since losing a decision to Bernard Hopkins in the same ring in July 2007, Wright still had the strong defences that made him one of the sport's least pleasant opponents for a decade - but they weren't enough. For every counterpunching shot landed by Wright, Williams constantly replied with elaborate combinations, forcing Wright to retreat again.

Wright's left eye swelled nearly shut by the 11th round, making his corner's pleas for a knockout pretty much pointless.

Wright hadn't been in the ring since his disappointing 170-pound loss to Hopkins, whose technical wizardry was more than Wright could handle. While Wright spent the next year welcoming his son's birth and hitting the casinos on fight nights, he didn't seem particularly eager to fight again - an opinion underscored by rumours he had rejected several possible bouts on financial terms.

Wright insists he never considered quitting, but couldn't get a significant fight from Kelly Pavlik, Jermain Taylor or the other big names around his weight. He finally agreed to take on Williams in an HBO fight that should pay both men more than US$1 million.

"This is definitely not my last fight," Wright said. "I'm definitely coming back. I had a long layoff, and I'm definitely not going to wait that long again. He threw a lot of punches, but it was a great fight."

Since both fighters are used to rejection, each praised the other for accepting the bout in the weeks leading up to it. They embraced at Friday's weigh-in, both spoke reverently of each other afterward.

"I expected Winky to throw big shots, and he did," Williams said. "We went 12 hard rounds. I anticipated that it was going to be a tough fight."