Knockout of the Year: Sergio Martinez KO 2 Paul Williams

Filed under: WBC, Boxing Rumors, HBO, FanHouse Exclusive

The crowd of 5,502 fans at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City was just settling in for an HBO televised rematch of a December 2009, non-title, middleweight (160 pounds) clash of southpaws during which both fighters were floored in the first round of an eventual, disputed majority decision victory by Paul Williams over Sergio Martinez

Their return bout on Nov. 20 was considered to be an evenly matched affair.

But the shocking and sensational ending came swiftly and suddenly, when Sergio Martinez retained his WBC middleweight crown with a single, crushing, head-swiveling left hook. The blow knocked Williams cold at 1:10 of the second round, this in the first defense of Martinez's title.

Referee Earl Morton, seeing Williams face-first on the canvas, knelt down and reached the count of seven before waving the fight off, signaling the end to a performance that has earned FanHouse's Knockout of the Year for 2010.

Read more:
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Prospect of the Year: Saul Alvarez
Upset of the Year: Giovani Segura KO 8 Ivan Calderon
Comeback Performer of the Year: Glen Johnson



"I knew in my heart that Martinez was going to win, but that was one of the greatest knockout punches of another great fighter that I've ever seen. That goes back to like Thomas Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran. It was a knockout like some of those knockouts," said Martinez's promoter, Lou DiBella, of an finish that conjured memories of Hearns' sensational second-round stoppage of Duran.

"Williams is a brilliant fighter, and you saw that in the first round. That was a great round, and a hard round to score," said DiBella. "But Martinez's speed and angles and that punch? That punch would have knocked anyone on earth out."





The first round was evenly contested, with maybe a slight edge for Martinez. Williams landed a right hand just after the opening bell, moved in behind his right jab and landed a second right hook. Martinez circled and took a left to the body, but answered with one of his own followed by two right hands to the body and one to Williams' head.

Martinez then successfully fired four consecutive lefts to the head of Williams along the ropes, all of which were potent. The fighters traded right hands at the round-ending bell.

 

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Source: http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2010/12/27/knockout-of-the-year-sergio-martinez-ko-2-paul-williams/

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