Wright/Williams Official?

ESPN.com reports:

• Winky Wright (51-4-1, 25 KOs) will end a 21-month layoff and face Paul Williams (36-1, 27 KOs) on April 11 (HBO), Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com. "We have agreed on all terms and are finalizing the paperwork with [Williams promoter] Dan Goossen," Schaefer said. The fight will take place at 160 pounds, meaning Williams will move back up to middleweight. Two fights ago, the former welterweight titleholder won at middleweight before dropping down to junior middleweight, where he thrashed Verno Phillips in November to claim an interim title. Heavyweight Cristobal Arreola is likely to open the HBO telecast against an opponent to be determined. The site hasn't been determined, but Schaefer said possibilities are the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles or Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

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Looks like the fight being made official is just a formaltity and should be announced shortly. Good to see that Arreola will once again open for PW as both guys are young, exciting and two of the top American fighters out there.

Another Opinion On Williams/Wright

By Brent Matteo Alderson
BoxingScene.com

Paul Williams is the guy that everybody is avoiding. Come on, he has to fight Winky Wright, a tricky southpaw with a granite chin who last fought as a light-heavy.

I don’t know what’s going to happen in the Wright-Williams fight. I don’t have a clue. All I can say is this is the match between the men that have been the sports two most avoided southpaws since the world’s top middleweights were acting like Marvin Hagler was Black Death. And this assertion is based on historical analysis and not on the opinions of some members of the media that hang out with his manager.

Can Winky Overcome "The Punisher"?

BleacherReport.com

If the fight will be made, two southpaws will clash in a bout I expect to be very entertaining. Winky Wright will challenge Paul Williams.

Let's talk about Paul "The Punisher" Williams first. He is a menacing 6'1" with an 82" reach advantage. He is freakishly huge for his division and causes a lot of mismatches. His punch-output-per-round is phenomenal as well.

In his match against Antonio Margarito, Paul Williams was very busy, winning the first half of the fight, however, he allowed the Tijuana Tornado to get inside in the later rounds with punishing body shots and got cut in the 11th round. But Williams already built a comfortable lead and ended with a unanimous decision victory.

In that fight, it showed that Williams can easily be hit on the inside as he was almost knocked down in the 11th round. Then against Carlos Quintana, he was outboxed for most of the fight and lost by decision.

It was a good thing that in the rematch, he was able to hurt Quintana and successfully regained the title by way of TKO. Williams was able to redeem himself in that match. After destroying Vernon Philipps, Paul Williams is now considered a beast in his division. One of the most avoided fighters in welterweight. And now comes Winky Wright. He was once considered as the most avoided boxer in his time. And that was the past. He has been inactive for more than a year now.

Winky Wright is not an exciting fighter to watch. He is not considered a puncher but rather a slick boxer and counter puncher. He has been avoided because of that effective style of making his opponents make mistakes and make them pay for that.

He earned wins against Shane Mosley twice and he put on a boxing clinic when he fought Felix Trinidad. Those were impressive wins. And because of that, he was ducked.

Winky Wright is now 37 years old. Same as "Sugar" Shane Mosley. And age is always a variable in making predictions in a boxing match. Add to that the fact that he has been inactive.

BleacherReport.com

I truly admire Winky Wright for taking on this challenge without having a tune-up fight. Winky must've seen something in Paul Williams that made him think that he can win over "The Punisher".

Can Winky Wright pull off an upset? He is clearly the underdog in this fight. Can he follow what Bernard Hopkins and Shane Mosley displayed in their recent fight?

In his last fight against "The Executioner", Winky Wright was thoroughly outboxed by Hopkins. But that was Hopkins. Williams is no master boxer like Bernard. I am hoping that Winky has a good game plan against his formidable opponent.

I am expecting Paul Williams to take this one, but, if Winky Wright pulls it off, I won't be surprised. With the recent demolition of Antonio Margarito in the hands of Shane Mosley, it only shows that anything is possible.

One Man's Crystal Ball

Predicitions for PW in 2009 from RingSideReport.com

By Gene Ramirez

Kelly Pavlik will get back on track at 160 pounds, which will have people talking about a fight with Paul Williams towards the end of the year.

Paul Williams will soundly beat Winky Wright and everyone will applaud his performance and no one will want to fight him.

PW Shares The "Margarito Equation"

By Mark Vester BoxingScene.com

WBO interim-junior middleweight champion Paul "The Punisher" Williams recently gave his thoughts on Shane Mosley's challenge of WBA welterweight titleholder Antonio Margarito. Williams decisioned Margarito in 2007. Speaking with Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports , Williams said Mosley would have to forget about power punching and focus on outworking and outboxing Margarito. Mosley needs to have the stamina to last twelve hard rounds and pile up the points.

“When you hit him with your power shots and he’s not going anywhere, it can be frustrating, of course,” Williams said. “The important thing when you’re fighting Margarito is not even to worry about a knockout. You got to come in great shape and ready to fight 12 hard rounds. When you fight him, you’re going to be working the whole time. He’s got such a great chin.

“The thing to do against him is just keep winning them rounds, putting them in the bank. If you’re not going to knock him out, then that’s how you win the fight. Believe in the plan and execute and stay with it.”

Continued pressure is the key weapon of Margarito, but Williams was able to take it away when the two fighters clashed.

“Going into that fight, our plan was pretty clear and we knew how to deal with that pressure,” Williams said. “The whole thing was, don’t let him get off, and I didn’t. I’m not going to share that with anybody, but I knew from Day 1 in sparring that I would be able to stop him from getting off.

“I’m sure Shane is going to take from what I did and some from what Cotto did and use that in his plan against Margarito.”

Williams Wants Mosley

Paul Williams wants Mosley . Says Margarito is done.
By Rick Reeno
BoxingScene.com

The entire boxing community was watching Shane Mosley's masterful performance against Antonio Margarito last Saturday night. Two members of that community were WBO interim-junior middleweight champion Paul "The Punisher" Williams and his trainer/manager George Peterson. For quite some time, Williams has been trying to secure a rematch with Margarito to set the record straight on which of the two was the dominant fighter at 147-pounds.

Williams thought Mosley would beat Margarito, but even he was surprised with the one-sided nature of the fight. Williams told BoxingScene.com that Margarito is done as a top fighter. Over the years, Margarito has been involved in a number of wars. Williams credits those wars as the contributing factors to Margarito’s physical decline against Mosley.

“I'm sure Margarito wishes he took that deal now. He would have still lost but at least he would have went to the bank. Instead he lost his title, his pride and $2 million dollars [Margarito made $2.3 for Mosley]. I thought Molsey would win. I though Mosley would win the first seven rounds and Margarito would come on late, but after I saw him taking all of those punches - I knew it was just a matter of time,” Williams said.

“He took all those right hands. Shane took my blueprint and Cotto's blueprint and used them both. He stopped Margarito's momentum, didn't let him get off and jumped on him with combinations. After a few rounds his body couldn’t take it anymore. Margarito thought he would tire out but Mosley is twelve round fighter, he won't tire out. Margarito was just punching a heavy bag that was moving. He ate everything that Shane threw. His corner should have stopped that fight. Sugar Shane was just getting stronger and stronger. Shane beat him with speed. People don't realize that speed is power.”

“He's definitely done. He went twelve hard rounds with me, then eleven with Cotto. He had twelve hard rounds with Clottey and the fight with Santos. He just broke down. I like him as a fighter and hope he can come back and become a champion again, but everyone now has the blueprint on him. He’s fought the same way for his entire career, he can't change."

With a Margarito rematch no longer on his mind, Williams’ next order of business is an April fight with Winky Wright at the middleweight limit of 160-pounds. Mosley’s win over Margarito makes it a bit interesting. Wright has two solid wins over Mosley. If Williams can overcome Wright, it would set the stage for a fight between Williams and Mosley. Williams is confident that he can continue to safely come down in weight to 147. He wants to fight Mosley but he doesn’t see the fight taking place. He believes that a win over Wright will only scare Mosley away.

“Sugar Shane won't fight me, even with his big win over Margarito. Margarito comes straight forward, leaning in, and Shane knows it won't be like that with me. I would love to get Sugar Shane in the ring and I hope he thinks he can do that to me. I don't know what I could to get him in the ring. We are definitely going to give Winky a good beating, but after Mosley sees that - he really won't want any. He'll see me beating guys at 160 and keeping my power and he won't want any,” Williams said.

Like his fighter, Peterson saw the Margarito loss coming. He agrees that Margarito should have turned down a fight with Mosley and taken the bigger check for a rematch with Williams. Peterson, like Williams, viewed Margarito’s performance against Mosley as a sign of his physical decline. A physical decline that Peterson attributes to the multiple wars on Margarito’s record. According to Peterson, Margarito’s aura of being a feared product is over.

“I always said the "Tijuana Tornado" was a soft breeze at the shore. They tried to protect him from us and lost $2 million dollars. We want Shane after Winky. I congratulate Shane. He looked like the Sugar Shane of old. Not to take anything away from Shane but that was not the same Margarito that fought Paul. Margarito was involved in too many wars. He went twelve hard rounds with Paul and then eleven with Cotto. I'm telling, watch, everyone will start calling Margarito out,” Peterson told BoxingScene.

“Mosley saw what Paul did and what Cotto did and said to himself 'they worked him over real good so now I'm going to step in and finish him off.' He came to that fight as a finished product. We already spanked that butt and after Winky, we are going to give the same kind of spanking to Sugar Shane.”

Mosley’s win had a black cloud that circled over the Staples Center. A black cloud that circled around Margarito. Williams gave his opinion on the continued controversy over Margarito’s hand wraps for the fight with Mosley. HBO broke the story to a stunned viewing audience.

According to HBO's Jim Lampley and Larry Mechant, Mosley’ trainer Nazim Richardson noticed an unusual shape to Margarito’s wraps. He made a re-wrap request to an inspector with the California State Athletic Commission. After Margarito’s hands were unwrapped, a “plaster-like substance” was discovered. There have been conflicting stories on what the inspector actually found, but an attorney for Golden Promotions confirmed that it looked like plaster.

“It was a plaster-like substance,” said attorney Stephen Espinoza to Yahoo Sports. “It was bagged up by the commission and taken as evidence.”

Williams says the controversy is being made to be bigger than it actually should be. He doesn’t see how anything would have helped Margarito in the fight.

“It didn't matter what Margarito had in his gloves, it wouldn't have changed the outcome of the fight. He didn't land nothing. He couldn't land any punches. Sugar Shane took him to school,” Williams said.

Unless there is some kind of suspension brought down, Margarito may still fight Cotto in a June rematch. This time around, Williams believes Cotto will be ready.

“I think Cotto will get him this time. I don’t think he will lose the rematch. You have to stop Margarito's momentum and that's what Sugar Shane did and made Margarito a dead man walking.,” Williams said.

As for Mosley, there has been some talk in the press about Golden Boy Promotions trying to maneuver him in the path of Floyd Mayweather Jr. Williams doesn’t think Mayweather will be interested. There are two options on the table for Mosley, Williams says, a fight with him or a fight with Manny Pacquiao. He thinks Mosley will jump for the fight with Pacquiao.

“I don't think Mayweather will take that fight with him. I think Shane can beat Mayweather. They are both fast, but Mosley has more power. The only real guys out there for him are me and Manny Pacquiao. I see him picking Manny over me. Fighting me is a suicide mission,” Williams said.

Williams In Mosley's Future?

With Mosley's stunning beatdown of Antonio Margarito there is a ton of talk about "who's next"? Obviously, Paul Williams on the top of many people wish lists. Here's some chatter from around the boxing world.

Last night's win puts Mosley in the drivers seat of the welterweight division, the deepest and most talented division in boxing today. Undefeated Andre Berto, my own personal mancrush, is still about a year away from a title fight with a guy like Mosley after gutting out an impressive win over Luis Collazo last week. Meanwhile fighters like Manny Pacquiao, Paul Williams, and the "retired" Floyd Mayweather are always lurking on the periphery of the division.
-deadspin.com

With the win, Mosley - who has never ducked a challenge - is positioned for another big payday and there is no bigger challenge in the welterweight division than 6' 1" Paul Williams . . .
-about.com

There’s been some talk of Manny Pacquaio wanting to fight at Welterweight and that could add some pepper to the soup. Tall Paul Williams is another guy who floats from division to division and is a dangerous proposition for anyone from 146-160 pounds. And it’s only January! 2009 could be a year of great match ups. Time will tell.
-talkboxing.com

Until Mosley beats Cotto, Williams, or Clottey, they should all be ranked ahead of him (Mosley), and as long as there is talk that Floyd Mayweather will come back, he is still the de facto king of the welterweights.
-EastSideBoxing.com

Arum scoffs at the drawing power of Williams, who is 6-3 but still able to make 147 pounds, but Schaefer might have a better shot at matching him with Mosley.
-whicker.freedomblogging.com

PW a P4P Contender

The P4P Top 10 Of Showtime's Al Bernstein

---

1 - Manny Pacquiao

2 - Juan Manuel Marquez

3- Israel Vasquez

4 - Rafael Marquez

5 - Bernard Hopkins

6 - Paul Williams

7 - Antonio Margarito

8 - Miguel Cotto

9 - Joe Calzaghe

10 - Chad Dawson


(The Ring Magazine, March 2009)

Mosley Hasn't Seen Margarito/Williams

From a conference call:
KnockOutNation.Wordpress.com

Q: Shane if we compare Paul Williams and Margarito’s fight, Margarito’s fight with Cotto, we can analyze that (unintelligible) two different fights you know, because certainly we look at Margarito’s more nice shots against Cotto, more briefly that Williams fight so definitely I think it’s obvious that the fight body to body to Margarito is not the way to win a fight against (unintelligible). What has been about that two fights Williams and Cotto fights against Margarito?

Shane Mosley: Well honestly (I haven’t) seen the Paul Williams, Margarito fight. I’ve see seen the Cotto, Margarito fight. But I would think that you know, with Paul Williams I can’t really equate that to me that he’s 6’4”, 3”, whatever, arm span of a heavyweight and it’s just a different type a fight. With Cotto, I mean he did very well. He just broke down the last couple rounds and he let Margarito accumulate too many body shots early on in the fight where he couldn’t sustain it and (unintelligible) to fight to 12, but before then I think Cotto was ahead, but even watching the first couple of rounds I felt in my head that Margarito was going to get him because of the way Cotto was fighting him, he was rushing the shots and he was throwing a lot of punches and he was on his heels a lot giving Margarito (unintelligible). With Paul Williams you know, he’s tall so he’s probably was sticking his jab and you know, keeping Margarito at bay and turn twist and turn them some. That’s probably why he got the victory.

Even though Mosley's plan would have to be far different against Margarito than that of Paul Williams, It's pretty hard to believe that he hasn't taken a look at Margarito's only recent loss to see if he can pick something up.

Margarito: Not concerned with Williams

A small excerpt from an interview with Antonio Margarito one week prior to his fight with Shane Mosley.

Mark Whicker
The Orange County Register

Williams beat Margarito in 2007 but Margarito chose Mosley for this fight. When you mention a Williams rematch, he shrugs.

"If I don't ever beat Williams it won't have any effect on my career," Margarito said. "But when the time is right I definitely am interested in fighting him. My promoters at Top Rank have a plan for me."

Lou Dibella on Williams/Wright Fight

Promoter Lou Dibella speaking on promoting boxing's young fighters:

“It’s one of the reasons I’m not a big proponent of the Paul Williams-Winky Wright fight. You have Paul Williams again extending himself to fight a bigger guy, but an old guy who should frankly be gone and nobody really cares about anyway. And as great as Bernard Hopkins is, he’s 44 bleeping years old. His beating Kelly Pavlik didn’t do anything positive for the sport. What we need to do is build young stars.”

-TheSweetScience.com

Dibella makes a good point. If PW were to lose this fight to Winky, it would'nt be good for the sport of boxing. Young lions like Paul Williams, Kelly Pavlik and Chad Dawson to name a few shouldn't have to search out and "extend themselves" to get the big fights. Boxing needs to make sure that the young up and comers have the fights coming to them as opposed the other way around, which doesn't seem to happen often enough. When Pavlik originally accepted the Hopkins fight he expressed his dissatisfaction with the fight, saying it was "not one of his top choices". In the end, Pavlik's inability to get a top fight in his own division cost him.

Kirkland Calls Out PW

Interview with James Kirkland
By James Slater - EastSideBoxing.com

J.S: You're knocking on the door for a title shot. Who would you like it to be against? You're in a good weight class at 154.

J.K: To be honest with you, man - it sounds weird but I spend so much time training, I don't have any time to look at who has the belts and all that. I just focus myself on wining each and every fight I take. So, I don't know - whoever has a world title when I get there. I'll take over the 154 weight class. Oh, hang on. Paul Williams! Does he have a world title at 154?

J.S: Yes, the WBO (interim).

J.K: Put that in there then, I'll fight Paul Williams! Put that out, I want him! I don't avoid anyone.

Undefeated power-punching James Kirkland is scheduled to fight hard-hitting Joel Julio on March 7th. Julio, by far, will be Kirkland's toughest test to date. If Kirkland is able to beat "The Love Child", a PW/Kirkland fight could be in the cards. It would certainly be an entertaining one.

Wright the Right Opponent?

Did Williams pick Wright opponent?
By Michael Rosenthal - thering-online.com

Is Paul Williams walking into a trap?

Winky Wright, Williams’ opponent on either April 11 or 18, will have at least two factors working against him in this battle of southpaws.

The former four-time world titleholder is 37 and will not have fought in 21 months, since he was outpointed by Bernard Hopkins at 170 pounds on July 21, 2007 in Las Vegas. That’s a long layoff for anyone, particularly an old guy.

Now, he’s expected to drop back down to 160 and compete with one of the most-talented fighters in the world?

If anyone can pull it off, Wright can.

The loss to Hopkins is understandable. Wright looked sluggish at 170 pounds, 10 more than his second-highest weight, and he fought with a deep cut above his eye from the third round on.

His only other blemish since losing a close decision to a young, fresh Fernando Vargas in 1999 was a draw with Jermain Taylor at 160 pounds in 2006.

The point is this: One of the best pure boxers of his era hasn’t shown signs of a serious decline. If nothing else, it will be interesting to see how much Wright (51-4-1, 25 KOs) has left.

The feeling here is that Williams (36-1, 27 KOs) will outwork Wright and win a close, but convincing decision.

Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions, Wright’s promoter, said both sides have agreed to the fight but no contracts have been signed. Las Vegas and Los Angeles are among sites being considered.

Williams' a Coming Attraction

Boxers Who Will Become Attractions In 2009
By Tim Starks - queensberry-rules.com

7. Paul Williams, 27, junior middleweight (154 lbs.)

Upside: Williams is another young, black American who appears to just keep getting better and better and who has heart for days, plus he's as unique a physical specimen as you'll see in the sport, with crazy-long arms and a build that allows him to fight in multiple weight classes... where he wants to fight everyone. Unlike Dawson, though, Williams has a granite chin -- his adversity has come in the form of cuts (like the one he ignored against Verno Phillips), having to bounce back from a loss (Carlos Quintana ouboxed him then Williams knocked him out in the 1st round of the rematch) and a staggering courtesy Margarito (who staggers everyone at minimum, and whom Williams fought off down the stretch even though he was hurt). He's either swamping people with activity or, increasingly these days, knocking them out, so one way or the other, he brings the action.

Downside: I honestly can't figure out why he's not more popular than he is, and I really want to understand. But he isn't all that popular yet, and until he gets that way, his risk/reward ratio is way too high for most boxers. His likely next opponent, Winky Wright, is dangerous, because he could give Williams a momentum-killing loss a la Hopkins-Pavlik.

Small Excerpt on PW from USAToday.com

Boxing ready for a main attraction in 2009
By J. Michael Falgoust, USA TODAY

So who's next? Outside of Pacquiao, who has plenty of potential foils who can make for intriguing matchups that will draw PPV revenue, the landscape appears barren.

There's Andre Berto, Paul Williams, Sergio Martinez and Chad Dawson to name a few. All are exceptional talents. Whether they can be attractions, however, has yet to be determined.

Paul Williams

Last time out: Nov. 29, an eighth-round TKO vs. Verno Phillips.

Inside the ropes: Tentatively scheduled for an April 11 bout vs. Winky Wright on HBO at junior middleweight. Standing 6-1 with an 82-inch reach, Williams recently moved up to 154 pounds because of his inability to land a championship match at welterweight. Defeated Antonio Margarito in 2007 by a close but unanimous decision. Said Williams: "The bottom line is those guys aren't on my level. If you paid them all the money in the world, they won't fight me. Those guys are dead to me. I know it will never happen."

No New News

If you havn't already, I highly recommend downloading a Williams fight or two located on the right side, a little furthur down. Unless you're a real big PW fan, you probably havn't seen them all.

Here's the "full" (for lack of a better word) Williams/Kolle fight and post fight interview. Enjoy.

Williams-Wright Makes Sense

By Anthony Ivey
411mania.com

With rumors about Winky Wright possibly facing Paul Williams this year, the timing and matchup just seems right.

At this point in his career, Paul Williams taking on a first ballot hall of famer like "Winky Wright" makes perfect sense. While Williams does have the impressive Margarito notch on his belt, he has never faced someone with the experience or skills that "Winky" possesses. On the other hand, in terms of physical strength and punch volume, Wright has never had an opponent like Williams in front of him. A victory for Williams would be huge in terms what it would do in terms of exposure and bigger paydays. For Wright, it's a win that puts him immediately in the thick of things after a year and a half layoff. This is just a classic crossroads fight.

This has a similar feel to Hopkins-Pavlik and I'm sure the buildup will reflect that as fight time draws closer (assuming it gets made). In order for Williams to win he would have to overtax Wright's watertight defense with combinations round after round. Williams's best shot is to keep Winky in his defensive shell and keep him from countering effectively. Wright on the other hand would need the world renowned defense to be sharp, and look for opportunities down the middle. While a loss for Williams is a setback, it's not a career ender either. He's in his late 20's and has plenty of time to rebound. Besides, losing to Wright is hardly shameful. Winky unfortunately has a little more of a downside. A loss coupled with his inactivity would leave him few options to take, and even fewer big money options. Overall, I'd say it's a fight worth making, so let's get it done!

I Agree. This fight makes sense from both sides. PW stands to gain a lot by beating a first ballot HOF'er. It will not only bring PW a lot of notoriety but it's a high quality win and would lead to big money fights in the future. If Winky can beat a young lion looking to dominate multiple divisions it puts him right back into title contention after his long layoff.

Williams-Wright almost finalized

Sources have confirmed that a bout between interim WBO light middleweight champion Paul ‘The Punisher’ Williams (36-1, 27 KOs) and former unified light middleweight champion Ronald ‘Winky’ Wright (51-4-1, 25 KOs) is close to being finalized for April 11th. The agreed upon weight for the fight would be 160 pounds so Williams’ title will not be on the line. Site for the fight is to be determined with HBO likely to broadcast the bout.
-fightnews.com

Vivek Wallace's Thoughts On Williams/Wright

Vivek Wallace
EastSideBoxing.com

Philip Martin (Sunny Isles, FL): What are your thoughts on the potential Paul Williams/'Winky' Wright fight being discussed?

Vivek W. (ESB): I think it should be a very interesting fight but there's one major question that I think we all got upon hearing that this match could be made. That question is which 'Winky' Wright will we get? Sounds funny to put it that way because when 'Winky' was active, i fell in that silent minority that felt he was actually a pound-for-pound candidate, but in this case where he's coming off of such a long layoff, how in the world can anyone expect to see the norm? And particularly against a youthful, energetic fighter like Williams whose punch output is just wicked! If we can see the same 'Winky' that showed up against 'Tito' - (yeah, i know, that's a tall order) - then I think this will shape up to be a fight out of this world; but if stamina is even a remote issue, or if age shows up, there won't be a KO in the cards for Williams, but it'll be an easy points win with his punch rate. One other thing I like about this fight is the fact that it pins too guys that I've wanted to see face Pavlik at one point or another, so perhaps if the Abraham/Pavlik fight doesn't fall into place for later this year, who knows? A strong outing may very well put either one of these men in position to make a surge at that 'Ghost'. No predictions from me yet, but I'm definitely interested in the fight.

.......Not Finalized, Says Peterson

By Rick Reeno

George Peterson, manager and trainer for WBO interim-junior middleweight champion Paul Williams, has advised BoxingScene.com that a fight with Winky Wright has not been finalized. As we reported yesterday (boxingscene.com) a member of Team Winky advised BoxingScene that an agreement was reached with 50-50 split between the fighters. The fight, should the contracts get signed, will move forward in April on HBO at the middleweight limit.
While the terms may have been met on the side of Winky, Peterson indicates the terms have not been met on the side of Williams. Negotiations are ongoing and Peterson doesn't see any issues that would immediately cause the fight to fall apart, but certain terms [likely money] have to be met before the fight is considered a done deal on their end.
"It's getting there. Negotiations are ongoing. The fight is not done on our end. It may be done on Winky's end, but the terms are not done on our end. Paul wants to fight. Any fighter from 147 to 160. Other fighters play hide and go seek. We don't play those hide and go seek kind of games. We play a game called spank butt. This guy loves to fight. I try to tone him down, but he just wants to go in there and bang. If a guy is a dancer, he dances. If a guy is a artist, he does art. Paul Williams is a fighter, and he fights," Peterson said.

Paul Williams-Winky Wright Agreement Reached

By Rick Reeno
BoxingScene.com

BoxingScene.com has been advised by a source close to Winky Wright (51-4, 25KOs) - that an agreement has been reached for a fight with WBO interim-junior middleweight champion Paul "The Punisher" Williams (36-1, 27KOs).

Last I heard, the fight date appears be April 18 on HBO. The date of April 11 has also been mentioned. The fight will take place at the middleweight limit of 160. The most interesting piece of information is Wright agreeing to a 50-50 split with Williams. Wright holds the reputation of being one of most difficult fighters in the sport when it comes to negotiating a split of the money. Wright's stubborn behavior when it came to his monetary demands is one the main attributing factors to his inactivity.
Reports vary, but I've heard that HBO put up $2.75 million for the fight [another source told me $3 million]. Wright taking a 50-50 split may be a sign that he's hungry to get back in the ring. He last fought in July of 2007, dropping a decision to Bernard Hopkins at the catch-weight of 170.
It's a very dangerous fight for both. A lot more danger involved for Williams, who didn't have to take the fight. People point to Wright's age and inactivity. Those same people pointed to Hopkins' age and inactivity when he agreed to fight Kelly Pavlik last October.

Wright has only lost once in ten years and that was to Hopkins. To make that fight, Wright had to move up by almost two weight divisions. Wright, like Pavlik, appeared to be sluggish at the weight. Remember that he also did better against Hopkins than a much younger Pavlik. No fighter has really dominated Wright or had him in any kind of serious trouble during the last ten years. During those same ten years, Wright has beaten Shane Mosley twice, Felix Trinidad, Ike Quartey, Sam Soliman and a host of other contenders. If you ask around, most had Wright as the winner in his 2006 draw with Jermain Taylor. A lot of people also saw him as the winner of his majority decision loss to Fernando Vargas in 1999.

Williams has been jumping around from welterweight to middleweight and most recently to junior middleweight. Williams is no stranger to middleweight. A few of his early fights took place at middleweight and he returned to the division last September to knock Andy Kolle out in one round. Wright will be a tougher challenge, based on his style, than Antonio Margarito. Williams is one of the most active fighters in the sport. He could throw 100 punches per round with ease. He needs to use that activity to place constant pressure on Wright. The weight could be an issue, but not for Williams. Wright is reportedly walking around heavy. He always walks around heavy but I've heard stories of 200 or more pounds.

Pavlik Eyeing Williams-Wright Winner

By Eric Thomas: BoxingNews24.com

According to an interview on Boxing talk, Kelly Pavlik (34-1, 30 KOs) is interested in fighting the winner of the Paul Williams (36-1, 27 KOs) vs. Winky Wright (51-4-1, 25 KOs) bout which is for the interim WBO light middleweight title on March 14th. However, Pavlik, 26, remains focused on defending his WBC/WBO middleweight titles on February 21st against his number WBC #1 middleweight challenger Marco Antonio Rubio (43-4-1, 37 KOs) in Youngstown, Ohio.
If Pavlik is serious about wanting to fight the winner of Wright-Williams, it would be a win-win situation for Pavlik, because he could do it without having to risk losing his middleweight belts, while at the same time, he would have a considerable natural size and strength advantage over both Wright and Williams, both of whom are accustomed to fighting at a lower weight class than the middleweight division.