MANNY Pacquiao has unquestionably been the finest fighter of the last few years. His steady rise through the weights and his stunning one-sided hammerings of his opponents ensured that his increasingly rich pockets swallowed the Fighter of the Year accolades. And after his masterful and pain-soaked beating of the villainous Antonio Margarito, eight months after dominating Joshua Clottey, yet another annual gong looked to have been secured.
However, that was before Sergio Martinez unleashed an exquisite left hand that burgled Paul Williams’ brain of its senses and slammed the floppy Georgian on the canvas with gruesome force. Nobody, particularly “The Punisherâ€, foresaw such a convincing result. Unquestionably the most spectacular knockout of the year to date, it was the kind of performance that elevates a fighter into the sparse elite echelons of boxing. Previously, only Manny and Floyd Mayweather Jnr could have staked a legitimate claim to be there. Now Martinez, who at 35 is relishing a glorious run of form, can take his place beside them. The problem for Martinez, though, is that his fame still has some catching up to do.
It should not be too difficult to argue that he has done enough to end Manny’s run as Fighter of the Year, however. Before beating the gifted Williams, Martinez claimed the middleweight title – the WBC and WBO versions and, more importantly, the linear crown – from Kelly Pavlik in April.
The Argentine’s achievements – in 2010 - are stronger than the Filipino’s. Pavlik, despite a loss to Bernard Hopkins, had been champion for three years. And Williams, who beat “Pacman†victim Margarito in 2007, had never lost in such a fashion, was one of the most avoided men in the sport and had beaten Martinez last year. It should be noted that Manny was a massive favourite in his two contests. Martinez was a slight underdog in both of his.
Juan Manuel Lopez and Fernando Montiel have also had sterling campaigns. If Jean Pascal ends Bernard Hopkins’ career in December he should merit consideration, too. But I can’t foresee any fighter surpassing the accomplishments of Martinez.
The abrupt finish to proceedings also evokes some interesting questions about the future; Martinez’s next step being the obvious one, but Williams’ plight is just as fascinating. His last two performances – a disappointing fight with Kermit Cintron and this defeat – have seriously stalled his career. At 29, it remains to be seen if he has the confidence and ability required to jumpstart and progress down the road many thought he would. I’m not so sure. It’s rare that a fighter recovers after such a brutal stoppage at a similar stage of their career.
Firstly he has to decide which division he is most at ease in. A problem for Williams has always been he has had to chase fights. As a result, his long frame had to be versatile enough to weigh anything from 147 to 160lbs. Securing signatures should not be as hard to come by now. Getting knocked out does wonders for your appeal – just think about how many people have called out Ricky Hatton since he got blasted last year.
In defeat, Williams could suddenly be afforded the opportunities to succeed. If he takes them, he deserves all the credit in the world. For now though, the accolades belong to the wonderful Sergio Martinez – Fighter of the Year.
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