Paul Williams vs. Manny Pacquiao: A Pleasant Possibility

Paul Williams officially announced that he will be fighting in the welterweight division once again according to Boxing News 24—a move that could land him a fight with Manny Pacquiao.

Pacquiao, the current WBO welterweight titleholder, has defeated a long list of reputable boxers as well, but Williams is widely known as the most avoided name in boxing, and for a very good reason—he literally towers over all his opponents.

Williams is 6’1 with a 82 inch reach. Pacquiao on the other hand is 5’6 with an arm length of 67 inches; a staggering disadvantage for Pacquiao to say the least.

Meanwhile, Floyd Mayweather had been relatively quiet after Pacquiao agreed to Olympic style drug testing with a 14-day cutoff prior to the fight. Then he announced that he will take a one to two year layoff from boxing.

Even though Roger Mayweather (Floyd’s uncle and trainer) spoke out against his claim, which he vehemently denied, this could cause Pacquiao to get impatient and shop for a new opponent.

Williams would make the ideal opponent for Pacquiao. He’s a big name, he has notable victories over quality opponents (Kermit Cintron, Sergio Martinez, Antonio Margarito and Carlos Quintana just to name a few) and he is a two-time WBO welterweight champion.

So how would a match between these two go down?

Williams and Pacquiao are both known for their power; both fighters have knocked out 67 percent of their opponents.

But Williams is also known for his potent punch productivity as well. A combination of his length and the consistency of his punches, Pacquiao could be outdone before a match-up is even in the works.

Luckily for boxing fans, Pacquiao hasn’t been known for ducking any opponent. But then again, he’s never been pitted against a boxer quite as formidible as Williams.