Sergio Martinez is Currently Too Fat To Fight Paul "The Punisher" Williams

WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez will defend his crown against former two-time WBO welterweight titlist Paul “The Punisher” Williams in a rematch scheduled for November 20 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.

Williams (39-1, 27 KOs), a southpaw who is rightfully billed as the most “avoided fighter in the world,” defeated Martinez (45-2-2, 24 KOs) by a controversial majority decision last December.

Martinez, who also dabbled professionally as a cyclist and soccer player and only began boxing at the late age of 20, captured his belt April 17 when he trumped “The Ghost” Kelly Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs) by a unanimous decision.

At the insistence of “The Punisher’s” handlers, the second bout between Williams and Martinez will be fought at a catch weight of 158 pounds.

Martinez surprised many onlookers last week at his training camp in Oxnard, California when he tipped the scales at 176 pounds during his pre-fight weigh-in.

Hence, Martinez will be required to shed 18 entire pounds to be eligible to compete in three weeks.

"Dropping weight has never been an issue for me. It hasn't been hard," said Martinez, 35, a native of Argentina. "It's more difficult to get in the ring and battle against Paul Williams or Kelly Pavlik. Cutting weight, that's easy.

"My weight loss won't slow me down. On the contrary, I gain speed. The speed will bring more of the element of surprise. With more surprise brings more potential and ability. I'll be stronger than my last fight against Williams and Kelly Pavlik."

Martinez’s promoter, Lou DiBella, agreed with his prizefighter’s contention.

"He used to weigh that much before the fight when he was at a junior middleweight, so no issue,” said DiBella, a graduate of Tufts University and Harvard Law School. “He's going to be the bigger stronger man in that ring. He's a pro. He has a system and it doesn't involve losing 10 pounds in a week and doing it in a stupid way. He'll lose approximately four pounds a week, which is what he needs to do."

Williams, who is rated by Ring Magazine as the number five pound-for-pound pugilist in the world, is extremely tall and lanky and his awkward style has created nightmares for opponents.

“The Punisher” suffered his only loss as a professional to “El Indio” Carlos Quintana (27-3, 21 KOs) via unanimous decision in February 2008.

However, Williams proved Quintana’s victory was an utter fluke when he demolished “El Indio” four months later by a first round TKO.

Martinez possesses blinding quickness and his punching volume is remarkably aggressive.

Fans of “The Sweet Science” will be granted a tremendous contest when these two elite prizefighters again meet.

Nevertheless, expect Williams to “Punish” the talented Martinez and earn a decisive triumph within 10 rounds.