OK, so this time around scorecards are hardly necessary. I didn’t bother keeping score for Arreola-McCline, and a round-by-round scorecard was more a technicality than anything in the lopsided Williams-Wright main event. (That’s not to say that the latter wasn’t entertaining, though; more on that later.)
Arreola vs. McCline, a.k.a. a free infomercial for Weight Watchers
Chris Arreola’s drubbing of Jameel “Big Time” McCline reminded me why I generally hate watching heavyweight fights. They’re uninspired, unentertaining and technically flawed on every level. When the lighter of the two fighters (Arreola in this case) comes in weighing 255, you’re just hoping that the Nevada Commission would’ve made an exception to allow corners to use oxygen tanks between rounds. These guys were sucking wind from the end of the first round, despite a complete absence of involved footwork or other movement beyond the occasional swinging clubs they call punches.
McCline came out of retirement on six weeks notice after having dropped his previous four bouts to some of the top talent (as best you can call it that) in the heavyweight division. “Big Mac” may have been a more suitable nickname for the journeyman as he came in at 275; the complete lack of stamina along with this showed. Within minutes he was on the defensive, with Arreola keeping him against the ropes for most of the duration of the fight until the 4th round KO. It was pretty obvious that McCline was there just for the paycheck as he stayed on one knee after this first knockdown and conceded the fight.
Tubby McFatkins on the left was actually 20 lbs. lighter than his opponent (McCline, right).
Altogether, it was an irrelevant checkmark on the unblemished record of Arreola, and I won’t be convinced that he’s a contender until he takes on more worthwhile — and at least vaguely well-conditioned — opponents.
Unfortunately, the glory days — hell, even the days of Lennox Lewis — of the heavyweight division are long forgotten. With the exception of the Klitschkos and cruiserweight-king-turned-heavyweight David Haye, this has become the weight class for light heavyweights and cruiserweights (or middleweights, in the case of James Toney) who can’t find the discipline to stay away from Twinkies and pizza.
Williams vs. Wright
Despite being a completely one-sided affair — I was more generous toward Wright than the ringside judges when I scored it 118-110 for Williams — this was actually pretty entertaining to watch, if only to remind yourself why Paul “The Punisher” Williams may have a very justifiable claim to being “Boxing’s most avoided man.” Let’s take a look at the physical tools that make The Punisher such a dangerous opponent:
- Towering 6’2″ height with a rangy frame that can accomodate fighting anywhere between 147 and 160 (a necessity when he’s trying to find worthwhile, and willing, opponents);
- 82″ wingspan, something essentially unheard of at these weight classes and only commonly seen from heavyweights;
- Stamina to allow him to comfortably throw over 100 punches every round, even at 160 lb., and sustain that output to throw over 1000 punches in a 12-round fight.
- If that isn’t enough for you, he’s also a southpaw.
Let’s add to that the things I learned while watching this fight:
- With that kind of punch output and a love of the jab, he’s very good at controlling distance in the ring.
- When his opponent does manage to work inside, Williams throws lightning fast, yet surprisingly powerful, body hooks and defense-splitting uppercuts with amazing efficiency.
So let’s recap: He’s taller than nearly anyone in his division, can outreach anyone, controls the ring, outpaces his opponents, generally has the speed advantage, and can brawl inside. It’s no wonder that nobody wants to fight the guy — he’s the kind of worst-case matchup that fighters only run up against in their worst nightmares.
Williams, right, controlled the fight from the opening bell.
His only question mark as I can see it is his overall toughness. Were he fighting anyone with more power than Winky Wright (though Wright did put together a great effort, and I mean that), I wonder whether Williams’ over-aggression and resulting lacking in defense might have made him take some shots that he wouldn’t have been able to recover from. Until I see someone take advantage of that, though, I’m leaving any doubts in the back of my mind.
