Williams ready, but who’d fight him?

LAS VEGAS – A sliver of sunshiny optimism has slipped through the cloud of frustration under which Paul Williams has boxed for several years.

After a remarkably one-sided victory over Winky Wright that clearly put Williams among the world’s top pound-for-pound fighters, the Punisher is cautiously hopeful that boxing’s big names from 147 to 168 pounds finally will stop ignoring him and start calling him.

“I’m hot,” Williams said. “Somebody is going to have to step up to the plate if they want to eat. All of those guys, they’ve got to call me out now. I’m tired of calling people out.”

But perhaps Williams ought to watch the tape of his masterful performance against Wright at Mandalay Bay. What welterweight, middleweight or anyweight who values his career could possibly be eager to take on the man who can do what Williams (37-1, 27 KOs) did to one of the best defensive fighters in the sport?

After winning a blowout victory on all three judges’ cards with a storm of 1,086 punches, Williams still might be cursed to remain the most avoided fighter in boxing. His unique physical skills simply set him apart: Stingily listed at 6-foot-1, he’s far too tall and rangy for most welterweights, yet he’s too quick and active for most middleweights.

What’s more, his style is equally perplexing to opponents of every size. While using his height and reach advantages to prevent his opponents from fighting inside, he bobs his head and moves his upper body with frenetic energy for nearly every second of his bouts.

“He’s not awkward,” insisted Dan Goossen, his promoter. “He just happens to move his head. Good defense, it’s called.”

Only one boxer in the world could be taken seriously when he says he’s equally able to beat Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Bernard Hopkins. Williams claims he’s perfectly comfortable fighting at 147, 154 or 160 pounds.

“It’s no different but the eating part,” Williams insisted. “I still have the same game plan. I really don’t care. It all feels the same to me.”