Two-time welterweight champion Paul Williams was paralyzed in a motorcycle crash near Atlanta on Sunday while driving to his brother's wedding.
‘From the waist down, he has absolutely no movement. He's in very good spirits, though,’ said Williams’ manager, George Peterson. ‘He still believes he's going to fight again.’
Williams, 30, severed his spinal cord after landing on his back and head when he was thrown off his bike in Marietta, Georgia, according to Peterson. On Monday, Williams has been listed in serious but stable condition.
The collision happened at around 8am after Williams, who was wearing a helmet, tried to avoid another car in the next lane that was negotiating a curve and then had to maneuver to avoid an oncoming car.
It was reported that Williams was doing about 75 miles per hour when he lost control of the motorcycle, flew several feet in the air and landed on his back on the road. Peterson said one of the drivers of the other cars called 911.
Williams, who lives about an hour outside of Atlanta, was heading to the home of one of his other brothers to get ready for the wedding that had been scheduled for Sunday afternoon.
‘I know he's going to make a statement after surgery on Wednesday, because he's that kind of person,’ Peterson said. 'He's 100 per cent coherent and still has the will to want to get back on the motorcycle.'
The surgery is meant to stabilize the portion of Williams' spine that is still intact to allow him to move his hands, arms, torso and head.
Williams was scheduled to fight the popular Mexican boxer Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez on September 15 in Las Vegas, but that event has been canceled on Monday, Peterson said.
‘There's no thinking about any fights right now except for the fight that's facing Paul right now - to get movement back in his body and keep the movement that's above his waist,’ said Williams’ long-time promoter, Dan Goossen.
Although doctors have said it unlikely that Williams will ever walk again, Peterson said he continues to hope that the boxer's career is not over.
‘I want to think along with him, `cause I've seen him do things in his boxing career that shouldn't have happened,’ he said.
While not a household name, Williams has been hailed as one of the most versatile and unusual athletes in boxing, making him a highly undesirable opponent for the world's best fighters during his lengthy, successful career.
The 30-year-old boxer, who stands at six feet, two inches, has competed effectively in an impressive three weight classes against much shorter foes, even comfortably making the 147-pound welterweight limit despite his lanky frame.
Williams won his first major welterweight title in July of 2007 with a decision over Antonio Margarito.
He struggled to land fights with the sport's biggest stars because of his pronounced size advantages, a high-volume punching rate and his relative anonymity, but was considered one of the world's top pound-for-pound stars, earning him the nickname ‘The Punisher’.
He earned victories over Carlos Quintana, Winky Wright, Sergio Martinez and Kermit Cintron, but Martinez abruptly stopped Williams' rise in November of 2010 with a second-round victory in their rematch.
Williams ended up face down on the canvas with his eyes wide open in perhaps the most spectacular knockout in recent boxing history.
Williams was unimpressive in his next two fights, but his bout with Alvarez at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden was billed as his return to the big time - and a chance to win 21-year-old Alvarez's WBC 154-pound belt.
‘We want his fans to know he's going to be all right and he'll be back,’ Peterson said. ‘He said if he wasn't going to be boxing, he's going to be a stand-up comedian.’
The manager added that if today's surgery goes well, Williams would remain hospitalized for a few weeks before moving to a rehabilitation center.
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