Williams Goes on the Margarito Campaign Trail

His platform is very simple - a rematch with Antonio Margarito, whom he outpointed last July.

And the offer to 'The Tijuana Tornado' and his representatives is a $4 million guarantee for a matchup sometime early next year.

"I wanted to make sure that no one got the impression that we're out here begging for a fight; we're not," said Dan Goossen, who promotes Williams. "We're businessmen, and if you had Margarito and Paul Williams standing right here and you asked him if they wanted to fight, they would say, 'Now.' There would be no hesitation, they're ready to roll. All we want to do is present the biggest fight we can for our fighters and for the sport. So from that end of it, I'm not campaigning to prove what Paul's already proved in the ring.

"All I'm willing to do, is that I know it's a big fight, so we made a big offer to Bob. $4 million, guaranteed, against 50-percent of net revenue and to do it in the first quarter of 2009. Because that's the fight fans would really want to see."

The first fight took place in front of approximately 7,500 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. Goossen envisions the rematch being fought in front of 20,000 patrons at the Staples Center.

Once avoided by all the big names in the welterweight division, Margarito now finds himself as the prime target at 147 in the wake of his memorable win over Miguel Cotto on July 26th, one that has electrified the boxing world.

Williams may be the only one who still hasn't seen the fight.

"I was celebrating my birthday with my girlfriend," he would explain. He didn't even see the rebroadcast last weekend. "No, I didn't watch the replay. Y'know, with me, it's kinda funny because I don't really get into the fights and stuff. If I ain’t training and I ain’t fighting, I don't want to watch it. I want my mind to be clear.”

While it was considered a major upset to many others, Williams says he wasn't surprised with the results.

"Cotto ain't nothing but a 10-round fighter," he stated. "I've seen him in the last couple fights, the 10th round he starts giving out. And so Margarito is a 12-round fighter and he's going to fight for all 12 rounds."

With that victory, Margarito has now been crowned the official welterweight champion of the world. But there's one minor detail that's being overlooked here - the fact that Williams holds a victory over him.

"It disturbs me and the reason why it disturbs me is because Paul beat him and he beat him decisively," said Williams' trainer George Peterson. "For him to hang on and to say that he's the number one welterweight, I can't understand it. It's hard for me to understand."

In an ironic twist, it's the winner of the original fight that seems to have the sense of urgency in making the rematch.

"We have this burning desire to get this win back over Margarito because we continue to hear that it was a close fight and I can't understand why they're saying it was a close fight. Every time the media comments on Margarito and Paul Williams, they always say that 'Paul Williams won a close fight,' and I can't see it because what’s close about a unanimous decision? I can see a split decision being close, but not a unanimous decision," Peterson would remark, adding later, "The boxing community is saying that Margarito's the number one welterweight, we want to come back and prove he's an easy fight for Paul."

As Williams was being interviewed inside the Italian eatery, a plasma screen that showed their initial fight was in the background. As he looked back at it, Williams would break out into a wide grin. When asked what he remembers specifically about that night, Williams says, "For me to be hurt with a sore rib and putting it on him like that. That lets me know it doesn't matter; once I get in that ring, I'll take on anybody. Margarito's going to keep coming, he hit me with some good uppercuts and all that, but I just kept coming. And you can see now how I'm doing stuff Cotto should've been doing to him, taking his momentum away from him."

And how does the rematch play out in his mind?

"What changes, sixth round, Margarito gets knocked out."

Really?

"Yeah, because I know how the man is in the ring. I've been in the ring with the man. I know how he is. Mr. Peterson told me not to sit down, box him, the whole time just keep touching him, just keep moving on him."

Williams, whose next appearance will come on November 29th according to Goossen, isn't too upset over Margarito's designation as the welterweight champion of the world.

"Not really, because he knows and I know when he mentions Paul Williams he just smiles. So that lets everybody know who's the real, true welterweight champion. But if they want to get down and dirty with it, we can just go for another rematch. The offer’s $4 million on the table. He made $1.4 for Cotto, $1.6 with me the first time he fought me. So I'm the one who gave him his biggest payday."

What could keep Margarito-Williams II from taking place is Bob Arum versus Al Haymon. Arum has made it very clear that for the time being, he will not being doing any business with HBO (the Haymon Boxing Organization) in the wake of the failed negotiations that took place for a Williams bout against Kelly Pavlik. Arum makes it clear that his problem is not with Goossen, but the influential adviser.

"Even if Bob did have something he didn't like about Al, me, whatever, it should never interfere with what's best for the sport, what's best for his fighter," says Goossen. "When Bob mentions those things, they're exactly for the intent that they're said. I've tried to get around that also and the best way that I have, I believe, is to get rid of the ego from myself, get rid of the principle and the pride, because I like to promote fights, I like to be the lead promoter because I think we do a great job promoting.

"But what's best for my fighter, what's best for the sport is to have this fight happen and it's best for Margarito. So what I've done with my offer, I said, 'Bob, for whatever reason you're inclined to turn this down, we'll accept the same, exact terms with you as the lead promoter."

2008 would get off to a rocky start for Williams, as he was shocked by Carlos Quintana in February for the WBO belt he took from Margarito. But in their June rematch, he would blow out Quintana in one round. Williams is ready to take on all-comers. After this press gathering on Tuesday afternoon, a press release was sent out stating their intention to face anyone from 147 to 168-pounds.

A frustrated Peterson says of their dilemma in securing lucrative fights, "When you mention boxer’s names such as Leonard and Duran and Hearns, he wants his name to surface. But how can it surface when the so-called best won’t fight the best? See back in that era, they would do it. But today they get this dodge-game going. Paul's not dodging anybody. We've been calling Margarito out for three-and-a-half years. Three-and-a-half years. If you go back eight fights, you'll see him calling Margarito out. Every time he fought, he called him out. So what can we do?"

The plan is for them to stay as active as possible and to continue to build the Williams brand by performing in such a manner that the public absolutely demands that a rematch take place.

When asked if he felt Margarito and his team would sign on the dotted line in 2009, Peterson answered: "I doubt it. I want to think positive but I put myself in his position all the time. And if I was in that position, I wouldn't fight Paul Williams. I wouldn't fight him because Paul Williams has his number; unless it's the money, but they can't get a win over him. If it's a money situation, it's fine. But they can't get a win over him."

'The Punisher’s message to Margarito is blunt. "I know you got a lot of Mexican fans out there. And I know they don't want to see you cop out like this and not take the rematch now that I beat you like this."

REACTION

When Goossen was asked if he felt this rematch would take place in 2009, he would answer, "Ask Bob." (I guess saying,' Ask Shelly' wouldn't have been applicable in this instance.)

But we did ask Arum his reaction to Goossen's offer.

"Well, he can talk Paul Williams till he's blue in the face. My position is clear - they jerked me around for two weeks. It wasn't Dan, I don't blame Dan - he got jerked around by Machiavelli. I don't want to hear about Paul Williams, I don't want to be involved with Paul Williams and I sent a letter to Dan stating just that."

OK, but is this edict forever?

"Forever, for anything," was Arum's retort.

What if the offer was raised to $10 million then?

"It doesn't matter."