Las Vegas Weekly

April 12, 2009 · 12:06 PM

Photo Gallery: Paul Williams punishes Winky Wright at Mandalay Bay

By Robin Leach

Paul Williams vs. Winky Wright at Mandalay Bay Events Center on April 11, 2009.

Photo: Erik Kabik/Retna/www.erikkabikphoto.com

Former middleweight champion Winky Wright probably faces retirement now at age 37 after Paul “The Punisher” Williams outfought him in last night’s showdown at Mandalay Bay Events Center. The judges gave the victory to Paul by unanimous decision, with commentators saying he’d attempted more than 1,000 punches, of which 247 landed from rounds one to 12. Incredibly, Winky, who landed 116 punches out of 511 thrown, was still standing.

Winky had been away from the ring for 21 months, and our photo gallery by contributing photographers Tom Donoghue and Erik Kabik shows the big differences between the two fighters. Erik also shot their weigh-in, and Scott Harrison captured the sights and scenes of the pre-fight night partying.

Paul is not only 10 years younger than Winky, but at 6’1’’ he is 3 inches taller. Additionally, Paul has an extraordinary 82-inch reach that lets him connect without anybody ever reaching him! Winky was the underdog going in, but fans kept hoping he could pull off a miracle, and they were still cheering for him even after the judges’ scores were announced.

Paul’s family, including two young children, were sitting ringside to see their champion square off against the veteran. Winky said post-fight that he plans to continue boxing.

Actor James Caan was spotted in the crowd, but he kept away from cameras. Expected boxing enthusiasts, including Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton, could be seen sitting ringside.

The Williams vs. Wright pre-fight party was at the Foundation Room at Mandalay Bay. Among the celebrities attending were Paul, Oscar, Shaun Rogers, Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant, Tera Patrick and Evan Seinfeld, and Terrell Suggs. Winky brought his wife Pie and posed for photos with fans.

In other matchups, Jameel McCline was sent to the canvas two minutes into the fourth round in his attempt to reclaim the heavyweight title from Chris Arreola, who now has proved that he’s one of the top fighters in that weight class. Danny Garcia won his eight-round welterweight bout against Humberto Tapia, and in the four-round super middleweight bout, Olympic boxer Shawn Estrada pushed his record to 4-0 with a victory against Omar Coffi.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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