The Richard Pierson Boxing Blog: Training for July Return & Other Musings

By Richard Pierson

It happens to the best of us, one minute you’re on your feet confident then you’re on your back asking yourself why are all these people standing over me? It doesn’t take long after being asked to sit down on the stool that held you up between rounds as you watch the other fighter and his camp celebrate that you have taken a loss. You really dont know how bad of a loss until one of the other fighters fans yells: “You just got knocked the f*** out!” Causing you to never be able to watch your favorite movie “Friday” ever again (laughs).

 

I have been laid flat on my back with only one second left in the last and final round. I dont know how bad it was, all I remember was what I thought was the bell ending the round then I saw a left hook that I blocked but boy did I eat that over hand right. I remember trying to grab my challenger but at the same time I felt myself falling. Never did I feel the punch but I did feel my head crash into the canvus, and in that moment I felt free as if I was in the 70’s with a bag of Blue Magic.

That same night while laying inside of the Las Vegas Navda Hospital Cat Scan, I overcame my TKO loss because I knew why I lost. I also excepted the fact that I did lose to somebody that I should have not lost to but I wasn’t prepared mentally or physically. That night I promised myself never to lose again let alone get KO’ed.

I don’t feel like Don Mouton knocked me out; Mouton actually woke me up. Since the lost I have continued to chase undefeated fighters because I feel undefeated and by winning them type of fights. I prove that I still am undefeated. I was not weakened from the TKO. I became stronger and hungrier. I actually pray for the guy across the ring now instead of praying for myself.

 

I dont believe Paul Williams is “damaged goods” I just think that he is being treated like he is. Williams sufferd a knock out that looked like it was written and directed by Stephen King and now everybody is still afraid to uncover their eyes. Williams should have took a little more time off but he is a fighter, and he believes he needs to prove something to the world, his fans and H.B.O. Sports. At the same time I wonder why H.B.O. Sports wouldn’t allow Williams to face Nobuhiro Ishida who just stopped James Kirkland in the first round three months ago. Yes Williams would have beaten Ishida easily but, he needs not only a come back fight but also a confidence booster.

H.B.O. Sports instead pushed Williams to face off against Cuba’s Erislandy Lara, a strong puncher who has iced 10 of his 15 victims. Maybe H.B.O. feels its time to cut Williams off of their roster. Williams was once known as an avoided fighter and could never get house hold names in the ring with him. From being a threat and lacking the big name fights Williams never became a star attraction. Williams was unable to pull in a huge fan-base and become a public attraction. Williams last three fights didn’t help him in any type of way with the network.

 

The fight when Kermit Cintron showed us he loved WWE Wrestling by diving out the ropes then beating on the Emergency Vehicle was the worst. H.B.O. suffered another KO loss after Bob Arum and the Top Rank cash cows moved over to Showtime Farms. 24/7 turned 360 as “Lets get ready to rumble” has been traded for “It’s fight time.” H.B.O needs new fresh stars (laughs), I know of an exciting young middle weight personally.

The reason I feel like Williams is being treated like a write off is because H.B.O. usually lets their fighters have a come-back, confidence boosting fight. In such cases of Miguel Cotto, Mike Tyson, Roy Jones Jr. and that’s just to name a few. Also the names mentioned are all cash cows.

Even after not one…. but, numerous tragic loses, they all were still allowed to perform on the H.B.O. Paul Williams deserves a chance to rebuild himself like the rest, he shouldn’t be written off just yet.

“Iron” Mike Tyson was never the same after Buster Douglas almost popped “Iron” Mike’s head off with a vicious right upper cut. Douglas continued snatching any and all the iron that Mike Tyson had left inside of him with why you say my grandmother long one-twos, leaving Tyson on the floor playing Peak-a-Boo with his mouth piece. I never understood why the networks continued to let Mike Tyson perform after Iron Mike was killed in the ring.

Miguel Angel Cotto was never the same destructive man-eater after he dared to ride the The Tijuana express train with Antonio Margarito. This fight was more then a fight it was a war between heaven and hell. House holds sat on the edge of there seats as they watched the Angel cry blood from the relentless devilish assault planned and executed by Antonio “El Cheato” Margarito in the ring. Neither fighter was mentally the same after the fight, the Angel has been haunted with demons ever since and the devilish cheater can no longer use his horns or pitch fork.

Then you have the sad fighter like Roy Jones Jr., who looks like he isn’t gonna wake up the next time he lays down. Roy has been KO’ed badly too many times and still continues to be any mans punch dummy. Each KO gets worse for Jones and boxing, I can’t believe somebody would still allow him to fight. I get scared just thinking what would happen if a bug flies too close to his face and he slaps himself, would he knock himself out? Instead of Jim Lampley asking Jones will he ever fight again after Jones was almost killed by Russia’s Denis Lebedev, as a friend Lampley should have told Jones never to fight again.

I really hope that Paul Williams comes out on top tonight, proving everyone besides me wrong. No two men are the same its all in the man’s mind. If you believe you can, you can, if you doubt just a fraction then a loss is bound to happen. Williams seems focused and ready and as long as he doesn’t question himself then he will over come all odds.

 

Richard “GT” Pierson is well known for sparring world class fighters such as Former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik, Edison Maranda, Joshua Clottey, Tomasz Adamek, John Duddy. Pierson has been serving as Pawel Wolak’s sparring partner for his fight against Delvin Rodriguez. Pierson will step back into the ring July 30th, in Paterson NJ at Kennedy High school when he faces Ibrahim King, the first southpaw he has ever faced.

Ticket info: (Bruce Vega, 973-388-3356) (Phil Shevak 973-851-2113) (Mike Cupak 973-818-8120)