Boxing: Williams' title saved by draw

Steve Bunce
Monday 01 July 2002 00:00 BST
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Richard Williams retained his International Boxing Organisation light middleweight title when he was awarded a confusing technical draw after three rounds against Paul Samuels at the Brentwood International Centre on Saturday night.

Williams, 31, was cut in round two and cut again in round three from a legitimate left hook and the cuts were so bad that referee Richie Davies was left with no alternative but to intervene and stop the fight. The IBO's rules state that any fight ending before the completion of four rounds will be called a "technical draw", irrespective of which fighter is in front.

However, on Saturday the final cut was clearly caused by a correct punch and not illegal use of the head and therefore to most boxing fans the fight should have properly ended in favour of Samuels. Indeed, when the referee stepped forward after 2min 43sec of round three Williams dropped his head and looked sickened, but he appeared to brighten up when the referee told him that he had not lost and that the fight would be declared a draw.

Oddly, Samuels, who was once considered a glittering prospect but was stopped in three brutal rounds by Wayne Alexander more than two years ago, was not bothered by the final outcome. The promoter, Barry Hearne, has promised that there will be a re-match, but it will take more than a win in a re-match to convince many people that Williams is as good as Hearne believes he is.

Williams was far sharper in round one, but was often far too open and Samuels, who has won just one of his last three fights, certainly looked like he possessed enough power to win. A re-match will be entertaining, but it could possibly serve Samuels better than it will serve Williams.

Meanwhile, in Atlantic City, the veteran Ray Mercer was stopped for the first time in his long career by the Kiev-born Vladimir Klitschko in six one-sided rounds. Klitschko retained his World Boxing Organisation heavyweight title and is now firmly established as the only legitimate challenger to Lennox Lewis.

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