LAS VEGAS — If Paul Williams thought the world’s top boxers were scared of him before, just wait until they see the holes he punched in Winky Wright‘s once-impenetrable defense.
Williams worked Wright like a heavy bag with dozens of relentless blows on the way to an emphatic victory by unanimous decision Saturday night in a meeting of two much-avoided middleweights.
Williams (37-1, 27 KOs) pounded at Wright’s famed defensive posture from the opening bell, relentlessly breaking down the former champion in Wright’s return from a 21-month ring absence.
With so many punches to block, Wright (51-5-1) simply didn’t have time to land enough scoring blows against his taller, longer opponent.
• Chris Arreola stopped Jameel McCline in the fourth round on the Wright undercard, passing the biggest test in the top American heavyweight prospect’s unbeaten career.
Arreola (27-0, 24 KOs), a 28-year- old hoping to become the first heavyweight champion of Mexican heritage, finished impressively against his most accomplished opponent (39-10-3) to date.
Hewitt, Odesnik to meet in final
HOUSTON — Lleyton Hewitt reached his first clay court final in a decade with a 7-6 (4), 6-4 victory over Evgeny Korolev at the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships.
The former No. 1 player in the world will meet Wayne Odesnik in today’s title match. Odesnik reached the final with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Bjorn Phau.
Hewitt won his 498th career match, moving him closer to joining Roger Federer and Carlos Moya as the only active players with 500 wins.
• Aleksandra Wozniak upset top-seeded Nadia Petrova 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in the semifinals of the MPS Group Championships in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. She will meet second-seeded Caroline Wozniacki, who beat Elena Vesnina 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4).
• Juan Carlos Ferrero beat top-seeded Igor Andreev 7-6 (9), 6-3 to reach the final of the Grand Prix Hassan II tournament in Casablanca, Morocco. Florent Serra beat Albert Montanes 6-4, 6-4 in the other semifinal.
Contador wins Basque race
ZALLA, Spain — Alberto Contador won his second straight Tour of Basque Country cycling title after extending his overall lead in the final stage.
The Astana rider finished the 15-mile individual time trial in 31 minutes, 59 seconds. He was 22 seconds faster than Toni Colom, while Samuel Sanchez finished 45 seconds back in third. Cadel Evans and Luis Leon Sanchez rounded out the top five.
Footnotes.
Buffalo Bills defensive back Donte Whitner was shocked with a stun gun and arrested by officers trying to control a rowdy crowd outside a Cleveland nightclub early Saturday, police said. A prosecutor will decide whether to file charges.
• Detroit signed forward Johan Franzen to an 11-year, $43.5 million deal, keeping him off the free-agent market and retaining talent that helped the Red Wings win the Stanley Cup.
The Associated Press
