Supermen need a Lex Luthor

Steve Marcus

Paul Williams throws a punch at Winky Wright in a fight Saturday at Mandalay Bay that Williams would go on to win. Williams, whose future looks bright to many, threw twice as many punches as Wright.

By Jeff Haney (contact)

Monday, April 13, 2009 | 2 a.m.

The two fighters who won the co-features on this weekend’s boxing card at Mandalay Bay have plenty in common.

Chris Arreola, the latest would-be savior of the heavyweight division, and Paul Williams, a threat anywhere from welterweight to middleweight, both have charisma to spare.

Both are likable, with pleasant personalities.

Both have unique styles in the ring that set them apart from their blander boxing brethren. Arreola brings a crowd-pleasing, hard-hitting brawler’s approach to the heavyweight class. Williams’ relentless attack from all angles has elicited comparisons to Ray “Windmill” White, famed for throwing tricky, even behind-the-back, punches at venues throughout Southern California in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Yet Arreola and Williams have a similar need: Another high-profile opponent or three who could assist them in creating some career-defining, legacy-building boxing matches.

Promoter Dan Goossen, who is aligned with both men, described Williams as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport Saturday night after his victory by unanimous decision against Winky Wright.

It’s likely Williams does have the skills, the tools, to live up to his promoter’s billing. But other fighters mentioned in discussions of the sport’s best have had foils who served to enhance their fearsome reputations. Manny Pacquiao, for instance, had the likes of Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez and most recently Oscar De La Hoya as he made his way up through the ranks. Morales had Marco Antonio Barrera and vice versa.

De La Hoya has participated in the piecemeal, de facto round-robin tournament that has shaped up in the past couple of years with Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Ricky Hatton. Then there’s the fantasy match of Pacquiao against the ostensibly retired Mayweather, the fight that dare not speak its name, at least not until we know the result of Pacquiao’s tough fight against Hatton on May 2.

Saturday night at the Events Center, Williams did prove he belongs in any conversation about boxing’s best and brightest.

He will continue to have the number 100 — as in punches per round — linked to him more than any athlete since Nolan Ryan, or at least Stephen Strasburg.

Williams threw 1,086 punches to Wright’s 511 in the 12-rounder, outlanding Wright 247 to 116.

In the eighth round, Mike Tyson, seated at ringside, turned to Goossen. He uttered a mild (for Tyson) oath and marveled that Williams appeared to be gaining strength, rather than losing steam, as the fight progressed.

Williams (37-1, 27 knockouts) fired off 104 punches in Round 1, 105 punches in Round 2, 105 punches in Round 10 and 106 punches in Round 12.

“I knew he was going to throw a lot of punches,” Wright (51-5-1, 25 KOs) said, “but I didn’t know he was going to throw that many punches.”

Williams plans to return to the welterweight division, where a potential fight against Shane Mosley looks intriguing — especially in light of Mosley’s superb performance against Antonio Margarito in January.

Like Williams, Arreola accomplished everything he set out to do Saturday, knocking out Jameel McCline (39-4-3, 23 KOs) in the fourth round.

Arreola has set his sights on the Brothers K of the sport, Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, Dr. Ironfist and Dr. Steelhammer.

He’s through calling out individuals by name, though.

“You know what, I’m done with that,” said Arreola (27-0, 24 KOs), aiming to become the first Mexican-American world heavyweight champ. “I’m here to fight. Whoever they say, let’s go. I’m here to make history.”

Arreola professes to love beer (shades of Hatton) and Oreos and routinely cracks jokes about his ever-fluctuating weight. He claimed to have gained five pounds during fight week thanks in part to the excellent dining scene in Las Vegas. Surely Dr. Ironfist would not approve.

Still, Goossen said: “We don’t think there’s a heavyweight in the world who will beat Cristobal Arreola.”

Boxing fans are to be commended for showing some skepticism regarding Arreola’s role as the heavyweight division’s new, new thing. We have heard that refrain before.

But they should also be advised to have fun following Arreola — and Williams — as the two fighters strive to meet the lofty expectations that have been attached to them.