Paul Williams In Cycle Accident, Report Says He Is Paralyzed

[The Sweet Science]

Paul Williams, the former welterweight and junior middleweight champion known for being a fearless hitter in the ring, was in a motorcyle accident on Sunday near Atlanta, and is currently paralyzed from the waist down.
A report from WRDW-TV, a Georgia station, said Williams, aged 30, is conscious and alert. He will have surgery on Wednesday, to protect the upper half of the spine, which wasn’t damaged. The boxer was slated to face off with young gun Canelo Alvarez on Sept. 15. His record now stands at 41-2 with 27 KOs. The 6-1 lefty, affectionately known as “Long Tall Paul” on TSS, holds wins over Carlos Quintana, Antonio Margarito, Winky Wright and Sergio Martinez.
The TSS community sounds out our well wishes at this difficult time to the boxer, his family, and friends.

[amayseng]

this is horrific news.
absolutely sick to my stomach for paul.

i pray for a miraculous recovery.

[brownsugar]

ditto,.. horrifying is the word.. I had Paul at 50/50 vs Canello in september. Losing too many boxers to motorcycle accidents... my prays go out to Paul and his family.

[ali]

Unbelievable!!!!! Stay the hell off them motorcycles..

[amayseng]

Unbelievable!!!!! Stay the hell off them motorcycles..

i agree ali, too unsafe, you can be doing everything right and somebody run a light and ruin your life or end it....

[the Roast]

Bad news for LTP. I wish you the best of luck going forward. I hate motorcycles. When I was a young Roast, about 18 years old, one of my buddies crashed on a motorcycle. His ball sack was ripped in half. I went to visit him in the hospital. He said,"Do you want to see it?" Young Roast says "No no no" My pal pulls aside the sheet to reveal something the Roast will never forget. I swore to myself never to get on a motorcycle. The risk is not worth it. I hope you walk again and live a normal life Paul.

[dino da vinci]

Roast. I guess I'm greedier than most. I would like to see him pull a Willie Pep. Not only live a normal life, but make a complete recovery and be back in the ring where he deserves to be and belongs. Vinny Paz was another. Who can forget when he broke his back in a car crash, had to wear that halo, and trained without the doctor knowing about it? Paul, medical science is moving along at an amazing clip and I firmly believe that one way or another, you'll have your life back. You'll remain in our thoughts and prayers as you fight through this most challenging of times. Godspeed.

[the Roast]

Roast. I guess I'm greedier than most. I would like to see him pull a Willie Pep. Not only live a normal life, but make a complete recovery and be back in the ring where he deserves to be and belongs. Vinny Paz was another. Who can forget when he broke his back in a car crash, had to wear that halo, and trained without the doctor knowing about it? Paul, medical science is moving along at an amazing clip and I firmly believe that one way or another, you'll have your life back. You'll remain in our thoughts and prayers as you fight through this most challenging of times. Godspeed.

I hope you are right Dino. Good luck LTP!

[dino da vinci]

I hope you are right Dino. Good luck LTP!

The plane crash that Pep survived was severe enough that it incurred loss of life. Pep was first told he may not walk again and later told he definitely would not fight again. He declined a $500,000 settlement so he could go back into the ring, which he did, six months to the day of the crash. (Per "Classic Sports"). Paul's a fighter. Just ask him.