Paul Williams, the boxer known as “The Punisher,” was paralyzed from the waist down during a motorcycle crash in suburban Atlanta on Sunday morning.
Williams, 30, was involved in the crash in Marietta, Ga., where he was supposed to attend his brother’s wedding that afternoon.
He severed his spinal cord after falling on his back and head when he was thrown from his motorcycle after swerving to avoid an oncoming car, his trainer and manager, George Peterson, said.
“From the waist down, he has absolutely no movement,” Peterson told the Associated Press. “He’s in very good spirits, though. He still believes he’s going to fight again.”
However, doctors have said Williams will not walk again. He is listed in serious but stable condition and will undergo surgery on Wednesday to stabilize his upper body.
Williams (41-2, 27 KOs) was scheduled to fight undefeated Mexican star Saul “Canelo” Alvarez for the WBC light middleweight title on Sept. 15 in Las Vegas, but that event has been canceled, Peterson said.
Peterson said he believes Williams, from Aiken, S.C., will make a statement after his surgery on Wednesday, “because he’s that kind of person,” he said. “He’s 100 percent coherent and still has the will to want to get back on the motorcycle.”
The crash happened when Williams tried to avoid another car in the next lane that was negotiating a curve, and had to maneuver to avoid an oncoming car.
Williams has won world titles as a welterweight and junior middleweight.
Williams’ last fight was a unanimous decision victory against Nobuhiro Ishida in February of this year.
Information from USA Today and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
