ATLANTA (AP) — Boxer Paul Williams was paralyzed from the waist down Sunday after being involved in a motorcycle crash in the Atlanta suburbs and doctors said it is unlikely he will continue his career, his manager, George Peterson said Monday.
"From the waist down, he has absolutely no movement. He's in very good spirits, though," Peterson told The Associated Press from his home in Aiken, South Carolina. "He still believes he's going to fight again."
Williams severed his spinal cord after falling on his back and head when he was thrown from his motorcycle Sunday morning in Marietta, Georgia, Peterson said. Williams has been listed in serious but stable condition on Monday at an undisclosed hospital.
"I know he's going to make a statement after surgery on Wednesday, because he's that kind of person," Peterson said. "He's 100 percent coherent and still has the will to want to get back on the motorcycle."
Williams was scheduled to fight Saul Alvarez on Sept. 15 in Las Vegas but that event has been canceled, Peterson said.
He said he continues to hope with Williams that the boxer's career isn't over.
"I want to think along with him, 'cause I've seen him do things in his boxing career that shouldn't have happened," he said.
The crash happened Sunday morning in Marietta after Williams tried to avoid another car in the next lane that was negotiating a curve and then had to maneuver to avoid an oncoming car. Williams was in the area to attend his brother's wedding Sunday afternoon, Peterson said.
"We want his fans to know he's going to be all right and he'll be back," Peterson said. "He said if he wasn't going to be boxing, he's going to be a stand-up comedian."
