(Newser)
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Paul Williams' boxing days are over: The two-time welterweight titlist will never walk again, his doctors say, according to his manager. Williams was paralyzed below the waist in an Atlanta motorcycle accident while en route to his brother's house to prepare for another brother's wedding Sunday morning, his manager tells ESPN. He had been due for a big fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas this September, facing off against Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. "Paul is in denial right now," saying he'll be set for camp next week, says manager George Peterson.
The 30-year-old reportedly got out of his lane to dodge an incoming car, but entered the path of another car in the process. That prompted him to swerve out of the way and up an embankment, where he flew off the bike and landed on his back. Though he was wearing a helmet, police say he was driving too fast for conditions, reports the AP. He's due for surgery tomorrow to protect the functioning section of his spinal cord. He seems in good spirits, his manager says: "He's telling jokes and saying if he doesn't box again, he'll do stand-up comedy." Still, "whatever the doctors say, he's not listening. But they say that (walking and boxing) is not going to happen."
