Looks like Sergio Martinez will be the opponent for Paul Williams on December 5. The two will most likely fight at 154 pounds for Martinez's WBC title. (Photo via DiBella Entertainment)

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Rick Reeno of BoxingScene.com has learned that a deal for Paul Williams to face Sergio Martinez on December 5 is close, ending speculation as to whom Williams would face with his now-open HBO date. Williams was slated to challenge middleweight world champion Kelly Pavlik, who pulled out of the fight for a second time with staph infection in his left hand. Martinez is the WBC's junior middleweight titleholder.

As for venue, Reeno says it will either stay in Atlantic City or move out to California. And as for the televised co-feature, talk for Chris Arreola's opponent has somewhat stagnated. Derric Rossy's name has been connected to the fight. Rossy (22-2, 12 KO) is a 29-year old American perhaps best-known for fighting and beating Ray Mercer in China in 2008. He's been knocked out by Alexander Dimitrenko and Eddie Chambers, his two best opponents.

Reeno also spoke with Paul Williams about Joshua Clottey, who turned down an $650,000 offer for the December 5 fight. Clottey was originally to be on the card against Carlos Quintana, but that fight was scrapped when Pavlik pulled out. Williams was less than kind:

"He talks all this mess about me all the time in all of these internet interviews. He says I'm a weak welterweight and he wants to fight me but when the opportunity comes, and he can make three times more [money] than he's ever made - he folds up like a tent. It don't take much to get his trainer back and I know people in the gym who told me he's been training the whole time. When you catch someone in a lie you want to bring to someone's attention."

Williams isn't limiting his trash talking to just Clottey. It's clear that "The Punisher" is getting frustrated with his career progression and lack of truly big fights:

"Like Shane Mosley. He’ll go in the ring and call out Floyd Mayweather but when someone calls him out - he don’t want to fight. I don’t know why these guys are still in the game if they don’t want to fight nobody. They are willing to fight for peanuts against someone safe, that they know they can beat. What these guys do, like Kelly Pavlik and Clottey, it's bad for boxing. They build themselves up but then when it comes down to getting in the ring - they don't want to fight."

This is all kind of on the same wavelength Martinez has been on lately, too. Sergio has called out plenty of guys, then called then "pussies" when they wouldn't take a fight. As always, the real truth why these fights weren't made is probably somewhere in the middle of the trash talk. But Martinez-Williams is a really good fight and more than a suitable replacement for Pavlik-Williams.