on july 9, 2011, paul williams fought in a light middleweight contest in atlantic city against former cuban amateur sensation erislandy lara. throughout the fight, lara repeatedly hit williams with hard left hands and appeared to have won the fight convincingly in the eyes of the hbo crew and those sitting at ringside. however, the judges awarded williams with a narrow majority decision, a highly controversial verdict that ultimately led to the suspension of the three judges by the new jersey athletic control board.