Fighting Machine Liam Williams Insists He’ll Be Ready For Dem-olition Job

By Owen Morgan

Lockdown may have temporarily put a spanner in the works of the boxer known as “The Machine”, but Liam Williams knows exactly what he wants when the action starts again.

The man from Clydach Vale has got his sights firmly on the WBO middleweight title and he’s making sure that current champion Demetrius Andrade knows he’s gearing up for a showdown.

Williams has motored up the world rankings by winning all of his last six fights by stoppage.

The latest victory was a hugely impressive five-round dismantling of American Atlantez Fox which cemented Williams’ status as the mandatory challenger for the WBO middleweight belt.

The 27-year-old says decision day is approaching for American Andrade, who Williams claims is trying to avoid facing him, despite his official challenger title.

Williams said: “I don’t know what Andrade is playing at since I’m his mandatory challenger now. He has to fight me next or vacate the belt.

“It’s a funny situation, but either way I’m fighting for that title next – whether it’s against him or I could possibly fight Jaime Munguia. Either way, it’s gonna be a great fight whoever I end up facing.”

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The hugely confident Williams says he will have no fears about facing the 32-year-old champion, who boasts an impressive pedigree having held multiple world titles across two weight categories.

“I honestly think if I face Andrade, I’ll be too much for him,” says Williams. “I’m too fresh, too fit, too strong. I’m relentless and I don’t think he has the answers to what I’m gonna bring to the table.”

Until then, Williams is making sure he is keeping in the best possible shape in line with the coronavirus restrictions in order to continue his impressive run of form when the call to arms finally comes.

“I’m doing my own thing,” he says. “I’m doing some runs and bag work at home – a little bit of weights, and road bike also. I’m trying to keep some physical condition so when everything opens back up, it won’t take me long to get back into fighting shape.

“I’m having a great run at the moment. My last six fights have been stoppage victories and before the Liam Smith losses, I was on an eight-fight knockout streak.

“I’m on a great run and I honestly believe that run is going to continue when I fight Andrade for the world title and I fully believe that I’m going to stop him.”