As was made official last night, Demetrius Andrade will defend his WBO middleweight title against Liam Williams on Saturday, April 17, streaming live on DAZN.
Williams (23-2-1, 18 KO) has called for the fight for some time, and now he’s got the shot.
“I’ve been quite vocal saying I’ll smash him, and I actually am going to,” said Williams. “I’ve waited for this for too long now, I’m not going to let it slip through my fingers, I’ll grab the opportunity with both hands.
“I just think he’s a complete weirdo, a very strange man. I’ve watched him for some time, I used to be a bit of a fan of him back then, now I get the chance to share a ring with him and punch his face in and I can’t wait to do it. I’m going to punch lumps out of him, nonstop. The first couple of rounds could be tricky, but I believe that I will get on top of him and start beating him up. I think he might overlook me, possibly.”
Andrade, meanwhile, has been trying to get a fight with a bigger name, but it’s just not happening for him right now, and he hasn’t fought since January of 2020. Williams admits that Andrade (29-0, 18 KO) may well have deserved the big fights he wanted, but now he’s putting his own sights on them.
“To be honest, maybe he has deserved to get a fight with Canelo, GGG, he’s been world champion for a long time, a two-weight and three-time champion,” Williams said. “So he’s probably deserved those fights, but his time is up now and once I deal with him, I’ll get those fights.”
Williams has also been on a strong run since moving to win 160, winning five straight at the weight, all by stoppage. He thinks he has the style to give Andrade problems.
“Have you ever seen me going into my shell in a fight? I don’t think he’s going to have enough in him to make me do that, and let’s not forget, he’s not fought anyone like me. When I start hitting him and hurting him, no-one really knows what he’s going to do. Who’s to say he’s not going to go into his shell?”