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Liam Williams promised Demetrius Andrade that he’ll smash Andrade’s face Saturday in Hollywood, Florida.
Williams intends to pressure Andrade into a brawl when they meet for Andrade’s WBO middleweight title. Andrade welcomed that strategy during a press conference Thursday, when Andrade and Williams exchanged insults about their resumes and appearances.
Wales’ Williams acknowledged that he is in for a difficult fight against the undefeated Andrade, a 6-feet-1 southpaw whose awkward style and boxing ability have made him tough to beat. Andrade’s mandatory challenger also senses that he wants to win this fight more than the favored Andrade.
“Not to get it twisted, I do respect him,” Williams told promoter Eddie Hearn, who served as moderator of the press conference. “He’s a great fighter. He’s obviously a three-time world champion in two different weight divisions. What’s not to respect? I’d be a bit of a fool to, you know, not think he’s any good, wouldn’t I? So, he’s obviously very good. But I see weaknesses. I see things I can pick up on, I can exploit, and I’m fully confident I’m gonna do that Saturday night. I’m not just gonna win, I’m gonna win, you know, in devastating fashion.”
The 33-year-old Andrade (29-0, 18 KOs), of Providence, Rhode Island, will fight for the first time since he stopped Ireland’s Luke Keeler (17-3-1, 5 KOs) by ninth-round technical knockout in January 2020 in Miami. Andrade will satisfy his mandatory obligation with the WBO by boxing the second-ranked Williams because Mexico’s Jaime Munguia (36-0, 29 KOs), the WBO’s number one contender, turned down a shot at Andrade’s title.
The 28-year-old Williams (23-2-1, 18 KOs), of Clydach Vale, Wales, will take a seven-fight winning streak into this title shot. He has won each of those bouts by knockout or technical knockout since losing a majority decision to England’s Liam Smith (29-2-1, 16 KOs) in their 12-round rematch in November 2017 in Newcastle, England.
Williams is confident he can extend that knockout streak against Andrade.
“I don’t plan on going in there and winning on points,” Williams said. “If it goes 12, then happy days. You know, I still plan on winning, but for me, I’m going in there crash, bang, wallop! And I’m looking to take him out, simple as that.”
DAZN will stream Andrade-Williams as its main event Saturday from Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The streaming service’s undercard coverage is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. ET.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.