Demetrius Andrade outpoints tough, but overmatched Liam Williams

Demetrius Andrade outpointed tough, but overmatched Liam Williams on Saturday in Hollywood, Fla.

Demetrius Andrade received a stiff challenge from Liam Williams and still won by a mile, which might say something about his ability.

Andrade, defending his middleweight title Saturday in Hollywood Fla., outboxed Williams from beginning to end to win a wide decision. That was no surprise. However, he had to be more resilient than usual against a tough, determined opponent. That was less expected.

Andrade (30-0, 18 KOs) got off to a typically strong start, hurting Williams (23-3-1, 18 KOs) in the opening round and putting him down with a right-left combination late in Round 2.

At that moment, it seemed as if the fight might end early. However, the Welshman, obviously fit and determined, survived the harrowing moment and remained on his feet for the remainder of a reasonably competitive 12-round fight.

Liam Williams survived a second-round knockdown to hear the final bell.  Ed Mulholland / Matchroom Boxing

Andrade was impressive, moving laterally, stopping momentarily to land quick, hard shots and then moving his feet again. The Rhode Islander was particular effective with his head-snapping right uppercut, which he connected on throughout the fight.

To his credit, Williams stalked the champion incessantly looking for openings. And he had some success when he was able to catch up to Andrade and engage inside. The problem for him is that Andrade didn’t allow that to happen often enough for Williams to win rounds consistently.

Thus, the official scores were one-sided: 118-110, 118-110 and 116-111. Boxing Junkie scored it 118-110 for Andrade, 10-2 in rounds.

Williams, who had stopped his previous seven opponents, had no complaints after his first world title fight.

“He’s a very good fighter,” he said of Andrade. “He’s better than I thought, to be honest with you. He was slipperier than he appears to be on TV. I couldn’t really get going, landing my shots, getting my combinations off.

“I hurt him a couple of times, I feel, but he was gone before I knew it and I couldn’t capitalize on it.”

Andrade was pleased and respectful of Williams.

Demetrius Andrade celebrated his 30th victory in as many fights. Ed Mulholland / Matchroom Boxing

“Liam Williams is a hell of a fighter, tough, strong and he comes to fight,” Andrade said. “That’s the time of fight people wanted to see me in. And that’s what we did. I showed out, I performed the way I needed to perform to get the W.

“My hat goes off to Williams all day.”

Andrade, the WBO titleholder, has had trouble luring the other champions and top 160-pounders into the ring. He hopes the victory over Saturday is another step toward getting the likes of Jermall Charlo and Gennadiy Golovkin to fight him.

“At the end of the day, I’m a champion, I’m undefeated,” he said. “I shouldn’t have to inspire anyone to get in the ring for a belt, an undefeated record and a whole lot of money on the table. Whenever we can sit down and make something happen, I’m willing to do it. I’m willing to risk it all.

“If I want to show I’m the best, I have to get in the ring with those guys and they have to do it as well. This was a nice stepping stone for me to get on to the next level.”

Demetrius Andrade outpoints tough, but overmatched Liam Williams

Demetrius Andrade outpointed tough, but overmatched Liam Williams on Saturday in Hollywood, Fla.

Demetrius Andrade received a stiff challenge from Liam Williams and still won by a mile, which might say something about his ability.

Andrade, defending his middleweight title Saturday in Hollywood Fla., outboxed Williams from beginning to end to win a wide decision. That was no surprise. However, he had to be more resilient than usual against a tough, determined opponent. That was less expected.

Andrade (30-0, 18 KOs) got off to a typically strong start, hurting Williams (23-3-1, 18 KOs) in the opening round and putting him down with a right-left combination late in Round 2.

At that moment, it seemed as if the fight might end early. However, the Welshman, obviously fit and determined, survived the harrowing moment and remained on his feet for the remainder of a reasonably competitive 12-round fight.

Liam Williams survived a second-round knockdown to hear the final bell.  Ed Mulholland / Matchroom Boxing

Andrade was impressive, moving laterally, stopping momentarily to land quick, hard shots and then moving his feet again. The Rhode Islander was particular effective with his head-snapping right uppercut, which he connected on throughout the fight.

To his credit, Williams stalked the champion incessantly looking for openings. And he had some success when he was able to catch up to Andrade and engage inside. The problem for him is that Andrade didn’t allow that to happen often enough for Williams to win rounds consistently.

Thus, the official scores were one-sided: 118-110, 118-110 and 116-111. Boxing Junkie scored it 118-110 for Andrade, 10-2 in rounds.

Williams, who had stopped his previous seven opponents, had no complaints after his first world title fight.

“He’s a very good fighter,” he said of Andrade. “He’s better than I thought, to be honest with you. He was slipperier than he appears to be on TV. I couldn’t really get going, landing my shots, getting my combinations off.

“I hurt him a couple of times, I feel, but he was gone before I knew it and I couldn’t capitalize on it.”

Andrade was pleased and respectful of Williams.

Demetrius Andrade celebrated his 30th victory in as many fights. Ed Mulholland / Matchroom Boxing

“Liam Williams is a hell of a fighter, tough, strong and he comes to fight,” Andrade said. “That’s the time of fight people wanted to see me in. And that’s what we did. I showed out, I performed the way I needed to perform to get the W.

“My hat goes off to Williams all day.”

Andrade, the WBO titleholder, has had trouble luring the other champions and top 160-pounders into the ring. He hopes the victory over Saturday is another step toward getting the likes of Jermall Charlo and Gennadiy Golovkin to fight him.

“At the end of the day, I’m a champion, I’m undefeated,” he said. “I shouldn’t have to inspire anyone to get in the ring for a belt, an undefeated record and a whole lot of money on the table. Whenever we can sit down and make something happen, I’m willing to do it. I’m willing to risk it all.

“If I want to show I’m the best, I have to get in the ring with those guys and they have to do it as well. This was a nice stepping stone for me to get on to the next level.”

Demetrius Andrade vs. Liam Williams: date, time, how to watch, background

Demetrius Andrade vs. Liam Williams: date, time, how to watch, background.

unbeaten middleweight titleholder demetrius andrade will make a defense against welshman liam williams on dazn.

***

DEMETRIUS ANDRADE (29-0, 18 KOs) VS.
LIAM WILLIAMS (23-2-1, 18 KOs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMEIKnCwt_U&t=18s

  • Date: Saturday, April 17
  • Time: 3 p.m. ET / noon PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Fla.
  • TV/Stream: DAZN
  • Cost: DAZN: $19.99 per month or $99 annually
  • Division: Middelweight
  • At stake: Andrade’s WBO title
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: Andrade 2½-1 favorite
  • Also on the card: Carlos Gongora vs. Christopher Pearson, super middleweights; Mahammadrasul Majidov vs. Andrey Fedosov, heavyweights
  • Prediction: Andrade UD
  • Background: Andrade will be making the fourth defense of the 160-pound title he won by nearly shutting out Walter Kautondokwa in October 2018. However, the talented Rhode Islander has yet to face a top-tier opponent at or near his weight. It’s not for lack of trying. He has called out everyone from Canelo Alvarez to Gennadiy Golovkin to Jermall Charlo and nothing has come from it. Enter Williams. The 28-year-old Welshman doesn’t have the name recognition of the champions mentioned above but he is no pushover. He has won seven consecutive fights since losing back-to-back outings against Liam Smith in 2017, the first as a result of a cut and the second a majority decision. He last fought in October, when he stopped Andrew Robinson in one round. Perhaps just as important as notching the wins, he seems to have improved considerably since the setbacks. That said, he has never tangled with anyone at Andrade’s level. We’re going to learn a lot about Williams in this fight. Andrade is coming off a ninth-round knockout of Luke Keeler in January of last year.

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Demetrius Andrade vs. Liam Williams: date, time, how to watch, background

Demetrius Andrade vs. Liam Williams: date, time, how to watch, background.

unbeaten middleweight titleholder demetrius andrade will make a defense against welshman liam williams on dazn.

***

DEMETRIUS ANDRADE (29-0, 18 KOs) VS.
LIAM WILLIAMS (23-2-1, 18 KOs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMEIKnCwt_U&t=18s

  • Date: Saturday, April 17
  • Time: 3 p.m. ET / noon PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Fla.
  • TV/Stream: DAZN
  • Cost: DAZN: $19.99 per month or $99 annually
  • Division: Middelweight
  • At stake: Andrade’s WBO title
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: Andrade 2½-1 favorite
  • Also on the card: Carlos Gongora vs. Christopher Pearson, super middleweights; Mahammadrasul Majidov vs. Andrey Fedosov, heavyweights
  • Prediction: Andrade UD
  • Background: Andrade will be making the fourth defense of the 160-pound title he won by nearly shutting out Walter Kautondokwa in October 2018. However, the talented Rhode Islander has yet to face a top-tier opponent at or near his weight. It’s not for lack of trying. He has called out everyone from Canelo Alvarez to Gennadiy Golovkin to Jermall Charlo and nothing has come from it. Enter Williams. The 28-year-old Welshman doesn’t have the name recognition of the champions mentioned above but he is no pushover. He has won seven consecutive fights since losing back-to-back outings against Liam Smith in 2017, the first as a result of a cut and the second a majority decision. He last fought in October, when he stopped Andrew Robinson in one round. Perhaps just as important as notching the wins, he seems to have improved considerably since the setbacks. That said, he has never tangled with anyone at Andrade’s level. We’re going to learn a lot about Williams in this fight. Andrade is coming off a ninth-round knockout of Luke Keeler in January of last year.

[lawrence-related id=5717,14611]

Demetrius Andrade to Liam Williams: Back up your words

Demetrius Andrade has suggested that it might not be easy for Liam Williams to back up his bold words once they step into the ring Saturday.

Liam Williams is doing his job to sell his title challenge of Demetrius Andrade on Saturday in Hollywood, Fla., saying among other things that he will stop the unbeaten champion around midway through the fight.

And he probably believes it. Williams (23-2-1 18 KOs) has improved considerably since back-to-back losses to Liam Smith in 2017, winning seven consecutive fights. He’s evolved into a good all-around boxer.

Here’s the thing, though: Now he has to back up his words against one of the most confounding fighters in the world, a strapping boxing savant with an awkward style who also happens to be lefthanded.

“It’s one thing to be hyping yourself up and the fight,” Andrade said. “But you got to be concerned with what you are saying and back it up because at the end of the day, I don’t have two losses, I have never lost. They call him ‘The Machine’, but when I am done with him, he’ll be ‘The Rust Bucket.’

“You’re going to see the same you always see from me – a solid game plan, dominance, landing big shots, an all-around great performance and giving people what they have been missing, the sweet science.”

Andrade (29-0, 18 KOs) expects a good effort from Williams. He simply doesn’t believe the Welshman has the ability to hand him his first loss.

“I don’t think he’s going to just lay down with all the s— talking he’s been doing,” Andrade said, “but when you finally get here, it’s different. Now you have to fight, and Liam is not going to stop my train. I expect him to bring the fight because this is his opportunity, but at the end of the day, he’ll be able to say, ‘I lost to Demetrius Andrade.’

“Everyone says that they are going to do this and that with me, but reality bites, and when I touch them, they fall all around the ring and go running. It’s hard to hit me, they always end the night losing and saying, ‘Wow, you are better than we think.’”

Andrade last fought in January of last year, when he stopped Luke Keeler in nine rounds in the third defense of his title. Williams, coming off a first-round knockout of Andrew Robinson in October, will be fighting for a major title for the first time.

We’ll see whether Williams’ ability matches his words.

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