By: Hans Themistode
Liam Williams will have to wait a little bit longer for his world title dreams to become a reality. The middleweight contender fought a competitive fight against WBO belt holder Demetrius Andrade this past weekend at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
Although Williams gave it everything he had and visibly stunned Andrade in the later rounds, the British native was simply outgunned as Andrade cruised to a unanimous decision victory. While he was hoping to pick up the win, Williams is under the impression that the loss to Andrade isn’t the end of the world. Especially considering that he lost to who he believes is the best in the weight class.
“I don’t feel like I’m going to take too much of a step back,” said Williams during the post-fight interview. “I believe Demetrius is probably the best of the world champions, other than Canelo.”
Hearing his name mentioned as the best in the middleweight division doesn’t come as a surprise to the Rhode Island native. For years now, Andrade has screamed from the mountain tops that he’s the best 160 pounder in the world and is willing to face every and anyone to prove it.
Despite his brazen statements, Andrade has yet to face any of the division’s top names including WBC titlist Jermall Charlo and IBF belt holder Gennadiy Golovkin. Although he hasn’t shared the ring with either of those previously mentioned fighters, for Williams money, he’ll bet that Andrade is the cream of the crop.
Before actually facing him, however, Williams had an entirely different perception of Andrade from the outside looking in. But with 12 hard rounds in the books, including a second-round knockdown, Williams gave Andrade all of the respect in the world.
“Demetrius is a very good fighter. He’s better than I thought and more slipperier than he appears on tv. I hurt him a couple times I feel but he was gone before I knew it and couldn’t capitalize on it. He’s very good.”
