Liam Williams remains on winning form, stopping Andrew Robinson in the 1st round of their British middleweight title clash
Liam Williams moves one step closer to a world title shot after demolishing Andrew Robinson. The middleweight match-up - scheduled for twelve rounds - saw Williams retain his British middleweight belt with a first-round stoppage win.
Williams looked sharp from the opening bell, and after an early clash of heads that left both men bleeding, he stepped on the gas to overwhelm the stunned Robinson. The official stoppage came at 1 minute 28 seconds when Robinson failed to beat the count after a left hook to the body.
While he feigned disappointment at the stoppage, Robinson looked as though he wanted no part of Williams after the knockdown.
Williams now boasts seven wins from seven fights since moving up from super-welterweight where he suffered his only two losses against Liam Smith back in April and November of 2017.
Currently ranked no.10 by The Ring, no.2 by the WBO, and no.3 by the WBC, the man from Wales is banging down the door for a world title shot next year and has made no secret of who he's targeting.
The WBO title, currently held by unbeaten American, Demetrius Andrade, is the belt that Williams and his team have set their sights on. However, should that fight fail to materialise, Williams' ranking with the WBC means a shot at Jermall Charlo's world title could also be a viable option.
After the win tonight Williams told BT Sports: "to be honest with you I wanted to leave it go a little bit further, just to get a couple of rounds, get my range and look good - let some shots go, but obviously, we clashed heads and I seen the blood dripping from my head, I thought it was a bad cut . . . so yeah I just thought I need to end this now before it goes to a technical draw . . . let's just get him out of there go home".
"I'm mandatory challenger for the WBO middleweight title, to fight Demetrius Andrade, so it's a case of when and where? Give me the date, give me the place and I'll be there . . . I want my opportunity and I want it next".
Elsewhere on the card -
Nathan Gorman (16-1) vs Richard Lartey (14-2)
10 rounds at heavyweight
Winner - Gorman (99-92, 100-90, 100-90)
In his first outing since July of last year when he suffered a knock out defeat at the hands of Daniel Dubois, Nathan Gorman managed to edge out dangerous puncher, Richard Lartey. Despite looking out of shape at his heaviest ever fighting weight, Gorman boxed well - keeping Lartey at bay with a stiff jab to grind out the win against a somewhat one-dimensional opponent in Lartey. While Gorman may still have a few cobwebs to shake off, he did show glimpses of the skills that had him tipped as one of the UK's top up and coming heavyweights before the layoff.
Willy Hutchinson (13-0) vs Jose Miguel Fandino (15-8)
10 rounds at super middleweight
Winner - Hutchinson (TKO 1)
Young super-middleweight, Willy Hutchinson, dispatched of Jose Miguel Fandino in the first round. Earning his ninth knockout in thirteen fights, Hutchinson blasted through Fandino with spiteful combinations, showing impressive power and hand speed to score a knockdown before forcing the referee to step in as the round neared its end.
Muheeb Fazeldin (13-1-1) vs Luke Jones (7-3-1)
6 rounds at super featherweight
Winner - Jones (TKO 2)
Luke Jones stuns the previously unbeaten Muheeb Fazeldin with a second-round TKO. Jones, who was undoubtedly the underdog going in, set a relentless pace - showing no respect for the slick skills of Fazeldin. Jones fought ferociously, giving his opponent no room to get set and with the second round drawing to an end, forced his way inside to land a series of short hooks that had Fazeldin out on his feet against the ropes.
Mark Chamberlain (7-0) vs Shaun Cooper (10 - 2)
8 rounds at lightweight
Winner - Chamberlain (80-69)
Lightweight prospect, Mark Chamberlain, extends his winning record to 7-0, beating Shaun Cooper over eight rounds. Cooper, who was down from body shots in the fourth and seventh rounds, showed a lot of heart to recover and hear the final bell. However, while he had patches of success - particularly with the left hook - Cooper lacked the firepower and accuracy to match Chamberlain.
JJ Metcalf vs Jack Flatley
12 rounds for Commonwealth super-welterweight title
Cancelled
Have an opinion? Leave a comment...