Williams gives it his best shot in Hollywood
WELSH boxer Liam Williams fell to a unanimous points decision against Demetrius Andrade in his bid to become world middleweight champion.
Williams, from the Rhondda, was seeking to become Wales’s 13th world champion but knew he was always up against it versus the unbeaten American.
He overcame being put down in only the second round with a battling display and seemed to trouble Andrade in the ninth round.
But the 33-year-old Andrade’s class told and the three judges scored the WBO title clash 118109, 118-109 and 116-111 in his favour.
Andrade started strongly by sending Williams to his knees in the first round and was evasive and powerful with his body shots as he accumulated points at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
A left-right combination in the second round put Williams on his back, but the Welshman rose again at the count of nine and continued boxing.
Andrade’s right uppercut continued to torment Williams throughout the bout, with the 28-year-old somewhat dulling its effectiveness by staying close to the champion.
Williams was given hope as Andrade clearly tired as the contest wore on and had a good ninth round with the American seemingly in trouble.
But Williams was unable to land telling blows and Andrade’s movement kept him out of range, while he continued to repeatedly break the Welshman’s guard with his left hand en route to victory.
Williams, 28, had twice lost to Liam Smith in 2017, but deserved his shot at the title after winning seven fights on the trot.