LIAM WILLIAMS has the chance to record one of the great wins on US soil when he travels to challenge for Demetrius Andrade’s title.
The Welshman has gone Stateside for his first crack at gold, but will also need to become the first man in 29 fights to beat Andrade.
Williams has earned his shot the hard way, becoming mandatory for the WBO middleweight belt after seven wins on the spin.
But he has it all to do with Andrade, one of the most underrated technicians in the world.
Here, SunSport compares to to headliners record ahead of the world title bout.
Demetrius Andrade
The American was a standout amateur and represented USA at the 2008 Olympic Games.
But despite the great hope and promise behind him, Andrade was beaten in the quarter-finals by Korean veteran Kim Jung-Joo.
He decided to turn pro a couple of months later and quietly built up his record while climbing the ranks.
By 2013, Andrade won his first title as he edged out Vanes Martirosyan on points to win the WBO light-middleweight crown.
After just one title defence, a 13 month absence from the ring saw his title stripped. He would have three more fights before going to middleweight.
Andrade had just one bout at his new home of 160lb, before he challenged for the vacant title against Walter Kautondokwa.
The southpaw was due to face Billy Joe Saunders, until the Brit failed a pre-fight drug test, which he claimed was down to a nasal spray.
Andrade inherited the strap on points, and the most recent of his three defences came against Irishman Luke Keeler in January 2020.
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Liam Williams
Williams did not have as much of an extensive amateur career as Andrade but revealed he won 44 out of 49 bouts.
He turned pro in 2011 and won 16, with a draw against Tyan Booth following a head clash his only blemish, before his first big step up.
Williams faced former champ Liam Smith in April 2017 and was ahead on the cards before a gruesome gash caused him to be pulled out before round ten.
Smith won the rematch on points seven months later, to hand Williams consecutive defeats.
But like Andrade, the Brit moved up to middleweight, and a win over Mark Heffron was the pick of the bunch from his five fights up in weight.
Williams is a brutal body puncher and a self-proclaimed angry fighter, who works on pure aggression.
He is also a smart switch-hitter, with his skills honed under the guidance of esteemed trainer Dominic Ingle in Sheffield.
With 18 knockouts in his 23 wins, Williams is a proven puncher, more than Andrade on paper, and may have a size advantage.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
