AFTER an injury-enforced absence of more than three months, the worldโs No. 8 middleweight, Liam Williams, is ready to return to full training. The Welshman, who was unanimously outpointed by the No. 3-ranked Demetrius Andrade in April, underwent surgery in June to correct a problem with his shoulder. Following a period of recovery, he is now raring to go.
โI didnโt have the operation until eight weeks after the Andrade fight, and itโs been another five weeks since then,โ Williams explained to Boxing News last Monday (July 19). โIโm off training for one more week, then Iโm back at it. So Iโll have been out for 14 weeks in total by the time I start training.
โItโs always been a struggle for me when Iโve got nothing much to do with myself. Obviously Iโve had the new baby [Oscar, named after Oscar De La Hoya and born in May], so thatโs been pretty demanding! And recently Iโve been doing a bit of shadowboxing and running here and there. But if Iโm being totally honest, itโs all been hard work. With no date in sight and no specific fight to get myself fit for, Iโve been having a couple of good days and then Iโve been thinking, โYou know what, I canโt be arsed.โ Then Iโve been having a couple of days being a bum. Iโve just been blowing hot and cold like that, so Iโll be glad to see the back of it all. Iโm looking forward to really getting my teeth stuck into training again.โ
Despite being soundly beaten by Andrade, the gallant Williams emerged from the contest with his reputation enhanced, having fought with grit and determination throughout. Although he was experiencing issues with his shoulder leading into the bout, the 29-year-old refuses to blame his defeat on this.
โThe trouble with my shoulder began a good three months before the Andrade fight,โ Williams revealed. โIt wasnโt bad enough to stop me training, but I would struggle with it at times. Some days itโd take me three or four hours to get going in training. Iโd have to do four rounds on the bag before I even sparred, just to warm my shoulder up. It was playing on my mind sometimes, so it was a bit difficult. But I canโt really use it as an excuse for the way the fight went. Andradeโs a very good fighter. He nullified what I was trying to do and made it hard for me. Who knows, things couldโve gone a little better for me if I hadnโt been carrying the injury, but Iโd never really use it as an excuse.
โI definitely believe that Andradeโs one of the trickiest customers out there. I did what I could do basically, but it never worked. There are a couple of things that I couldโve done better, but overall I pretty much went in with a game plan to try to stick it on him. I think if Iโd had a bit of a better start then things couldโve been different. Maybe the shoulder was the reason why I didnโt start well.
I was trying to warm it up in the changing room beforehand but it wasnโt firing 100 per cent. It took me three rounds to get going in the fight. I got dropped [in the second round] which obviously didnโt help, so I was playing catch-up before weโd even really got started.โ
The clash with Andrade marked Williamsโ debut appearance on US soil, with all but one of his previous matchups being held in the UK. With his five fights pre-Andrade being staged in England, the man from Clydach Vale has not competed in his home nation of Wales since September 2018. Performing in front of his Welsh countrymen once again is something that greatly appeals to the former two-weight British champion. โFighting in America for the first time was a good experience, especially in a beautiful place like Florida,โ the 23-3-1 (18) Williams said. โThe fan situation was a bit disappointing, as there werenโt many people there [because of COVID restrictions]. Now that weโre hopefully coming out of the pandemic, Iโm looking forward to having the big crowds back.
โIโd definitely love to have a homecoming fight. Itโd be special fighting in Wales again. Itโs a shame that I havenโt boxed there for around three years. Iโm just waiting at the moment and seeing whatโs on offer and what route weโre going to take. I know that my team are working on a couple of things โ no names in particular, but more of a route to get back to the top end of the division. Iโll be back in the ring before the end of the year โ maybe in late November.โ
Earlier this month, Williams asked fans on his social media whom they would like to see him face next, with the names of three fellow Brits proving to be the most popular choices. Middleweights Chris Eubank Jnr (No. 9) and Felix Cash (No. 10) were regularly mentioned, as was super-welterweight Liam Smith, who holds two contentious wins over Williams from 2017, with the first of these victories being particularly controversial.
โWith respect to Cash, I havenโt really got anything to gain from that fight,โ Williams opined. โThe fight itself is a good one, but itโs not really going to take me forward and it doesnโt really do anything for my career if I beat him. I only want fights that are going to benefit me. The Eubank fight is definitely one that interests me. Thatโs a big fight. Heโs a name, so thereโd be good money involved. The Smith fight interests me too, but mainly for personal reasons. Iโd like to get a win over him after our two other fights.
โIโve been a professional for almost 10 years now but Iโm still very motivated. I know what I want and I know where I want to be. Of course, my little girl [five-year-old Myla] and boy give me motivation. I want to provide for them and make them proud.โ