FEROCIOUS middleweight Liam Williams did not hesitate as he defended his British title from Andrew Robinson on Saturday night at the BT Sport studios.

Starting quickly, he lined up a booming combination, a straight right setting up the left before another hard cross struck home. He feinted, before launching a crunching one-two into the target.

Still in the first round, their heads collided. It left Robinson cut over his eye and Williams bleeding from the top of his head. Stirring up bad memories of his contentious first fight with Liam Smith, when Williams was stopped on a cut eye, the Welshman accelerated his attack to a further pitch of intensity. He drove Robinson towards the ropes, hammered a cross to head, before smacking the right to the body, setting himself to drill a left hook into the challenger’s other side.

The assault saw Robinson sink down. He was left dazed, kneeling on the canvas. Redditch’s Robinson just failed to rise in time for referee Marcus McDonnell, counted out after 88 frenetic seconds. Robinson barely had time to get off a punch.

“I seen the blood dripping out of my head and I just thought I need to finish it because it could go the wrong way,” Williams said afterward. “I knew as soon as I hit him clean, he was going to go and I feel the same way about most people.

“I didn’t really get the chance to showcase my skills and what I’ve been working on.”

The Welshman is looking to close on a world title shot and he is mandatory for Demetrius Andrade’s WBO title. “I wanted that fight for this outing but s**t happens and for one reason or another it couldn’t be worked out,” he said. “It’s looking like early next year.

“I’m going searching for him and I don’t think he even mentions my name. So I don’t think he’s going to fight me personally. I think he might give up [the title] and just let me fight maybe [Jaime] Munguia. But I don’t care who I fight. The form I’m on right now, I believe I’m going through anyone and that’s not just Andrade. Golovkin, Charlo, you name them I want them all.

“[Golovkin’s] a good fighter and a massive puncher but now is my time.

“As soon as I smell blood, it’s game over.”

Heavyweight Nathan Gorman provided the supporting act. It was the Nantwich man’s first outing since a devastating loss to Daniel Dubois in July of last year. But coming in at a career-heaviest 19st 7lbs did not bode well. He looked fleshy in the ring, his footwork more ponderous than it should have been. But he still understood how to manoeuvre clear of Richard Lartey’s wilder assaults. Backing off, Gorman pumped straight jabs into the Ghanaian. He selected left hooks to repel the odd charge but often simply tied up Lartey in a clinch when he came into close range. Even a deliberate head butt from Lartey did not rattle Nathan.

Gorman did ship the occasional right but he weathered the impacts well enough. The pace leaked out of the second half of the 10-rounder. Although Gorman won clearly, 99-92 for Marcus McDonnell and 100-90 for both Ian John Lewis and Terry O’Connor in a unanimous decision, he will need to sharp up and improve his conditioning if he is to threaten the more highly ranked British heavyweights once again.

Robert Williams refereed.

“I’m a bit heavy at the minute – lockdown weight,” Gorman said. “I’ve got the ball rolling now.

“[Lucas Browne] if he wants it, no problem. Let’s get it for the Joyce-Dubois undercard.”

Rising Scottish prospect Willie Hutchinson rapidly overwhelmed Jose Miguel Fandino. After taking the measure of the Spaniard, he dropped Fandino with a sustained flurry. With seconds left in the first round he smacked hooks round Fandino’s guard, thumping in heavy shots and forcing Ian John Lewis to end the bout at just 2-49.

Mark Chamberlain soundly outpointed Willenhall’s Shaun Cooper. The Portsmouth southpaw fired out straight shots. He hurt Cooper in the fourth round, hammering punches to the body and driving Cooper to the canvas.

Chamberlain looked composed, his guard high, throwing quality crosses through Cooper’s defences. He jolted Cooper’s head and a left hook targeted to the body dropped Shaun again in the seventh round. Chamberlain won an 80-69 points decision for referee Ian John Lewis.

Chasetown’s Luke Jones upset Muheeb Fazeldin. Jones kept the Sheffield southpaw on the backfoot, throwing his jab, then his cross at the body. He shook Fazeldin with a left hook in the first round. Jones never let up control. In the second round he trapped Fazeldin on the ropes, smacking his right into the side of his head, slamming in those punches as referee Robert Williams stopped the contest at 2-02.

The Verdict Williams was too good for Robinson, and wasted no time in making the disparity clear.

FULL RESULTS
Liam Williams (160lbs), 23-2-1 (18), w rsf 1 Andrew Robinson (159¼lbs), 24-5-1 (7); Nathan Gorman (273¼lbs), 17-1 (11), w pts 10 Richard Lartey (256¼lbs), 14-3 (11); Willie Hutchinson (169½lbs), 13-0 (9), w rsf 1 Jose Miguel Fandino (169½lbs), 15-8 (8); Mark Chamberlain (138¼lbs), 7-0 (4), w pts 8 Shaun Cooper (136½lbs), 10-2; Luke Jones (130½), 7-3-1 (1), w rsf 2 Muheeb Fazeldin (129¼lbs), 13-1-1 (4).