Liam Williams defeats Alantez Fox with ease!
The red hot WBO #7 middleweight contender Liam Williams (21-2-2, 16KO) took on the #2 ranked fighter Alantez Fox (26-1-1, 12KO) in an eliminator to name the next opponent for champion Demetrius Andrade (28-0, 17KO) for the second quarter of 2020!
Williams has been on a tear since losing back-to-back fights to former WBO junior middleweight champion Liam Smith in 2017. Since he has won five straight by knockout while bouncing around from middleweight, super middleweight and even light heavyweight.
His biggest win of the stretch was a tenth round stoppage of undefeated and highly respected prospect Mark Heffron.
Fox has gone on a small streak himself since losing an embarrassing unanimous decision to Andrade in October of 2017.
HE WASN’T READY
At 6’4″ with a 79″ reach, the game-plan for Fox was clear. The smaller Williams seemed to have much more to worry about in attempting to get inside of the jab while cutting off the ring on the much taller and rangier opponent.
However, the lack of skill, ring IQ, execution and ability to adapt made getting inside of his opponent a relatively easy task. Maybe TOO EASY!
Immediately at the open bell, Fox displayed all kinds of problems for himself. He leaned his long body over which took away about four inches in height and kept his lead hand too low. Fox is not a speedy fighter by any stretch of the imagination so it was easy for Williams to anticipate when his opponent would shoot the jab from his hip.
Furthermore, for how skinny the American fighter is, one would expect him to be light on his feet. However, it would be Williams who had the superior footwork as he provided angles to maneuver himself on the inside.
Finally, the inside game of Fox was atrocious! As the footwork of the British fighter behind his own jab allowed him to get inside and unload big shots, Fox would immediately look to hold. He absolutely had no ability to fight on the inside.
Hell he had absolutely no way of stopping the pressure of his opponent.
The only aspect that played in the American’s favor was the thin skin that lined the eye of Williams. After the first round, a few jabs and straight rights caused a cut over the Brit’s eye.
But it’s not like Fox capitalized on it or anything!
EASY WORK!
By round four, Fox was as confused as a fifth grader taking a college level math test! The only thing he could show for was holding, the faster, stronger and just…BETTER Williams when he would easily blast him with hooks on the inside.
A flush right hand on the chin finally floored the lanky fighter. He would make the count and continue fight but was now sporting a cut on the bridge of his nose.
As round five kicked-off, Williams just continued to execute the game-plan as Fox would continue to execute his “holding” plan! Finally, referee Steve Gray had seen enough and deducted a point from the American.
As things couldn’t get any worse, Williams would land another cracking right hand that would make Fox stagger across the ring against the ropes. Williams would follow up with a barrage of shots that would drop his opponent and himself as he got tangled up with Fox’s flailing legs.
The referee joined the pile-up to put a formal stop to the fight! The corner of Fox tried to show some sort of displeasure with the stoppage but at this point, it was a breath of fresh air seeing their fighter get taken out of the ring.
With this win, Williams is now the mandatory for the winner of Demetrius Andrade vs Luke Keeler January 30!
By: EJ Williams
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