Tag Archives: Liam Smith

Battle Of The Liams: Will Williams Get His Revenge on Smith?

Sports News & Picks, , , , , ,

Here we go again. The battle of two of Britain’s up and coming boxing superstars, both named Liam.

Liam Smith and Liam Williams will square off again after their thrilling first encounter ended in controversy. The two will lock horns one more time at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, England on November 11th, 2017 in what the WBO has announced as a title eliminator for their 154-pound belt.

Unfortunate Ending

Smith and Williams engaged in a dogfight last April at the Manchester Arena in England. The bout came to a sudden end after Liam Williams was pulled from the bout after nine rounds because of an eye injury. It was a sorry loss for Williams who was up by one point in all three of the judges scorecards.

Because of the unfortunate ending, an immediate rematch between the two was set and it was initially penciled for October 28th, 2017. But with heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua fighting on that same date, the Liams agreed to move their fight to November 11th, 2017 and settle their dispute once again inside the ring.

Title Eliminator

Their first bout was for the WBO 154-pound title but Smith did not win it because he failed to make the junior middleweight limit of 154 pounds during the weigh-ins. Instead, the title was disputed by Miguel Cotto and Yoshihiro Kamegai last August. Cotto won it and will defend the crown against Sadam Ali on December 2nd. As this bout is a title eliminator, the winner between Smith and Williams will fight for the title next.

The WBO title once belonged to Liam Smith before he was beaten by Saul Canelo Alvarez. Liam Williams, meanwhile, is the British and Commonwealth 154-pound champion and the 2016 Young Boxer of the Year by the British Boxing Writers association. He is looking for his first world title and once again, that road leads to Liam Smith.

Loser is Favorite

Despite losing their first encounter, Liam Williams is the slight favorite here at -120, while Liam Smith is at even money +100. If not for that eye injury, Liam Williams would’ve likely won that fight on points. Williams looked too sharp for Smith in the early goings and kept his more experienced opponent off him with laser jabs.

Don’t forget that Williams had his best round of the fight in Round 8 before the accidental clash of heads in Round 9 forced the Williams corner to step in and save their fighter’s eye from further damage. To his credit, Smith fought back and turned it into a bloody brawl before the accidental headbutt occurred.

Prediction

We know how tough a veteran Liam ‘Beefy’ Smith is and we acknowledge him being a former world champion. But Liam Smith is probably the best 154-pounder in England right now. He has the skills and power to be a world champion.

Again, Williams has the better jab and more powerful punches. Those should be the key. Barring any unfortunate injury in the rematch, Liam Williams should exact revenge on Liam Smith. Williams by unanimous decision or late knockout.

A New Era: Liam Smith vs. Liam Williams Odds and Prediction

Sports News & Picks, , , , , , ,

It’s Liam verus Liam on April 8th at England’s Manchester Arena when former WBO super welterweight champion Liam Smith tests the unbeaten British and Commonwealth super welterweight title holder Liam Williams in the co-main event of Terry Flanagan’s 5th title defense against Petr Petrov.

A New Era

Dubbed as ‘A New Era’, Liam vs. Liam features two of England’s best 154-pounders. Smith was the former WBO world champion before losing to Canelo Alvarez by 9th round TKO in September 2016. Smith returned to action on March 18th and won a 4-round bout against Marian Cazacu in Spain. He will be fighting on back to back months.

Williams won the British and Commonwealth 154-pound titles by stopping Gary Corcoran at the Wales Ice Rink in July of 2016. He is coming off a November victory over Gabor Gorbics. For his achievements last year, the undefeated Williams was named as the British Boxing Writers Young Boxer of the Year for 2016.

Incidentally, Smith and Williams are the #1 and #2 super welterweights in Britain, respectively so bragging rights is an added prize aside from the WBO European belt which will will be on the line when these two collide on April 8th.

Odds and Prediction

Manchester Arena will definitely be fully packed for this contest because many British boxing fans consider this to be a truly 50/50 bout. The odds currently say that Williams is a -125 and set Smith at even money at +100.

It may look interesting that the young up and comer is favored over the more experienced former world champion but Liam Williams may be the best super welterweight in Britain today. The 24-year old Welshman is a very accurate puncher who possesses a very strong right uppercut. At 5’10”, he’s got good size and length. Williams also comes in on fire, having won his last 8 bouts by stoppage.

Smith ,meanwhile, has a polished offensive game and throws very good combinations. Smith has a balanced head and body attack and while he may not have the same power as Williams but eight of his last wins have come via knockout. The one big concern here is that he will be fighting in back to back months which is always risky. No question that his last bout was just a four rounder but the quick turnaround could backfire against a talented blue-chip contender who has all the motives to beat him.

We’re picking Liam Williams to win here because he’s got the better jab and the heavier hands. Smith may appear to be much more experienced but in reality, his resume isn’t that good. So get your popcorn ready. This should be a good one but we expect Williams to remain undefeated.