Liam Williams says the decision to switch his training camps from South Wales to Sheffield has turned him into a hungrier fighter and equipped him for winning a world title in 2020.
Williams, the British middleweight champion, recorded the finest win of his career when he cut down Alantez Fox in five one-sided rounds at the Copper Box, London, last weekend and while Paco Valcarcel, the WBO president, took to Twitter to deny that the fight was a final eliminator for their WBO middleweight title, Williams believes he will get a world-title shot early in the New Year.
“I have found this new love for boxing,” Williams said. “It was a very good win, I am very happy with it. I’m not going to dine out on it too much, I am going to enjoy my Christmas, then get back into the gym and look forward to a world title fight.”
It was a stunning performance against the 6ft 5in Fox, finding his range early in the fight, he caught the American at will. Fox’s only defeat had been to Demetrius Andrade, the WBO champion, a bout he had mostly fought handicapped by an injured arm. Despite that, he had Andrade on the canvas before losing on point and many had tipped him to beat Williams.
“I’d been preparing with a lot of taller guys and I feel like I had the measure of him within a minute or two and as soon as I hit him the first time,” Williams said. “I thought, give it a couple of rounds until a little bit of the snap goes out of his legs and he is done with.
“The first couple of rounds he tried swinging with me and got clipped a couple of times and I am telling you anybody in the middleweight division feels that power, I can punch you know, their plans go out of the window.
“Within the first two rounds he knew he had no chance and once or twice I looked at him in the corner and I almost thought he was going to give up.”
Williams, 27, has only lost to Liam Smith in his 25-fight career. He had been leading their first fight before a head butt, missed by the referee, opened a cut that led to him being pulled out by his corner. The rematch was not even close, as Williams performed well below his best.
“I wore myself out in training, probably,” Williams said explaining that night. “I wasn’t very motivated and to be totally honest, I couldn’t be arsed. I didn’t want it nearly as much as I do now.”
The defeat was followed by a change of trainers to Dominic Ingle. He has bought a flat in the Chapeltown are of Sheffield and spends the week there, returning home to his family at weekends.
“Moving away from home has given me a whole new focus,” he said. “My little girl has grown up a bit too, then she was a baby when I boxed Smith, now she has grown up a bit and I appreciate her much more. I just want to give her everything I possibly can and make her proud of me.”
Boxing at middleweight also suits, but the Welshman says he can still make super-welterweight if the chances come there.
“I am not taking too much out of myself at middleweight,” Williams said. “I can still get down to light-middleweight, this is probably where my future lies right now. I could do big things at this weight now.
“I’m guessing my next fight will be in April or May, little bit of a rest now, I have had four fights this year.
“I’d love to face Andrade next. If not, any other champion. If not [Jaime] Munguia, Liam Smith. Any one of them, let’s go.”