Demetrius Andrade Fends off Liam Williams to Keep His WBO Title

WBO middleweight champ Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade finally met a real challenge and was able to fend off the hard-charging Liam “the Machine” Williams by unanimous decision on Saturday.

“Hell of a fighter. Tough, strong, he comes to fight,” said Andrade.

It was the fourth time Andrade (30-0, 18 KOs) defended his WBO world middleweight title belt and Williams (23-3-1, 18 KOs) proved the toughest of them all after 12 rugged rounds at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

Despite Andrade connecting early with damaging blows including some savage uppercuts that led to a wobbly Williams, a fight that seemed headed for an early stoppage ended up being a fight for survival.

All through his professional career Andrade has faced limited competition, even in his last three world title defenses. This time Williams the Welshman was the chosen foe. It proved to be a good choice.

Williams had promised to walk through fire and after being floored in the second round by a short one-two Andrade combination, it looked like his words were as full of holes as a flower pot. But he got up.

“You can’t keep me down,” Williams said.

Andrade was physically superior in every physical aspect, but you can’t measure heart. So, when Williams continued to absorb hellacious uppercuts it soon became obvious that he was bent on keeping his promise to give every measure of his fighting ability in an effort to win the title.

Around the fourth round Williams was able to shorten the distance despite taking serious blows from Andrade. From that point on the battle between the two became much more interesting as Williams was finally able to connect consistently.

In the ninth round during exchanges in close, Williams blasted Andrade with a one-two combination that forced Andrade to hold the Welshman. It was the first time the champion was stunned.

“I hurt him once or twice,” said Williams.

But after surviving Williams’ rally in the ninth and 10^th rounds, Andrade gained back respect with a furious four-punch combination and a sizzling right uppercut. Williams paused but was not hurt.

After 12 rounds the judges scored the fight 118-109 twice and 116-111 for Andrade who retains the WBO middleweight world title.

“Him getting back up showed me he’s a dog,” said Andrade. “I got hit with some hard shots too.”

Despite losing by decision Williams bore no malice toward the judges or Andrade.

“I have to give him credit,” Williams said. “He’s quality.”

Super Middleweight

Super middleweight titlist Carlos Gongora (20-0, 15 KOs) won by eighth round technical knockout over Christopher Pearson (17-2, 12 KOs) in a battle between southpaws.

It was Gongora’s first defense of his fringe IBO world title.

Gongora battered the defensive-minded Pearson who seemed a little slow to start his engine. He had been inactive for more than two years and it showed.

But Ecuador’s Gongora had no such problem. He was busier and accurate in showcasing the skills that gained him the title this past December by knocking out Ali Akhmedov. He proved it was not luck.

The end came when Gongora connected with a right uppercut and followed up with two more blows. Pearson’s right eye immediately swelled into the size of a walnut and he quickly surmised he could not continue to fight. The fight was stopped at 2:17 of the eighth round.

Other Bouts

A battle between undefeated middleweight prospects saw Alexis Espino (8-0, 5 KOs) emerge the winner by unanimous decision over Ty McLeod (6-1, 6 KOs) after six rounds. No knockdowns were scored. Espino lives in Las Vegas and McLeod lives in Sarasota, Florida.

Russia’s Andrey Fedosov (32-3, 26 KOs) knocked out the much-heralded Mahammadrasul Majidov (3-1, 3 KOs) of Azerbaijan in the first round of their heavyweight clash.

A lightweight fight saw Jorge Castaneda (14-1) defeated American prospect Otha Jones III by majority decision after eight rounds.

Photo credit: Ed Mulholland / Matchroom

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