Liam Williams sends scary message to Demetrius Andrade with Robinson destruction

Liam Williams has been waiting for his mandated WBO middleweight title shot at Demetrius Andrade for a while now, at least in part due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Rather than rest on his position, British champion Williams recognised the need to stay active – and to pay the bills – so set an example for Andrade by taking care of his own mandatory obligations, against Andrew Robinson aka “D’Animal”.

Redditch’s Robinson always looked up against it but entered the scheduled 12-round main event at London’s BT Studios in the form of his career, having upset 41-0-1 local favourite Damian Jonak in Poland last year. Williams, “The Machine” from Clydach Vale in Wales, has already twice challenged with honour for a world title and more recently blasted threw Atlantez Fox, who had taken Andrade the full course.

He looked to be a class apart going into this Frank Warren show broadcast by BT Sport, and so it proved. An early clash of heads saw both men cut and Williams put his foot on the gas, dropping Robinson with a vicious left hook to the body and scoring the stoppage after just 88 seconds, the challenger ruled out despite rising at ’8’.

Andrade will presumably present a stiffer challenge but Williams on recent form is a threat to anyone.

Heavyweight Nathan Gorman returned from 15 months’ inactivity, significantly heavier than usual, to comprehensively outscore Ghana’s Richard Lartey, who we last saw in the UK being outgunned in a wild shootout with Daniel Dubois. Dynamite also handed Gorman an inside-schedule defeat, his first setback as a pro and the likeable Nantwich man’s previous outing, last July.

Lartey had been out since May 2019 and the Dubois reverse himself, so perhaps it was unsurprising his early free-swinging offensive rapidly dissipated as he tired. Gorman employed an excellent sharp jab, good movement and snappy counters, but held a bit too much up close as the 10-rounder progressed. He will improve from shedding the ring rust, then the excess pounds. He won 100-90 (twice) and 99-92.

Hot Scottish prospect Willy Hutchinson, a World Amateur champion at Youth level, is now 13-0 (9) after his second one-round win since lockdown ended. He outclassed, dropped and stopped Jose Miguel Fandino, a Spaniard most recently knockout out in seven by decorated, comebacking compatriot Sergio Martinez, in just 2-49. Hutchinson, trained by Dominic Ingle and slowly trimming down to super-middleweight, is overdue a test.