Alantez Fox will be an interested observer when Demetrius Andrade defends his WBO 160-pound title against mandatory challenger Liam Williams on Saturday.

Fox has previously shared the ring with both men. He lost his unbeaten record when he was outpointed by Andrade (UD 12) in October 2017. After exchanging barbs with Williams on social media, Fox met the Welshman and was stopped in five rounds in December 2019.

The 29-year-old American believes the fight has all the ingredients to bring out the very best in both incumbents.

“I think it’s going to be a great fight,” Fox (27-2-1, 12 knockouts) told The Ring. “I think the fight is actually going to be boxer vs. brawler. Almost like you can picture a Ray Leonard-Marvin Hagler fight. 

“I see Demetrius Andrade being the most flashy of the two guys and the boxer and I see Liam Williams – don’t get wrong he can box – trying to bully Demetrius Andrade the whole time. Whoever’s will can prevail, will be the winner.”

Fox feels Andrade is an impressive technical boxer, who brings a lot of ring savvy.

“I think Demetrius Andrade is a definitely a smart, skilled puncher,” acknowledged Fox, who is now campaigning up at super middleweight and was the backup for David Benavidez-Ronald Ellis last month. “He has a really good punch placement. He has a really good ring I.Q. He’s going to play it as safe as he’s allowed to. He doesn’t go in there and take natural risks.”

He feels Williams all-action aggressive nature could serve him well.

“Williams brings a lot of energy to the ring,” said Fox. “I remember in our fight, I looked across the ring at him, he was pacing back and forth. He was ready to go in there. He’s pretty strong but I don’t know if he’s stronger or not than Demetrius Andrade but he’s definitely going to go in there and press the issue.”

Fox feels Andrade can’t let himself get out-hustled and has to be fully dialed in but not get too greedy.

“Liam Williams is strong, you can’t sit on the ropes,” he explained. “You have to keep the activity up, you have to be in shape, move and outbox him for 12-rounds. Unless you feel you can hurt him and knock him out. You have to be on point with everything you’re doing, your defense, getting in and out, you can’t sit there and allow him to take advantage of your inactivity. 

“[Williams] is always ready to jump in there with a combination. He’s not a one punch person, he’s a combination puncher, he’s going to keep the work rate and activity up.

“If Demetrius Andrade goes in there to try to knock Liam Williams out, he’s going to be in for a rude awakening but he’s smarter than that but I don’t think he’s going to go in there with a chip on his shoulder. I think he’s going to go in there do whatever he needs to do.”

Conversely, Fox believes that although Williams will be the aggressor and look to get on the inside, the challenger has to be measured and disciplined so not to walk into something on his way in.

“Demetrius Andrade is good at placing his punches, I believe Liam Williams has to move his head moving forward, have his defense A1,” said Fox. “You will get tagged with shots; Demetrius Andrade can box. Your counters have to be really on point. 

“I don’t think Liam Williams will let him dictate the pace, he’s going to push the pace and make Demetrius Andrade box and mind his Ps and Qs the entire time. If you’re not able to box like that against Liam Williams, you’re going to lose. If you’re not 100 percent or 90 percent to box Liam Williams he’s going to overwhelm you. I don’t think Demetrius Andrade is going to be able to keep the pace low.”

Fox broke down each fighter in 10 key categories:

JAB

Demetrius Andrade: I think Demetrius Andrade’s jab is a little better. Both Demetrius Andrade and Liam Williams were able to land jabs on me. Liam Williams being the shorter man, he was able to use his legs, close that distance to land that jab. Demetrius Andrade, who is shorter than me, he has a really good jab. 

DEFENSE

Andrade: Demetrius Andrade’s defense is definitely better. I hit Liam Williams with more shots than I hit Demetrius Andrade with but Liam Williams is good though. Liam Williams is going to be there to get hit, he’s going to be slipping, trying to catch the shots. When you’re the pursuer, you’re going to take more shots than you would normally.

HANDSPEED

Andrade: I think [this category is] more even than people think. I was a little drained when I fought Liam Williams so his hands were looking a lot faster than I thought. Maybe Demetrius Andrade has slight edge in handspeed. I think Andrade places his punches a little better. 

FOOTWORK

Even: Demetrius Andrade tends to sometimes be overzealous and trip up a lot, it’s maybe because he’s a southpaw, his lead foot always crosses over and makes him be off-balance more often. In our fight I dropped him but I really didn’t have to do anything, he did that on his own, I threw a punch that grazed and his footwork made it so he fell and I got the knockdown. Liam Williams uses a little bit of footwork; he uses more head movement to get forward. I think Demetrius Andrade may take a bit of an advantage in that department but I don’t see Liam Williams falling around like that, so it maybe even.

SMARTEST

Even: I think Liam Williams knows how to take advantage of the situations he’s in. In my fight with Demetrius Andrade, he came out in one round as if he was going to take me out. When he went back to the corner his father told him, ‘This guy isn’t there, we won’t even try to take him out, you need to relax.’ That goes to ring I.Q., you need to be able to recognize situations you’re in. When I hurt Liam Williams in the fight, he knew how to cover up, hold, wrestle, that all goes to ring I.Q. That might be the most even [category]. 

STRONGEST

Liam Williams: If I had to gauge both of them, I may give the toughness and strength edge to Liam Williams. He can probably absorb more punishment than Demetrius Andrade. That’s his fight path. If things get rough for Andrade, I don’t know how well he’ll manage on that. I don’t see Liam Williams boxing on the outside, I see him trying to bully Demetrius Andrade.

Photo from MTK Global

POWER

Williams: I might give the edge to Liam Williams; I think he might hit a little harder. Liam Williams hurt me in the third round and finished me in the fifth round. 

CHIN

Even: It’s hard to say because I didn’t hit Demetrius Andrade like that. I hit Liam Williams with a shot that hurt him, I hurt him to the body. You have to say Liam Williams chin but I wasn’t able to Demetrius Andrade’s chin. In past fights I’ve seen Demetrius Andrade dropped. Liam Williams has been stopped; it wasn’t because he was hurt but he was stopped. I hurt him myself, I know Liam Williams can be hurt. I’m going with a no comment.

SKILLS

Andrade: Demetrius Andrade definitely has better skills; he gets hit less. I think his boxing skills are better but I think Liam Williams has good boxing skills as well.

OVERALL

Andrade: I think Andrade is the better fighter all-around. He has zero loses, Williams has two. Liam Williams is the No. 1 contender. I don’t think Andrade is leagues better, I just think he’s better. 

Fox expects an evenly contested bout throughout but leans toward the defending titleholder.

“I’m going with the boxer, I think Demetrius Andrade’s boxing skills and I.Q. will put him above [Williams],” said Fox. “It’s going to be a decision. I don’t think he’ll knock Liam Williams out; I don’t think he’s going to even try to knock Liam Williams out. I can see all three judges giving it to Demetrius Andrade. I can see a 7 [rounds to] 5. Andrade’s going to know he’s been in a fight.”

Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at [email protected] and you can follow him on 

Twitter@AnsonWainwright