Boxing: Williams looking to rise above pack
Londoner Richard Williams will be looking to make a statement to Britain’s other top light-middleweights when he defends his Commonwealth crown against Guyana’s Andrew Murray in Liverpool tonight.
The 11-stone class is easily the most competitive weight division domestically, with WBU champion Takaloo, WBF ruler Steve Roberts and former IBO king Adrian Stone vying for supremacy with British title-holder Wayne Alexander and the likes of Anthony Farnell.
Iranian Takaloo staked his claim with an emphatic one-round demolition job on Scott Dixon last Saturday - a performance which certainly impressed Williams.
He said: ‘‘He looked strong, powerful and very confident. I like Takaloo a lot. He’s a nice guy.
‘‘But there are five or six light-middles at the top and any one of us could be considered as number one at any particular time.
‘‘I am keeping my eyes on all of them - they’re all potential opponents for me.’’
First the 30-year-old from Stockwell has to deal with Murray, two months younger but with a lot more miles on the clock in his ring career.
A tall, stylish southpaw, he previously held the Commonwealth title at welterweight beating Britons Tony Swift and Michael Smyth on previous visits and made an unsuccessful challenge to then WBA champion Ike Quartey in 1995.
‘‘I’ve studied the tape and he looked very slick and a good mover. I know I’ve got to be at my best,’’ said Williams.
