The next major boxing event takes place on Saturday from Miami.
The main event features Demetrius Andrade putting the WBO middleweight title on the line against Liam Williams
As always with a big-time boxing card, there are certainly plenty of bets to be made. Let's take a look at some of them.
Demetrius Andrade vs. Liam Williams odds
Demetrius Andrade: -350
Liam Williams: +240
(All odds via BetMGM)
BetMGM has Andrade installed as a heavy favorite — as of Friday, he comes in at -350, meaning you'd need to bet $350 to win $100. Meanwhile, Williams is a +240, meaning if you pluck down $100, you will win $240. The odds have increased in favor of a successful title defense for Andrade. On Monday, Andrade was -275 and Williams was +225.
Andrade (29-0, 18 KOs) was looking to capitalize on his dominant ninth-round stoppage win over Luke Keeler in January 2020 to successfully defend his belt for the third time. He wanted the marquee names at either middleweight or super-middleweight, including Canelo Alvarez, Gennadiy Golovkin, Billy Joe Saunders, or Jermell Charlo. The COVID-19 pandemic hit and ruined those plans. With Alvarez facing Saunders on May 8 and the uncertainty of when Golovkin and Charlo will get back to action, Andrade decided to take his mandatory so he can attempt to secure a huge fight later on in the year.
“Liam Williams, you got what you wanted,” Andrade said in a press release. “You ran your mouth, got your rating up, and here we go. April 17, your career ends. Or maybe you go back to headlining small club shows in the UK. I don’t know. What I do know is that you’re getting beaten badly, and then I’m on to much bigger fights and bigger nights in my career."
In what is the biggest fight of his career, Williams competes in the United States for the first time. Since losing back-to-back tilts to former world champion Liam Smith, Williams has reeled off seven consecutive wins, six of them coming via stoppage, including in his most recent outing in October when he knocked out Andrew Robinson. Williams has made it clear that he plans on taking care of Andrade and winning his first major world title.
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Demetrius Andrade vs. Liam Williams prediction
No disrespect to Williams but this is Andrade's fight to lose. Andrade is more skilled than Williams in every facet of the game. He's a better boxer, a better puncher, has superior footwork and a higher fight IQ.But the one thing Williams can try to exploit is Andrade's reluctancy to put the foot on the gas pedal and go for the finish, as evidenced by his showings in his last four contests against Keeler, Maciej Sulęcki, Artur Akavov and late replacement Walter Kautondokwa. While he ended up finishing Keeler and Akavov and sent Kautondowka to the canvas four times, Andrade didn't press the issue and attempt for earlier stoppages. That works against lower-tier opposition but won't with the upper echelon.
Can Williams take advantage of Andrade's tentativeness?
I don't think he will be able to as Andrade is going to come out looking to make a point and will apply the pressure from the outset. It's going to be too much for Williams to handle and Andrade ends up scoring an early stoppage to retain the title for the fourth time.
Muehlhausen's pick: Demetrius Andrade
Best odds: Demetrius Andrade by KO/TKO/Technical Decision or DQ: +250
More Andrade vs. Williams odds
Will the fight go the distance?Yes: -160
No: +120
Method of victory
Andrade by KO/TKO/Technical Decision/DQ: +250
Andrade by points: +100
Tie: +2000
Williams by KO/TKO/Technical Decision/DQ: +333
Williams by points: +900