Liam Williams (boxer) in what has been described as a gruesome grudge match. Williams was controversially defeated by former WBO super-welterweight world champion Liam Smith on 8 April 2017 at the Manchester Arena. Owing to incorrect weight for the bout,Smith was ineligible to inherit the interim WBO super-welterweight world title (held by Canelo Álvarez who is moving to a higher weight and expected to vacate the title). Liam Williams (boxer) Liam Williams (born 26 May 1992 in Church Village), is a Welsh professional light-middleweight boxer. , he held WBO European, British and Commonwealth titles in the super-welterweight/light-middleweight (154 lb) division, being ranked as
World Boxing Organization champions Michael Moorer, Riddick Bowe, and Henry Akinwande relinquishing the title to pursue other options. Boxing publication "The Ring" also did not recognize the WBO, despite having recognized the IBF after its inception in 1983, five years prior to the WBO. In the lighter weight divisions, however, long-reigning champions during the 1990s such as Chris Eubank, Dariusz Michalczewski, Johnny Tapia, and Naseem Hamed gave the WBO title increasingly more prestige. The WBO was also made popular by boxers such as Marco Antonio Barrera, Oscar De La Hoya, Nigel Benn, Ronald "Winky" Wright, Joe Calzaghe, and Wladimir Klitschko, all of whom