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Welsh boxer Liam Williams has retired from the sport aged 32, citing ‘several concussions’.
Williams, a former British champion, last fought in February, losing to Hamzah Sheeraz via first-round knockout. That result took his record to 25-5-1 (20 KO wins), ending a career that saw Williams challenge for world titles at middleweight and super-welterweight.
Williams said, via the BBC, that his 2022 defeat by Chris Eubank Jr came after he was advised not to fight due to the effects of a concussion. He added that, after his last fight, he knew he had “taken too much” and did not want to ‘jeopardise his future with his family’.
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“I know that boxing is brutal,” said Williams. “[After the Sheeraz fight], I came back to my dressing room feeling down and feeling bad for myself, I was devastated at how I had performed. I trust the people around me, and when they are telling you it’s over, you have to listen. It was very hard to hear.
“I’d had some problems with concussions. I had three or four in 18 months. I don’t want to box just for money and get a hit to the head you can never come back from. I’ve got a lovely family, a lovely partner; if I can’t enjoy my life with them because of damage to my brain, what would it be for?
“I probably shouldn’t say this, but a doctor told me not to fight Eubank as I had been concussed again,” Williams added, referring to his decision loss in 2022. There is no suggestion, however, that Williams failed a medical test with the British Boxing Board of Control.
“I’d had the concussion from an elbow in the [Demetrius] Andrade fight, sparring, I probably knew I shouldn’t box Eubank, but there was a lot of money on the table.
“The fight was in Cardiff and I had sold a lot of tickets. I sold £200,000 worth of tickets from my house, it was crazy. I didn’t want to let people down, so I didn’t say anything. I had no punch resistance against Eubank. Obviously I should have listened about not fighting.
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Liam Williams during his final fight, a first-round loss to Hamzah Sheeraz (Getty Images)
“I’ve taken too much [damage], I’ve had a long career, boxing has been all I’ve ever known. Heavy sparring, heavy hits, my resistance to punches is not as good, and the risks are just too great. Some hits you can’t come back from.
“Because of concussions I’ve had to retire. It’s the right decision, but I did have a blip recently. I watched a fight, I can’t even remember which one, and I immediately messaged my manager and said: ‘Get me a fight’. Then I rang him back the next day and told him to forget I’d said anything.”
Williams’s coach Gary Lockett added: “After the Sheeraz fight, Liam and I were in the ring, and he said to me, ‘I’m done Gary, aren’t I? I can’t take shots to the head anymore.’ I said: ‘Yes, you are’. What else could I say? I couldn’t lie to him.”
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