Welsh warlord Liam Williams scoffs at recent insinuations from Liam Smith that he cowers whenever the pair come together, writes Glynn Evans.

The rivals collide at Manchester Arena on April 8^th in a salivating Anglo-Welsh clash to determine Britain’s best at 154lbs with BT Sport and BoxNation screen live.

While Rhondda rucker Williams is conscious to avoid the pre-fight bickering that compromised his performance against Gary Corcoran last summer (wrsf11), the Gary Lockett trained British and Commonwealth king warns ex WBO king Smith that he’ll be doing the bullying when they finally come to rumble between the ropes.

‘While I’ve been away I’ve seen Smith has been posting videos suggesting that I’m frightened in his company, passive when Gary ’s not with me but I just don’t give it the time of day,’  insists the 24 year old from Clydach Vale who is unbeaten in 17 with 11 stoppage wins.

‘He keeps trying to imply that I’m like some young boy who needs protecting but anybody who knows me, knows I’m not remotely scared of Liam Smith or anyone else for that matter. He really doesn’t understand what I’m about, where I was raised, what I come from.

‘Smith likes to play psychological games and thinks he’s above everyone he fights. He’s going to be in for a rude awakening. Sure, we expect him to turn the hostility up in fight week, at the final presser and weigh-in. I’ll not be backing down but I’ll not be losing my cool either. I fell for that before in my British title defence against Corcoran and, though I won the fight, it worked against me. I’ve learnt that lesson.

‘So forget all the mind games. I don’t want to disclose too much about our plans other than I believe I’ve a more well rounded game. I’m slightly bigger, I’m stronger and I punch harder. That’s all I’m going to need.’

Smith vs. Williams is part of an unmissable evening of action on April 8th; local hero Terry Flanagan makes the fifth defence of his WBO World Lightweight crown against dangerous Russian Petr Petrov; double Olympic Gold Medallist and women’s boxing icon Nicola Adams OBE fights for the first time as a professional and former Team GB Heavyweight monster Daniel Dubois makes his highly-anticipated professional debut.