Puncher's Chance

Triple champion and former boxer Williams is building confidence after Higgins said: It was like being in the ring with Floyd Mayweather... he’s clever and jabbed my head off

- Hector Nunns

Mark Williams reckons he can box clever all the way to a fourth-world title.

The 46-year-old Welshman is into the quarter-finals of the Betfred World Championship after 29 years on tour.

Wily three-time winner Williams tied old rival John Higgins (right, with Williams) up in knots with his snooker ‘rope-a-dope’ at the weekend.

After a 13-7 defeat four-time champion Higgins, 45, even claimed it was “like being in a ring with Floyd Mayweather – I got my head jabbed near clean off, he is so clever”.

And former schoolboy boxer Williams, who was unbeaten in 12 fights before turning to snooker, admits he has grown up admiring the most canny exponents of a sweet science.