Good things simply don’t last in the sport of boxing. And for Julian Williams, he was forced to learn that the hard way.
After banking a few wins following his defeat to Jermall Charlo, the Philadelphia native found himself as the next in line to challenge Jarrett Hurd for his WBO and IBF junior middleweight titles in 2019. Viewed as a gigantic underdog on the night, Williams (28-3-1, 16 KOs) flipped the script, winning a close but clear unanimous decision.
His immediate smile, while bright, was wiped off his face as he struggled with consistency. In his very next ring appearance, the now 33-year-old was brutally stopped by Jeison Rosario. A near year and a half year layoff did nothing to recharge his batteries as he would suffer yet another defeat, this time against longtime journeyman, Vladimir Hernandez.
A move up in weight in his subsequent outing has ostensibly done Williams some justice. In his official middleweight debut, the former champion won a wide decision vs. Rolando Mansilla.
Claiming that he feels much better with the added weight, Williams will now test his new and improved chin against the power of current WBC interim tag holder, Carlos Adames. At the moment, oddsmakers aren’t convinced that Williams has what it takes to present Adames with much resistance come June 24th.
Not known as the most audacious trash talker around, Adames, despite the betting world backing him, refuses to summarily dismiss Williams and what he brings to the table. That said, the 29-year-old secondary trinket holder doesn’t expect to break too much of a sweat come the night of their fight.
“It’s gonna be a good fight but it’s not gonna go long with my power.”
Before accepting a showdown against Williams, the Dominican native was hopeful that winning the interim title would be enough to lure Jermall Charlo, the division’s full WBC champion, into the ring with him. Nevertheless, with Charlo seemingly heading in another direction, Adames (22-1, 17 KOs) will look to take out his frustrations on Williams.
Although they haven’t formally met with the cameras rolling, Adames did reveal that the pair have enjoyed a few heated sparring sessions. Normally, fighters refrain from divulging what takes place behind closed doors. However, while he kept his lips shut on the exact outcome of those battles, Adames did hint that more times than not, he got the better of his upcoming foe.
“I sparred him myself. It’s a different type of monster right here.”