By Lyle Fitzsimmons

Jermall Charlo is a man of multiple locales.

He and twin brother Jermell are Texans by birth. And when it comes to boxing, he’s occasionally been compared to one of his idols – longtime Detroit-based superstar Thomas Hearns.

But come Saturday night in Los Angeles, the 26-year-old is hoping to channel a little Pensacola.

The IBF’s champion at 154 pounds will risk his title for the third time against No. 1 contender Julian Williams, in a bout he likens to the inaugural 1993 match between Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins.

The fight will be broadcast by Showtime as part of a two-bout live card that begins at 10 p.m. (ET) and also includes a second-tier WBA featherweight title fight between Jesus Cuellar and Abner Mares.

The Charlo-Williams betting lines are almost dead even, with a $125 wager required to turn a $100 profit on Charlo at bovada.lv while a $105 investment is needed for the same windfall on Williams.

“Every fight is a hard fight,” Charlo said. “Every fight I have to come out and give my best and be on my A-game. So it’s a good fight to me technically. This is the Roy Jones and Bernard Hopkins back in middleweight type of fight. We’re going to get down and get ready. I’m ready for it. This part of our legacy is everything that I’ve wanted, growing up as a young fighter, young champion.”

A 24-year-old Jones and Hopkins, then 28, were a combined 43-1 with 36 knockouts when they met for the IBF’s 160-pound title at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., where Jones won a unanimous decision.

Jones is a native of the Florida panhandle. Hopkins was born in Philadelphia.

Twenty-three years later, Charlo and Williams – born just 44 days apart in the spring of 1990 – meld together for a 46-0-1 record with 32 KOs. And Williams, also from Philadelphia, is considered to be Charlo’s toughest test to date in a title run that already included a devastating blowout of Cornelius Bundrage last September and a unanimous defeat of Austin Trout in May.

Williams, in his last bout, stopped Marcello Matano in seven rounds in March. He’s slotted seventh in the division by the Independent World Boxing Rankings, four spots behind Charlo in third.

“We’re both on the way up to the top level,” Charlo said. “He’s definitely one of my best opponents up to this date. He’s hungry as me. I’m not necessarily worried about any of the things he said about being as hungry as he is to be fighting me. I was that guy, too. Being ready to fight K9 and waiting and waiting. He’s my toughest opponent. And I’m ready for it.”

Both men, too, are unofficially vying for the spotlight held by Nos. 1 and 2 at 154 – WBO champ Canelo Alvarez and IBO/WBA title-holder Erislandy Lara.

In fact, it’s a quest Charlo is quick to point out as motivation.

“(It’s a) very big fight, very important fight for me, clinch the division,” Charlo said.

“I’m ready to just give everything I have. It’s going to be a good fight for me. And it’s going to be a good fight for Julian. We both hit it big and we both need to give the fans what they want to see. So, it’s that time. I’m not supposed to go and be in some superstar. It’s a business. I’m betting and fighting for everything that boxing has to offer. My advantage is being focused and humble and strong-minded like I’ve always been.”

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This week’s title-fight schedule:

SATURDAY
IBF heavyweight title -- Manchester, United Kingdom
Anthony Joshua (champion/No. 7 IWBR) vs. Eric Molina (No. 8 IBF/No. 22 IWBR)
Joshua (17-0, 17 KO): Second title defense; Second fight in Manchester (1-0, 1 KO)
Molina (25-3, 19 KO): Second title fight (0-1); Second fight outside the United States (1-0, 1 KO)
Fitzbitz says: Molina gave Deontay Wilder a run for his money when they got together, but you can bet that Joshua is determined to beat the American’s ninth-round stoppage. He will. Joshua in 6

IBF junior middleweight title -- Los Angeles, California
Jermall Charlo (champion/No. 3 IWBR) vs. Julian Williams (No. 1 IBF/No. 7 IWBR)
Charlo (24-0, 18 KO): Third title defense; Fifth fight in California (4-0, 4 KO)
Williams (22-0-1, 14 KO): First title fight; Fifth fight in California (3-0-1, 1 KO)
Fitzbitz says: It’s a tasty battle of young, power-punching 154-pounders and Charlo is quite motivated to stake his claim as the division’s top commodity. His more varied toolbox carries the day. Charlo in 10

WBA super flyweight title -- Manchester, United Kingdom
Luis Concepcion (champion/No. 5 IWBR) vs. Khalid Yafai (No. 11 WBA/No. 17 IWBR)
Concepcion (35-4, 24 KO): First title defense; Lost one title try at 115 pounds, two at 112 pounds
Yafai (20-0, 14 KO): First title fight; Fifth fight against foe on three-fight win streak (4-0, 1 KO)
Fitzbitz says: The Panamanian fell short in his first three championship bids before breaking through. He’s got a better resume and should win, but it wouldn’t be stunning if he lost. Concepcion by decision

WBC/WBO super lightweight/junior welterweight titles -- Omaha, Nebraska
Terence Crawford (champion/No. 1 IWBR) vs. John Molina Jr. (No. 2 WBO/No. 9 IWBR)
Crawford (29-0, 20 KO): Fourth WBO title defense; Fourth fight in Omaha (3-0, 2 KO)
Molina (29-6, 23 KO): Second title fight (0-1); Two straight wins since a 3-5 stretch
Fitzbitz says: Crawford might just be the best fighter in the business and it’ll take everything Molina’s got to stay vertical, let alone give the champ a push. Says here he won’t. Crawford in 7

Vacant WBO heavyweight title -- Auckland, New Zealand
Joseph Parker (No. 1 WBO/No. 5 IWBR) vs. Andy Ruiz Jr. (No. 3 WBO/No. 33 IWBR)
Parker (21-0, 18 KO): First title fight; Eighth fight in Auckland (7-0, 6 KO)
Ruiz (29-0, 19 KO): First title fight; Sixth fight outside United States (5-0, 4 KO)
Fitzbitz says: No one will mistake Parker for Larry Holmes or Lennox Lewis, but it’d be a surprise if the hometown hero couldn’t handle a commodity as untested as Ruiz. Parker by decision

Last week's picks: 2-2 (WIN: Tagoe, Saunders; LOSS: Lebedev, Troyanovsky)
2016 picks record: 83-23 (78.3 percent)
Overall picks record: 816-271 (75.0 percent)

NOTE: Fights previewed are only those involving a sanctioning body's full-fledged title-holder – no interim, diamond, silver, etc. Fights for WBA "world championships" are only included if no "super champion" exists in the weight class.

Lyle Fitzsimmons has covered professional boxing since 1995 and written a weekly column for Boxing Scene since 2008. He is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Reach him at fitzbitz@msn.com or follow him on Twitter – @fitzbitz.