By Jake Donovan
An avid student of the game, Julian Williams left his Dec. ’16 title challenge versus Jermall Charlo with far more than just the first—and to date, only—loss of his career.
He left the night eager to get back to the lab and work on all the things he realized required tweaking before returning to this stage. Four wins later, he’s ready to make the most of his second chance at a lasting impression as he challenges unbeaten, unified 154-pound titlist Jarrett Hurd this weekend live on Fox from EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Va.
“I knew 100% that I would get another shot,” Williams (26-1, 16KOs) confidently insisted of returning to this stage. “I believe I'm at least a top ten 154-pound fighter in the world. I just knew I had to get back in there and just keep fighting.”
Williams’ race toward title contention saw his career hit a bump in the road, having fought just once in 15 months—not by his own choosing—in waiting for the fight with Charlo to finally materialize. Their Showtime-televised clash was competitive for as long as it lasted, but ultimately ending with Williams being floored three times en route to a stoppage loss.
The Philadelphia-bred contender walked away from the experience with a valuable learning lesson in tow. It wasn’t cause to completely change his fighting style, but rather the realization that there was room for growth.
“It doesn't necessarily change the way mentally I approach fights. But I think I definitely grew from that fight,” Williams admits. “Every experience is a learning experience. I think I've got a championship level of experience and that's invaluable. I got a chance to go back to the drawing board and work on a bunch of things after that fight.”
Four wins have followed, including a 12-round nod over Nathan Gallimore last April to secure his place as a mandatory title challenger. On that same show, Williams was able to get a good look at Hurd (23-0, 16KOs), who became a unified titlist following a thrilling split decision win over Erislandy Lara.
The feat required the reigning 154-pound champ to rally from behind on the scorecards, dropping Lara in the 12th and final round to seal the win. The pattern has held true in several of Hurd’s recent fights, falling behind early before overwhelming his opponents late.
The scouting report would suggest jumping on the presumed slow-starting Hurd early and making sure to leave enough in reserves to ride out the late storm. Doing so, however, is far easier said than done, not to mention failing to tap into your own strengths while assuming his weaknesses.
“My confidence doesn't come from his vulnerability,” Williams acknowledges. “My confidence comes from my own ability and what I know I can do in a boxing ring. He's been able to overcome his vulnerability and everything he's faced.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
