By Ryan Burton
BoxingScene.com recently caught up with undefeated super welterweight contender Julian 'J Rock' Williams. The Philadelphia, Penn. based fighter is slated to return to the ring on March 5th in a Showtime televised main event against Marcello Matano of Italy. The winner will become the mandatory challenger to IBF super welterweight champion. Jermall Charlo.
In this interview Williams talks about the upcoming Matano fight, his thoughts on the possibility of getting Charlo in the ring with him and more.
BoxingScene.com First off how is your camp going for your March 5th IBF Eliminator against Marcello Matano?
Julian Williams: Camp is always tough. You can't cheat the grind. I've been training since November. This winter has been brutal in Philly but I will be in tremendous shape as usual. I've hired some world class sparring to emulate my opponent's style. But overall camp has been excellent.
BoxingScene.com I know you have wanted bigger fights but in this case you are fighting close to home and headlining on Showtime. What is your take on that that?
JW: I always appreciate the platform to showcase my talents. This will be my 7th fight on Showtime. So I love those guys over there for having me. Stephen Espinoza, Steve Farhood, Gordon Hall, Paulie Malignaggi and Barry Thompkins always show me love. It's always an honor to headline. Hopefully next time it can be in Philly but Bethlehem is great. Nice arena and facility.
BoxingScene.com: If you get the win like you plan you become the mandatory for Jermall Charlo. Do you feel he will actually stick around 154 and fight you or vacate the belt?
JW: I don't care if does or doesn't. My dream is to be world champion. My goal is to defend that title 10 times and go to the Hall of Fame.
BoxingScene.com: What's your take on the recently announced Canelo-Khan fight and who do you think wins?
JW: As you know I'm a huge boxing fan. I may go to that fight if I'm not in training. That fight caught me by surprise. It's a good fight but you have to favor Canelo.
BoxingScene.com: You will have been out of the ring longer than usual when you step in the ring. I know you wanted to fight in December or January. Are you worried about ring rust ?
JW: I'm not worried about ring rust because I know how to stay sharp. But hopefully after this fight I can get a quick turnaround. I hate being out of the ring. I think one of the reasons why fighters in the past reached a higher peak is because they fought more often. Hopefully I will get at least 3 or 4 fights in 2016.
BoxingScene.com: Anything else on your mind that you want to share?
JW: I'm just focused on my opponent Ryan. Anything can happen in a fight. I know I set the bar high with my last performance but my job is to win and then impress. I can't let this guy kill my dreams. He's all I'm thinking about. I watched a video of Donald Curry vs Rene Jacquot. Curry was the sharpshooting American and heavy favorite. Jacquot was the big European underdog. Curry lost! I can't let that happen to me.
BoxingScene.com: Let the fans know what they are going to see on March 5th out of J Rock?
JW: They are going to see me win. I can't predict how but I'm going to do my thing on March 5th.
Send questions or comments to ringsidewriter@gmail.com. You can follow Ryan on Twitter @ringsidewriter
