Julian Williams expected a long, fruitful, and dominant reign atop the junior middleweight division following his close but clear unanimous decision victory over Jarrett Hurd on May 11th, 2019. However, while the Philadelphia native envisioned countless years at the crescendo of the sport, his championship run was truncated at the hands of Jeison Rosario in his very next fight.

While he attempted to right the ship, Williams would once again come up short in his most recent appearance, losing to journeymen Vladimir Hernandez. With back-to-back defeats saddled to his record, Williams (27-3-1, 16 KOs) has opted against squeezing down his ever-growing frame to the 154-pound weight limit. Instead, the 32-year-old former champion will look to dip his toes in a new division.

“We working on something,” said Williams to BoxingScene.com. “I’m a test the waters at 60.”

Since winning both the WBA and IBF world titles against Hurd, some of the division’s top contenders have enjoyed a similar run. Much like Williams, Rosario would lose his championship status in his very next fight against Jermell Charlo. The pugnacious star would eventually hold firm to his three titles before ultimately grabbing the WBO crown from Brian Castano earlier this year.

Although Williams has always flirted with the idea of facing Charlo, the current undisputed belt holder has a myriad of mandatory title defenses, the first of which will take place early next year against Tim Tszyu.

In any event, Williams will leave behind the lone division he’s competed at since turning pro in 2010. As for who Williams will target in his return to the ring, he remained mostly mum on his possible opponent. However, with a long list of middleweight titleholders, including Gennadiy Golovkin and Jermall Charlo, Williams reveals that he’s willing to face anyone that will present him with an opportunity to recapture championship glory.

“Whoever got a world title. I want a world title fight.”