Former two division world champion Paulie Malignaggi expects a big year for boxing in 2019.
Last month, shockwaves were sent in the junior middleweight division when Tony Harrison pulled off a controversial twelve round unanimous decision over undefeated Jermell Charlo to capture the WBC world title. Harrison was a huge underdog in the contest.
The outcome created a big dent in a planned unification between Charlo and WBA, IBO, IBF champion Jarrett Hurd. Charlo has an immediate rematch clause that he plans to exercise against Harrison.
Now Hurd has his own tough contest coming up, against once-beaten top contender Julian Williams.
Williams (26-1-1, 16 KOs) suffered the first and only defeat of his career back in December of 2016 when he was knocked out by Jermall Charlo, who is now in the middleweight division.
Since then, Williams has won four fights in a row. He was last seen in action back in December, when he knocked out Francisco Castro in two rounds on the Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury undercard at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Hurd was in action on the same card, as part of the pay-per-view telecast, and knocked out British boxer Jason Welborn.
Malignaggi views Williams as another opponent who could pull off an upset victory over Hurd, in the same manner that Harrison pulled one off on Charlo.
"There’s some tricky ones in there, because Tony Harrison seems to be a tricky opponent, but he just beat [Jermell Charlo]. And I think Julian Williams against Jarrett Hurd is the same kind of fight. People expect Hurd to come through, but Julian Williams is no cupcake picnic for any championship fighter. And I think Julian presents a certain kind of danger the way Tony Harrison presented a danger, in that he’s an unexpected danger. You run the risk of overlooking a guy like that," Malignaggi told CBS Sports.
