Julian Williams (boxer)

Julian "J-Rock" Williams (born April 5, 1990) is an American professional boxer. He held the WBA (Super), IBF, and IBO light middleweight titles from 2019 to 2020. As of November 2020, Williams is ranked as the world’s fourth best active light middleweight by The Ring magazine, third best by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and fourteenth by BoxRec.

Julian Williams
Statistics
Real nameJulian Williams
Nickname(s)J-Rock
Weight(s)Light middleweight
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Reach72+1⁄2 in (184 cm)
NationalityAmerican
Born (1990-04-05) April 5, 1990
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights34
Wins28
Wins by KO16
Losses4
Draws1
No contests1

Amateur career

Williams started boxing at the age of 12. He had an amateur record of 77-10. He reached number five in the rankings at national level, although never won a national tournament.[1] Williams' trainer, Stephen Edwards, said that Williams' preparation as an amateur boxer was erratic, so began working on a more rigorous training regime as Williams turned pro.[2]

Professional career

Williams made his professional debut in May 2010, beating Antonio Chaves Fernandez technical knockout (TKO) in the first round. In April 2013, Williams became the second fighter to stop journeyman Dashon Johnson, improving his record to 12–0–1 with a third-round TKO. In his next fight, Williams won a unanimous decision (77-72, 77-72, 77-72) over former world champion Joachim Alcine. Alcine was dropped three times, but he rallied and won the final three rounds, landing significant shots on Williams. The prospect would survive and take the win.[3] Williams next faced fellow prospect Hugo Centeno Jr., but the fight ended in a no contest after an accidental headbutt.[4]

On 10 December 2016, Williams challenged IBF champion Jermall Charlo. Charlo retained his title with a fifth-round stoppage of Williams. Charlo dropped Williams in the second round with a powerful jab. Williams came back and fought a clever fight, making Charlo miss, slipping punches, and landing some good counters. In round five, Charlo landed a right uppercut, dropping Williams hard. Williams got up, however Charlo went for the finish, and got it with a third knockdown after a barrage of punches ending with a left hook. After the referee stopped the fight, Williams went over to congratulate Charlo. Charlo didn't want to embrace and told Williams, “I don’t want your congratulations, I want your apology.” The crowd, noticing the heat between the two corners, started to boo Charlo. In the post fight interview, Charlo stated Williams had disrespected him leading up to the fight.[5][6]

On 11 May 2019, Williams beat Jarrett Hurd by unanimous decision for the unified light middleweight championship. In an early fight of the year candidate, both fighters went at war, but it was Williams who managed to drop Hurd in the second round, and got the better of him throughout the fight.[7]

In the first time defending his belts, Williams faced Jeison Rosario, who was ranked #5 by the IBF and #9 by the WBA. Williams boxed well in the beginning, but Rosario looked like the bigger man and was holding up well to Williams' attacks. In the fifth round, Rosario dominated Williams, shaking Williams up badly and forcing the referee to stop the fight to get the upset win.[8]

Personal life

Julian was raised in West Philadelphia and is a Muslim.[9]

Professional boxing record
34 fights 28 wins 4 losses
By knockout 16 3
By decision 12 1
Draws 1
No contests 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
34 Loss 28–4–1 (1) Carlos Adames TKO 9 (12), 2:45 Jun 24, 2023 Armory, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. For WBC interim middleweight title
33 Win 28–3–1 (1) Rolando Mansilla UD 8 Nov 5, 2022 Armory, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
32 Loss 27–3–1 (1) Vladimir Hernandez SD 10 Oct 9, 2021 T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
31 Loss 27–2–1 (1) Jeison Rosario TKO 5 (12), 1:37 Jan 18, 2020 Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S Lost WBA (Super), IBF, and IBO light middleweight titles
30 Win 27–1–1 (1) Jarrett Hurd UD 12 May 11, 2019 EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Virginia, U.S. Won WBA (Super), IBF, and IBO light middleweight titles
29 Win 26–1–1 (1) Francisco Castro KO 2 (8), 2:40 Dec 1, 2018 Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
28 Win 25–1–1 (1) Nathaniel Gallimore MD 12 Apr 7, 2018 Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
27 Win 24–1–1 (1) Ishe Smith UD 10 Nov 18, 2017 Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
26 Win 23–1–1 (1) Joshua Conley TKO 7 (10), 0:58 Jun 30, 2017 Huntington Center, Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
25 Loss 22–1–1 (1) Jermall Charlo KO 5 (12), 2:06 Dec 10, 2016 Galen Center, Los Angeles, California, U.S. For IBF light middleweight title
24 Win 22–0–1 (1) Marcello Matano TKO 7 (12), 2:24 Mar 5, 2016 Sands Casino Resort, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S.
23 Win 21–0–1 (1) Luciano Cuello TKO 1 (10), 1:33 Sep 22, 2015 Sands Casino Resort, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S.
22 Win 20–0–1 (1) Arman Ovsepyan TKO 6 (10), 2:43 Jun 13, 2015 Bartow Arena, Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
21 Win 19–0–1 (1) Joey Hernandez UD 10 Apr 4, 2015 Colisée Pepsi, Quebec City, Canada
20 Win 18–0–1 (1) Jamar Freeman TKO 8 (10), 0:29 Dec 20, 2014 Little Creek Casino Resort, Shelton, Washington, U.S.
19 Win 17–0–1 (1) Eliezer Gonzalez UD 8 Sep 11, 2014 Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
18 Win 16–0–1 (1) Michael Medina KO 8 (10), 1:59 May 24, 2014 Bell Centre, Montreal, Canada
17 Win 15–0–1 (1) Freddy Hernández TKO 3 (10), 0:35 Mar 17, 2014 House of Blues, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
16 Win 14–0–1 (1) Orlando Lora TKO 3 (10), 0:34 Dec 7, 2013 Barclays Center, New York City, New York, U.S.
15 NC 13–0–1 (1) Hugo Centeno Jr. NC 4 (10), 0:59 Sep 12, 2013 MGM Grand Premier Ballroom, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. For vacant WBC International light middleweight title
14 Win 13–0–1 Joachim Alcine UD 8 Jun 22, 2013 Barclays Center, New York City, New York, U.S.
13 Win 12–0–1 Dashon Johnson TKO 3 (6), 1:43 Apr 20, 2013 Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
12 Win 11–0–1 Jeremiah Wiggins TKO 7 (8), 1:05 Jan 26, 2013 Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
11 Win 10–0–1 Jonel Tapia TKO 7 (8), 2:10 Nov 17, 2012 Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
10 Win 9–0–1 Hector Rosario UD 8 Apr 28, 2012 Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
9 Win 8–0–1 Eberto Medina UD 6 Sep 30, 2011 National Guard Armory, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
8 Win 7–0–1 Raul Rodriguez UD 6 Jul 22, 2011 Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa, Cabazon, California, U.S.
7 Draw 6–0–1 Francisco Santana PTS 6 May 13, 2011 Chumash Casino Resort, Santa Ynez, California, U.S.
6 Win 6–0 Marteze Logan UD 4 Mar 19, 2011 Fitzgerald's Casino & Hotel, Tunica, Mississippi, U.S.
5 Win 5–0 Allan Moore TKO 1 (4), 0:28 Jan 29, 2011 Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan, U.S.
4 Win 4–0 Mario Evangelista UD 6 Dec 3, 2010 Chumash Casino Resort, Santa Ynez, California, U.S.
3 Win 3–0 Wes Parkhurst TKO 1 (4), 1:27 Nov 9, 2010 Remington Park, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
2 Win 2–0 Dean Peters Jr. TKO 1 (4), 0:24 Oct 1, 2010 Chumash Casino Resort, Santa Ynez, California, U.S.
1 Win 1–0 Antonio Chaves TKO 1 (4), 1:00 May 7, 2010 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.

See also

References
  1. "Q&A: Julian Williams". 10 September 2014.
  2. "Julian Williams and Stephen Edwards Head Toward the Light". Archived from the original on 2014-10-21.
  3. "Results: Williams survives resilient Alcine". 22 June 2013.
  4. "Hugo Centeno, Julian Williams Ends in a No-Contest". Boxingscene.com.
  5. "Charlo vs Williams Results & Highlights | December 10, 2016". PBC Boxing. Retrieved 2016-12-17.
  6. "Charlo stops Williams, calls out Canelo". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2016-12-17.
  7. "Julian Williams drops Jarrett Hurd in second round, wins unanimous decision". The Ring. 2019-05-11. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  8. Esco, Wil (2020-01-18). "Jeison Rosario stuns Julian Williams to become unified champion". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  9. @Jrockboxing (15 May 2019). "I'm a young black Muslim and I'm too positive it'll never happen" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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