The eyes of the boxing world will be on the City of Philadelphia Saturday January 18 for a very interesting fight as Julian Williams takes on Jeison Rosario. This fight will mark the homecoming for Williams as he defends his WBA & IBF 154-pound titles for the first time after taking down Jared Hurd in May 2019. Williams comes into the fight with a record of 27-1-1 & 16 KO’s while his opponent Jeison Rosario has a record of 19-1-1 & 13 KO’s.
Julian Willaims about having this fight infront of the home fans in Philadelphia:
“This is going to be great having a homecoming fight back in Philadelphia, I’m excited for the crowd that’ll be at the Liacouras Center and to be back fighting on FOX. I haven’t fought in Philadelphia since 2011, so I can’t wait to get back in the ring in front of all my people. Rosario is a good fighter and I’m very familiar with him. I know he packs a solid punch and that he’s been on a tear ever since his lone loss to Nathaniel Gallimore. So he’ll be a stiff test for me, but I’m prepared to win. Most of all, I’m just excited to defend my titles and as a unified champion in front of my hometown crowd.”
The main event of the preliminary fights, which begin at 6:30 PM on FS1, feature Atlantic City’s own Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna (28-2-1 & 10 KO’s) who takes on Jorge Cota (29-4 & 26 KO’s). You also have Delaware-native Kyrone Davis (14-5 & 2 KO’s) taking on Antonio Todd (7-2 & 4 KO’s). For the non-televised part of the card, you have a good ole fashioned Philly vs Philly fight as Paul Kroll (6-0 & 5 KO’s) takes on Marcel Rivers (7-2 & 4 KO’s).
The fight will be held at the Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University.
Over the last couple of months, the Liacouras Center has now become a popular place for boxing matches in Philadelphia. Back in October 2019, it held the Light Heavyweight Unification fight, which saw Artur Beterbiev take down Oledsandr Gvozdyk.
The Main card begins at 8PM on FOX, part of the PBC (Premier Boxing Champions).
During his Philadelphia media workout, Williams said the following:
On training and fighting in his hometown:
“I try to just block myself from the world… Especially with a hometown fight, people are pulling you 50 different ways, tickets, asking me stupid questions. It’s crazy, so I just try to block myself from the world. “It’s not about enjoying, it’s about winning. I don’t care about enjoying. You’re not supposed to enjoy camp. It’s supposed to be a grind.“
On what he expects out of Rosario:
“Rosario brings ambition to the table. I think he’s an ambitious kid. I don’t think it’s a difficult fight (for me), to be quite honest. I just think it’s a matter of being focused and on top of my game, and I think I’ll take care of him. I don’t think it’s difficult, though. He’s a decent fighter. We’re not going to make him out to be Ray Robinson. “He has put together a good string of wins, and he’s tough and he’s coming to win. So that’s more important than anything. He has the ambition to win, so you can’t underestimate him.“
On the history that he made for himself and Philadelphia when he defeated Hurd:
“I’m one of three men (from Philadelphia) who can say they’re a unified champion of the world.“
To talk about this fight, use hashtag #WilliamsRosario
Mandatory Credit – © Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
