Julian Williams

Julian ‘J Rock’ Williams Defeats Jarrett Hurd, Wins World Super Welterweight Title

By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent

Fairfax, VA (May 12th, 2019)– Ringside commentator Joe Goosen called Julian ‘J Rock’ Williams victory a great upset. “Williams was that sharp, that good.” Williams, crying tears of joy, remembered he missed his daughter’s birthday, would welcome a rematch with Hurd in his native Philadelphia, was grateful to promoter Al Haymon, and still crying, Williams noted he had finally won a world title during Ramadan, the Islamic Holy month of daytime fasting.


In the ‘Fight of the Year’ so far, the main event on a nine-bout card at EagleBank Arena, in Fairfax Arena, Virginia, televised by Fox Sports and Premier Boxing Champions, on Saturday night, May 11, 2019, Julian Williams scored a flash knockdown on Jarrett Hurd in the second round, and went on to win a unanimous decision and the International Boxing Federation, International Boxing Organization, and World Boxing Association Super World Super World Super Welterweight championships. “J Rock was a better man tonight. He put me down for the first time in my career. J-Rock was just the better man tonight I’ll be back baby! I’ll be back,” said Hurd.

Williams, 27-1-1 with 16 knockouts, landed more punches, while Hurd threw more punches. Hurd landed more body punches, but started slow. Williams won round one, two and four, and more significantly, went up on the punch count. Williams was in superior peak condition, and fought an inside war, scoring with uppercuts and straight overhand shots to the head of Hurd. Hurd, 23-1 with 16 knockouts, Accokeek, Maryland, countered at times. The anticipation was Hurd would pick up the pace in the second half of the fight.

Hurd never showed the second wind which had been anticipated. Hurd got hit in the head enough times by Williams going into the last three rounds, that his trainer Ernesto Rodriguez warned Hurd in the corner between rounds he might stop the fight if Hurd kept getting hit. Hurd did do better over the last three rounds-but it was still rough going. Real Combat Media scored the bout 118-112 for Williams. Two rounds were close, the fifth and the eleven, which ringside commentator Larry Hazard instead unofficially gave to Hurd. A rematch clause makes Hurd-Williams II likely later in 2019, after the other World Boxing Council World Super Welterweight title rematch between champion Tony Harrison of Detroit, Michigan, and former champion Jermell Charlo (who beat Williams) of Houston, Texas, at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, June 23, 2019.


Result: Julian Williams Win 12 Jarrett Hurd, Super Welterweights
Williams wins International Boxing Federation World Super Welterweight title
Williams Wins International Boxing Organization World Super Welterweight title
Williams wins World Boxing Association Super World Super Welterweight title
Hurd was down for a flash knockdown in the second round.
Scoring: 116-111, 115-112, 115-112. Referee: Bill Clancy

Eaglebank Undercard

Stephen Fulton Win 12 Paulus Ambunda, Super Bantamweights
16-0 Fulton wins International Boxing Organization World Super Bantamweight title

Alexandru Marin Win 10 Luis Concepcion, Flyweights
18-0 Marin wins International Boxing Organization Inter-Continental Flyweight title

Matvey Korobov Major Draw 10 Emmanuel Aleem, Middleweights
Controversy! Originally announced as a win for Korobov. However, it was later claimed a 96-95 scorecard was in error, and was actually 95-95. What? In reality, Korobov won the first seven rounds. To belatedly call this bout a draw is absurd. Get out of here! The late ‘correction’ was not announced during the telecast. Two of the judges should audition for the three blind mice. Real Combat Media scored the bout 97-93 correctly for Korobov.
Aleem did win rounds nine and ten. Scoring: 97-93 Korobov. 95-95, 95-95 Majority Draw.


Mario Barrios KO 2 Juan Jose Velasco, Welterweights (1:16)
San Antonio, Texas welterweight prospect Mario ‘El Azteca’ Barrios now 24-0.

Kevin Womack Jr. KO 2 Mark Duncan, Super Welterweights (1:39)

Aaron Anderson TKO Carlos Galindo, Super Welterweights (2:00)
Julian “J-Rock’’ Williams Scores Unanimous Decision Victory Over “Swift’’ Jarrett Hurd to Take Unified Super Welterweight Championship in Premier Boxing Champions on FOX and FOX Deportes from EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Va.
Sensational Super Lightweight Mario Barrios Stuns Juan Jose Velasco with Second Round KO Victory in Co-Feature
Middleweights Matt Korobov and Immanuwel Aleem Fight to a Majority Draw
Click HERE For Photos
Credit: Stephanie Trapp/TGB Promotions
Click HERE For Photos
Credit: Leo Wilson/PBC
FAIRFAX, VA. (May 11, 2019) – Julian “J-Rock’’ Williams knew he was walking into the lion’s den when he traveled from Philadelphia to Virginia to face undefeated unified super welterweight champion “Swift” Jarrett Hurd in his backyard. But Williams (27-1-1, 16 KOs) wasn’t afraid.
He came. He saw and he conquered Hurd (23-1, 16 KOs), scoring a 12-round unanimous decision, handing Hurd his first loss and taking the IBF, WBA and IBO championships before a hometown crowd at the EagleBank Arena on the campus of George Mason University.
The crowd and the primetime audience, which tuned in to FOX and FOX Deportes, witnessed a valiant performance from both Williams and Hurd in what will certainly be a “Fight of the Year’’ candidate. The judges had Williams handily defeating Hurd with scores of 116-111 and 115-112 twice.
Williams had come up short in his previous attempt at a world title when he was stopped on via TKO by Jermall Charlo in 2016. He was overwhelmed by emotions after his upset victory over Hurd, who was a presumptive favorite over the 29-year-old Williams.
“I am just overwhelmed. This is such a great feeling. I outclassed him. I am one of the best fighters in the world,” said Williams. “Maybe I wasn’t ready for the title the first time I got the shot. I took the loss. I took it like a man and the whole world doubted me. I went into this fight a five to one underdog.’’
“This is a dream come true. I have been waiting for this for years. I never ditched the gym. I never got into girls or left the gym. I am from the streets, but I was never in the streets. I was in the gym practicing my craft.
“The only people that believed in me were my team, but all I can say is ‘and the new’!”
Hurd is often a slow starter and Williams made him pay for that. He jumped on the defending champion right out of the gate, throwing crisp punches behind a pistol-like jab. Williams dropped Hurd in the second round with a shot to the temple.
“It didn’t really change my strategy. It was just a flash knockdown. It caught me by surprise. I wasn’t really hurt,’’ Hurd said.
Sensing he had stunned Hurd, Williams came out firing in the next round. He picked up the pace and Hurd decided to match the ferocity of the attack rather than wither under it. Midway through the third round, Hurd landed a blistering left uppercut that snapped Williams’ head upward and slowly started to regain his form.
Hurd and Williams went to the trenches in the middle rounds, closing the distance and fighting in tight quarters. Conventional wisdom would seem to favor Hurd in that space, because he is physically bigger than Williams. But Williams did more than hold his own.
By the seventh round, the fight had become a war of attrition and a test of wills. Hurd was cut over his left eye in the eighth round. By then, Williams was completely in control.
Williams said he was well prepared for everything that Hurd threw at him, but it was by no means a cakewalk.
“He wasn’t easier to hit than I thought. He was crafty and he had heavy hands. I just stayed poised. I listened to my coach and I just worked,’’ Williams said. “He couldn’t hurt me. I saw everything he was throwing. I knocked him down. The game plan was to win however I could. I adapted on the fly. We knew he had certain tendencies and worked on his tendencies. ‘’
Hurd said he didn’t feel like himself in the fight against Williams. Fighting in front of a raucous hometown crowd filled with family and friends as he hails from nearby Accokeek, Md.
“I wasn’t able to get off. I can’t really call it right now. I have to go back and watch. I was loading up on my shots instead of just letting my hands go,’’ Hurd said. “J-Rock was just the better man tonight. There’s definitely a rematch clause in our contract and I’m going to go for it. I’m going to come back better than I was tonight.’’
Super lightweight sensation Mario Barrios (24-0, 15 KOs) scored a devastating second round knockout victory over Juan Jose Velasco (20-2, 12 KOs) in the co-feature. Barrios of San Antonio, Texas kept his undefeated record intact when he landed a crushing body shot that sent Velasco to the canvas midway through the second round. Referee Hugo Spinola counted out Velasco at 1:16 of the second round as the Argentine was on his hands and knees trying to catch his breath.
Barrios said he was trying to be patient and use his jab to set up the perfect shot.
“I saw him opening up every time he would step in. I knew one of the body shots was going to do it and I found the sweet spot,’’ Barrios said. “We weren’t expecting it to end that quickly. I wasn’t predicting a knock out, but I knew I had the power to do it and stop him.”
“I was very confident. I had a great camp. I can’t thank Virgil Hunter and the team for the preparation for this fight. We knew he was vulnerable with body punches and that was something I work on regardless. It is one of my favorite shots. I have been working on it since the amateurs.”
Barrios said he would build on the victory over Velasco and continue to climb the ladder at 140 pounds.
“I want a world title shot. I am always in the gym. I am always ready. I want all the smoke at 140. I want any of the champions. And I’m ready to bring a big fight to all my hometown fans in San Antonio.’’
In the opening television bout middleweight contenders Matt Korobov of Orotukan, Russia and Immanuwel Aleem of East Meadow, N.Y. stalked each other for 10 rounds. They took turns pressing the action and playing the aggressor, dishing out and absorbing the best that each had to offer. In the end Korobov (29-2, 14 KOs) and Aleem (18-2-1, 11 KOs) had fought to a majority draw. One judge had Korobov winning 97-93 and two judges scored it 95-95.
In the sixth round Korobov landed a combination that rocked Aleem and had him in trouble momentarily. But Aleem weathered the storm. Aleem came out strong in the ninth round, practically running across the ring to meet Korobov, who had slowly raised his 36-year-old body off the corner stool at the last second. Sensing the close nature of the fight, both Korobov and Aleem unloaded and landed some heavy shots seeking to keep the outcome away from the judges’ scorecards.
Aleem said he thought he won the fight.
“I didn’t feel like he was doing enough. I was trying to use my range. He was just touching me. I realized when I started hitting him that he didnt have the gas.,’’ Aleem said. “I am faster than people think. I see open shots better than people expect. I made a statement tonight and I want to keep making statements.”
Korobov , who lost a unanimous decision to Jermall Charlo in his last fight, said he felt sluggish during the match against Aleem.
“I felt heavy and not totally sharp enough. It was hard to react and stop him from going inside. I have things to work on.,’’ Korobov said. “He was tougher than I expected. He wasn’t as strong as Charlo, but he is a really good fighter. He kept coming forward. He wasn’t afraid. He just kept throwing punches.”

Share

COMMENTS

COMMENTS

@REALCOMBATMEDIA - Editorial Staff
Editor in Chief
We are the Editorial staff for the top independent international boxing and mma online publication since 2012. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @realcombatmedia. For breaking news reports, contact us at [email protected] and for advertising or consulting inquiries, email us at [email protected].