Julian Williams will make the first defense of his two junior welterweight titles at home.
Williams is scheduled to face Jeison Rosario on Jan. 18 at Temple University’s Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, it was announced Wednesday in a release. The fight will be televised on Fox.
Williams had been slated to fight in December in a rematch against Jarrett Hurd, whom he dominated in a thrilling fight to win two of the four major belts in the division. But Hurd, for reasons that remain unknown, decided to pull out. (Hurd has hinted that he might move up to middleweight.)
“This is going to be great having a homecoming fight back in Philadelphia,” said Williams (27-1-1, 16 knockouts). “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 (19-1-1, 13 KOs) is a notch or two below Hurd, but Williams isn’t looking past the Dominican challenger, who is 7-0-1 since his knockout loss to Nathaniel Gallimore in 2017.
“Rosario is a good fighter and I’m very familiar with him,” Williams said. “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 … as a unified champion in front of my hometown crowd.”
Some had written Williams off after a brutal knockout loss to Jermall Charlo in 2016. But Williams kept his head down the next couple of years, putting together four consecutive victories, before getting another opportunity to challenge for the title against Hurd in May.
The junior middleweight division boasts some of the best talent and matchups in the sport. On Dec. 21, another intriguing 154-pound title rematch will take place between titleholder Tony Harrison and Jermell Charlo. The winner of that fight sets up a potential clash with the winner of Williams-Rosario.