“J Rock” Williams Steps Up To Take The Lora Test

This Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, undefeated Jr. Middleweight Julian Williams will be back in action when he takes on battle tested veteran Orlando Lora (29-4-2, 19 KO’s) in a ten round bout that will be part of a championship night of boxing that will be highlighted by the “Battle of Brooklyn” that will feature former two-division world champions Zab Judah and Paulie Malignaggi.

Before the Showtime cameras roll, Williams and Lora will do battle.

Williams has had a terrific year as he is became known on the national scene by fighting on television four times and defeating a former world champion in the process.

“I had a good year in 2013. I fought on TV four times and I’m getting ready for my fifth fight this year, “ said Williams.

“I kind of had a coming out party this year scoring a few stoppages on TV and beating an ex-world champion in Joachim Alcine but I want to make the jump from prospect to contender next year. I think I’m right there and I know for a fact I’m fighting fights that other prospects aren’t. Hopefully I will be 14-0 on Dec. 7th. And I can fight 6 times next year in 2014 and get up to 20-0.”

Williams had a big opportunity on September 12 when he took on fellow undefeated prospect, Hugo Centeno Jr.

Williams dominated the bout for the first three rounds. He won all three round on the judges score card when a clash of heads opened up what many thought was a small cut over the eye of Centeno. In fact, Williams was also cut and it was Williams who had the larger gash. It was Centeno, maybe sensing that Williams was the better man on that night, bowed out of the contest and the fight was declared a no-contest and both guys remained undefeated,

“My last fight was against Hugo Centeno. He was a 19-0 prospect out of California. I couldn’t believe so many people were picking him to beat me. I was 13-0 but I have been in rough. More importantly I was just better than him in every category.

“I was faster, stronger, threw more punches and I’m more athletic. It was on Fox and the fight was a big deal because it was the weekend of Mayweather vs Canelo. It’s on YouTube, I was beating him easy the first three rounds and I was just boxing. Our plan was to really turn it up after round five.

“But we sort of scraped eyebrows in round four, and we both suffered little cuts on the side of our faces. For some reason the referee Jay Nady took Hugo, the fighter who was losing, to go see the doctor. I suffered a cut also. There was no blood in his eyes or anything. The doctor started asking him could he see and he held his fingers up.

“He held up two fingers and Hugo started blinking all crazy and told the doctor he had up three fingers. I told Bernard Hopkins and Paulie Malignaggi, who were commentating, he was about to quit and in my opinion that’s what happened. So they waived the fight off and ruled it a no contest.

“I was up 30-27 on all three judges’ scorecards and if the fourth round would have been completed it would have went to the scorecards. But conveniently it wasn’t allowed to continue. I was upset when it first happened because I don’t feel a fighter should train to look for a way out.

“If things aren’t going your way, you keep pushing and try to turn them around. We torture our bodies in training. I felt like he disrespected me and the sport of boxing. In the very next fight Marco Periban fought Badou Jack and he had a terrible cut and they let it continue.

“Most of the people there walked up to me and told me I won even lots of the Mexican fans but that’s life. I’m over it and I’m moving on. If a rematch happens it happens but Hugo knows in his heart what he did and more importantly he knows what I bring to the table once we got in the ring.”

Now Williams turns his attention to Lora from the fighting area of Culiacan, Mexico.

This will be another good measuring stick because Lora has been in the ring with David Estrada, Malignaggi, Keith Thurman and fellow undefeated prospect Jermall Charlo.

”Lora is 29-4 with plenty of experience. He’s fought some top class fighters. I know I have to be on my A game. I also know my performance will get compared to other top fighters who fought him. You know, I was troubled by some hand problems in 2012 so that’s why I wasn’t scoring as many stoppages as I did early in my career.

“My hands are much better now and I plan on punishing him to the head and body. I expect a tough fight but I also expect to win. I’m not one of those guys who say they don’t study other fighters and their opponents, because I do.

“You can always pick up on tendencies. I actually don’t believe it when a fighter says he never looks at his opponents. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. No one will catch me off guard.”

Williams takes pride on the due diligence the him and his team does in preparation for his fights.

“My coach Stephen ‘Breadman’ Edwards has a file on all of the prospects and champions at or around my weight. You never know when you will bump heads with one”

Now that Williams has been aligned with boxing power player Al Haymon, major opportunities could be in store for “J Rock” if his winning ways continue.

“I was with Gary Shaw at the beginning of my career. But in 2012 we decided to go our separate ways and things have really worked out for me since. I only fought twice in 2012 and it was frustrating but now things have fallen into place. I don’t have a big team.

“My coach always tells me when I start to make some money I will get to see a large percentage of it because I don’t have a huge team. Stephen Edwards is my coach and advisor. Al Haymon, the most powerful man in boxing, is my manager and I use the same cut man for every fight, Mike Rodriguez. That’s it. My best friend and my dad accompany me to the fights for support.

“I don’t have strength and conditioning coaches, a leg coach, a back muscle coach none of that. I train about 85% old school with 15% new age stuff. I do my road work early in the morning.

“I do my exercises for my different body parts on a consistent basis, I go to the gym and I do my floor work and my boxing. When it comes time to make weight I spend extra money and go to Whole Foods, and my coach makes it in to dog food. I get in dog mode that’s that.”