Former junior middleweight titleholder Julian Williams might have an edge over Yoenis Tellez for their upcoming bout, but he is not going to bank on experience alone getting the job done.
Williams will be featured in a March 1 bout against Yoennis Tellez on the pay-per-view undercard of Gervonta Davis-Lamont Roach Jr taking place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The fight will be for the WBA interim junior middleweight title.
Williams, 34, is not going to rely on being a former titleholder come fight night. He also isn’t going to rely on his experience in big fights. For Williams, this fight is a single moment – simply a fight against Tellez that exists separate from all the other fights he has ever had.
“I think sometimes experience could be overrated because I’ve never experienced fighting the guy I’m about to fight and he’s never experienced fighting me,” Williams told BoxingScene. “Now, maybe I experienced those kinds of styles, but I’ve never experienced fighting him. I’m more focused on making sure Julian Williams is right.”
Williams doesn’t want his past experience at the top of the sport to cause anyone to overlook an undefeated Cuban boxer eager to make a name for himself in Tellez. Williams’ motivations are simple – legacy. “I wanted to fight him because there’s a WBA interim title on the line,” Williams, 29-4-1 (17 KOs) said. He also noted that he thinks Tellez is a good fighter and shared that not much has changed with his training situation.
“I am still with the same team at the same gym in the same city,” Williams said.
Williams still trains at the James Shuler Boxing Gym in Philadelphia with long-time trainer Stephen “Breadman” Edwards. Though he noted one new face has been added to the team: former professional boxer Fred Jenkins Jnr as an assistant.
“He’s a guy I’ve known throughout my career. We grew up in boxing together on the Philadelphia boxing scene and he’s a former pro fighter turned trainer,” Williams said. “He’s an up-and-coming trainer and I respect his opinion. I brought him in to help out and he’s been doing a good job.”
Tellez, the 24-year-old Cuban training with Ronnie Shields in Texas, enters the fight after stopping Johan Gonzalez in October. Tellez, who holds a record of 9-0 (7 KOs) is being fast-tracked to the top of the division. Williams fought in January 2024 stopping Gustavo David Vittori in two rounds in a stay-busy bout in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Before that fight Williams moved up to middleweight to fight Carlos Adames for the interim WBC title, which he lost via a ninth-round technical knockout. Williams, the wily veteran, has seen a lot and been through a lot in his career, including his triumphant win over Jarrett Hurd when he won the WBA and IBF junior middleweight titles. But don’t expect him to lean on that come fight night.
“I don’t want to lean on anything but skill and determination and being the best me I can be,” Williams said. “That’s what I’m leaning on.”
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