By: Hans Themistode
Julian Williams vividly remembers the night he fought Jermall Charlo. After the two talked smack to one another for several months, Williams goaded Charlo into staying at the 154-pound division for one final fight.
With the two facing off for Charlo’s IBF world title, the Houstonian would ultimately prevail via fifth-round stoppage. Although the highlights may accentuate the fight ending blow, Williams thoroughly remembers handing Charlo a beating beforehand.
“I was whipping Jermall’s ass,” said Williams during a recent interview with Brian Custer on the Last Stand Podcast. “I won the first round, he knocked me down in the second, I won the third and fourth and I was whipping his ass in the fifth.”
According to the three judges scoring the bout, they all somewhat disagree with Williams assessment. Zachary Young and Eddie Hernandez handed Charlo the first round and of course, the second when he scored the knockdown. Both judges awarded Williams with the third and fourth. In the mind of judge Pat Russell, on the other hand, he believed Charlo won the second and fourth rounds.
In short, their contest was extremely competitive before Charlo ended things violently in the fifth.
Currently, neither man campaign in the same weight class. While Williams remains a steady contender at 154 pounds, Charlo has since moved up to the middleweight division. Discussing their showdown which took place roughly five years ago somewhat annoys Williams. Considering the fact that he believes he was easily beating Charlo before the stoppage, any mention of those thoughts could lead to widespread criticism.
With that said, Williams doesn’t want his words to be misconstrued in any way. He gives full credit to Charlo for getting the job done against him. However, he simply feels as though he was winning the fight.
“I was whipping his ass but that’s a credit to him. He was getting handled and he was able to zone in and land a perfect shot. He caught me with a good shot.”