On Saturday, January 18, current champion Julian Williams goes up against challenger Jeison Rosario for the WBA Super, IBF, and IBO Light Middleweight titles on FOX. Williams is 27-1-1 in his career with 16 knockouts, while Rosario is 19-1-1 with 13 knockouts. The fight between Williams and Rosario will take place at Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and will be featured as part of the main card on FOX with a start time of 8 p.m. Eastern. Let’s look at the bout and boxing picks.
Boxing Odds at Bookmaker.eu
Julian Williams: Check Back Later
Jeison Rosario: Check Back Later
Over/Under Rounds: Check Back Later
Julian Williams (27-1-1, 16 knockouts)
In his last six fights, Williams has five wins and one loss. He defeated Joshua Conley by TKO in the seventh round, Ishe Smith by unanimous decision, Nathaniel Gallimore by majority decision, Francisco Castro by KO in the second round, and Jarrett Hurd by unanimous decision; while losing to Jermall Charlo by KO in the fifth round. Williams gets a knockout win 53.33% of the time.
Williams said this to boxingscene.com about his upcoming bout against Rosario, “Rosario brings ambition to the table. I think he's an ambitious kid. I don't think it's a difficult fight (for me), to be quite honest. I just think it's a matter of being focused and on top of my game, and I think I'll take care of him. I don't think it's difficult, though. He's a decent fighter. We're not going to make him out to be Ray Robinson. He has put together a good string of wins, and he's tough and he's coming to win. So that's more important than anything. He has the ambition to win, so you can't underestimate him.”
Stephen Edwards, Williams’ trainer said this to worldboxingnews.net about the upcoming bout against Rosario, “At this level, everybody can fight. (Rosario) is a good-looking fighter. He can punch. He’s just a good fighter. He’s got a lot of the same characteristics as Hurd and Charlo. He’s big and strong. It’s a good fight.”
Jeison Rosario (19-1-1, 13 knockouts)
In his last six fights, Rosario has five wins and one draw. He defeated Justin DeLoach by unanimous decision, Jamontay Clark by unanimous decision, Juan Carlos Rodriguez by KO in the third round, Mark Anthony Hernandez by TKO in the ninth round, and Jorge Cota by split decision; while fighting to a draw against Mark Anthony Hernandez. Rosario gets a knockout win 61.9% of the time.
Rosario said this to espn.com about his upcoming bout against Williams, “I'm excited to have this fight and thankful to Julian Williams for giving me this opportunity of a lifetime. He's the best 154-pounder in the world, but we're coming Jan. 18 to take the titles back home to the Dominican Republic. Philadelphia is known for tough fighters and tough fights, and we're going to give them more of that on Jan. 18. We're not going to leave anyone disappointed who watches this fight.”
Boxing Picks
Williams is going to want to put on a good show since he is fighting in his hometown for the first time since late in 2011. This should be a win for Williams, but I don’t want to lay the high price, as Williams is about a 20-1 favorite. I think the better option is to simply play the rounds. Williams should be able to get the knockout, so I will go under the rounds total.
Boxing Pick: Williams to win by knockout and the rounds to go under the total
With the boxing odds at BookMaker Sportsbook, you can bet on boxing all year, from smaller cards to pay-per-view events. Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook. Williams and Rosario will take place at Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Saturday, January 18 and will be featured on FOX.
