STEPHEN "BREADMAN" EDWARDS ON JULIAN WILLIAMS: "HE'S READY...HE BEATS ANYBODY IN THIS DIVISION"
By Percy Crawford | December 29, 2014
PC: Congratulations on a great performance by Julian Williams in his last outing. How do you feel about his performance?
SE: I thought it was excellent, man. I want him to show growth from one fight to the next and I believe he rushed things with Eliezer Gonzales. With this fight, he listened to the gameplan to a tee. He was really, really patient and he walked the guy down with a jab. I saw some comments where people said he could've stopped the kid a little earlier, but I've seen prospects be in the same exact situation where they get an overmatched kid and they try to stop the kid too early and lose sight of what's going on and not pick the right shots and wind up struggling to a decision. He broke the guy down perfectly and stuck to the gameplan perfectly. That was a real mature performance on his part. I could have sent him out there a little earlier to get the job done, but I wanted him to work on certain things and he did it perfect.
PC: Credit to you and J Rock. You guys were dealing with a last minute replacement that didn't fit the dimensions of the original opponent and had a completely different style, so that's somewhat of an adjustment that both of you guys had to make going in.
SE: That was another factor. We were training for a kid that was about 5'10". He was a Mexican kid, a high volume kid, and this kid was like 6'1" or 6'2". He was a black kid and they are just different. Black kids fight with a different rhythm, they carry more and fight off of their back foot a little bit more; just a totally different thing. Julian has 87 amateur fights and he's been a pro for a few years now, so he should be able to adjust, but there was an adjustment. That's why we took our time a little bit because this kid gives you less. He'll make you look stupid if you try to force it too much. Guys like Mike Tyson and Gerald McClellan, they can force knockouts, but most guys gotta be careful about trying to force a knockout.
PC: You say you wanna see growth from one fight to the next. How would you grade out Julian's 2014 based on the way you see your fighter and your criteria?
SE: Excellent, man. I actually started seeing him turn the corner during the Alcine fight, which was in 2013; December of 2013. Just to judge his whole year, I mean, he hasn't lost a round in like 5 or 6 fights, Perc, on the official judges' scorecards. So he's been like...the Gonzales fight was one of his last fights in a long time where I haven't been totally pleased, and I think there were just a lot of small factors that played into that. He's ready now. After this last performance against Jamar Freeman, he's ready to go now. He's doing more pro stuff now, he's real mature, he's settling down on his shots and he's picking his punches. Like I said, when you watch other prospects and they get in the ring with an outmatched opponent, they will do the same thing over and over again and not be able to get the stoppage. He throws the correct punches to put guys in the right position to get guys out of there. He's much physically stronger than most guys that he fights. He's getting his man strength now. He can punch hard, he's quicker...he's ready. I think he beats anybody in this division at this point. I got a couple of prominent matchmakers off the record that told me he's the best guy in the division, so he's ready to rock and roll. I would'nt have been able to say that at the beginning of the year, but at this point right now, he can fight anybody in the division and win the fight.
PC: That was my next question. In your mind, what would be the most logical progression opponent-wise, because I'm sure you're looking to get him in during the early part of the year?
SE: Definitely. I talked to Mr. Haymon, who told us we will be fighting about 4 times next year, which is great. That's good if he's fighting 10-rounders. I have a couple opponents lined up for the first half of the year. I don't want to say any names, but one of them is a guy who has been around with some better guys. He would win one and lose one, but he's a very viable guy. And the other one is an ex world champion who has been at the top of the heap; top of the food chain. He has a win over a future Hall of Famer. So those are names that are floating around. And I mean, we not turning down nothing but our collar, Perc, so if we can get one and then get the other one, that's cool with me. I gave Julian a little bit of time to rest, but as soon as I get the call, we'll be ready to rock and roll.
PC: What kind of kid is Julian Williams?
SE: I mean, he's a good kid. You know how it is, Perc. All of these kids have little things with them, but he's a good kid. He is a homebody. He's from a bad neighborhood, but he's not like a kid that goes out and pops bottles and that kind of shyt. He's more like in the house watching fights or going to a restaurant with girls. He's a normal kid from an urban city. When it comes down to boxing and in the gym, he's a little defiant, but that's what makes these kids good; being a little defiant, being a little arrogant and a little stubborn. That's good because that comes out in the fight when it's time to push or time to give, you don't give the guy anything because of that arrogance and stuff like that and being stubborn. He's a nice kid, man. He don't have weird habits. He's real basic, man. He watches boxing and he's a big Philadelphia Eagles fan.
PC: Anybody else you have on your team that we should be on the lookout for?
SE: Oh yeah, man. I'm telling you, Perc, you guys gotta come to Philly with a camera. We got a renaissance here. I don't know anywhere in the country that's hotter than Philly right now. But me personally, I train a kid named Kyrone Davis out of Wilmington, Delaware, which is right next door to Philly. He trains in Philly, he's 5-0, and he's also signed to Al Haymon. He's won nationals a few times. He is a 160-pounder and I'm telling you, some of the sparring sessions with him and Julian, I could get money for them. It's phenomenal work, but I didn't even let them spar last camp because I would rather let them do the stuff that they were doing to each other to other guys. I also advise a kid by the name of Omar Douglas, who is 13-0, and a kid named Naim Nelson, who is 12-0, and I got Steve Upsher Chambers, who is 24-4 now. I just advise those 3, but I actually train Kyrone and Julian. I think that a lot of the media is overlooking the scene in Philly right now because we don't do a lot of fight shows, but we still got Bernard Hopkins, the ageless wonder, and Danny Garcia. We got Steve Cunningham, we got Karl Dargan, who should be fighting for a title soon, we got Julian Williams, we got Jesse Hart, we got a young kid Stephen Fulton, we got Eric Hunter, who will be headlining a show. I mean, it's crazy. I can't think of no other place in the country where you have this much talent. And everybody from Philly, they all train in Philly; it's just nuts. Gabe Rosado, who was just on HBO, I know he took a loss, but he from Philly. We got the kid Tevin Farmer. His career started out kind of bad, but he's really turned himself around and he upset that Golden Boy kid on FOX a few months back. It's phenomenal the fighters that we have out of the Philadelphia area. Hank Lundy is a contender at 35 and 40. New York, LA, I can't think of nowhere in the country where you got at least 15 to 20 championship level or blue chip prospects out of the same city, and that's what we have right now. I can't think of 3 better prospects than Jesse, Julian, and Dynamite. I don't consider Julian a prospect anymore, so I'ma stop saying that. Even though he made the list of ESPN's top prospects, I think Julian is officially a contender now. That prospect label may be a little insulting to him right now. I think he's definitely a contender. We got a hot bed of talent right here in Philly right now. We really do.
http://fighthype.com/news/article18900.html
I been following this young bul for a minute now and keep trying to get yall on the stanwagon
Only Floyd Mayweather, Canelo Alvarez, and Erislandy Lara would I concede as being better than J-Rock right now at 154. We top 4 in the division and coming for that Junior Middleweight Championship in 2015
I feel sorry for some of yall who only stan fighters who've already "made it". Watching the Adrien Broner's, Julian Williams', and Erickson Lubin's of the world (besides my hometown #OhioPlayas) turn from prospects to serious contenders is what makes watching Boxing so great for me
AB already gave me 3 titles, now it's J Rock's turn to get me 1, and Lubin within the next 3 years
By Percy Crawford | December 29, 2014
PC: Congratulations on a great performance by Julian Williams in his last outing. How do you feel about his performance?
SE: I thought it was excellent, man. I want him to show growth from one fight to the next and I believe he rushed things with Eliezer Gonzales. With this fight, he listened to the gameplan to a tee. He was really, really patient and he walked the guy down with a jab. I saw some comments where people said he could've stopped the kid a little earlier, but I've seen prospects be in the same exact situation where they get an overmatched kid and they try to stop the kid too early and lose sight of what's going on and not pick the right shots and wind up struggling to a decision. He broke the guy down perfectly and stuck to the gameplan perfectly. That was a real mature performance on his part. I could have sent him out there a little earlier to get the job done, but I wanted him to work on certain things and he did it perfect.
PC: Credit to you and J Rock. You guys were dealing with a last minute replacement that didn't fit the dimensions of the original opponent and had a completely different style, so that's somewhat of an adjustment that both of you guys had to make going in.
SE: That was another factor. We were training for a kid that was about 5'10". He was a Mexican kid, a high volume kid, and this kid was like 6'1" or 6'2". He was a black kid and they are just different. Black kids fight with a different rhythm, they carry more and fight off of their back foot a little bit more; just a totally different thing. Julian has 87 amateur fights and he's been a pro for a few years now, so he should be able to adjust, but there was an adjustment. That's why we took our time a little bit because this kid gives you less. He'll make you look stupid if you try to force it too much. Guys like Mike Tyson and Gerald McClellan, they can force knockouts, but most guys gotta be careful about trying to force a knockout.
PC: You say you wanna see growth from one fight to the next. How would you grade out Julian's 2014 based on the way you see your fighter and your criteria?
SE: Excellent, man. I actually started seeing him turn the corner during the Alcine fight, which was in 2013; December of 2013. Just to judge his whole year, I mean, he hasn't lost a round in like 5 or 6 fights, Perc, on the official judges' scorecards. So he's been like...the Gonzales fight was one of his last fights in a long time where I haven't been totally pleased, and I think there were just a lot of small factors that played into that. He's ready now. After this last performance against Jamar Freeman, he's ready to go now. He's doing more pro stuff now, he's real mature, he's settling down on his shots and he's picking his punches. Like I said, when you watch other prospects and they get in the ring with an outmatched opponent, they will do the same thing over and over again and not be able to get the stoppage. He throws the correct punches to put guys in the right position to get guys out of there. He's much physically stronger than most guys that he fights. He's getting his man strength now. He can punch hard, he's quicker...he's ready. I think he beats anybody in this division at this point. I got a couple of prominent matchmakers off the record that told me he's the best guy in the division, so he's ready to rock and roll. I would'nt have been able to say that at the beginning of the year, but at this point right now, he can fight anybody in the division and win the fight.
PC: That was my next question. In your mind, what would be the most logical progression opponent-wise, because I'm sure you're looking to get him in during the early part of the year?
SE: Definitely. I talked to Mr. Haymon, who told us we will be fighting about 4 times next year, which is great. That's good if he's fighting 10-rounders. I have a couple opponents lined up for the first half of the year. I don't want to say any names, but one of them is a guy who has been around with some better guys. He would win one and lose one, but he's a very viable guy. And the other one is an ex world champion who has been at the top of the heap; top of the food chain. He has a win over a future Hall of Famer. So those are names that are floating around. And I mean, we not turning down nothing but our collar, Perc, so if we can get one and then get the other one, that's cool with me. I gave Julian a little bit of time to rest, but as soon as I get the call, we'll be ready to rock and roll.
PC: What kind of kid is Julian Williams?
SE: I mean, he's a good kid. You know how it is, Perc. All of these kids have little things with them, but he's a good kid. He is a homebody. He's from a bad neighborhood, but he's not like a kid that goes out and pops bottles and that kind of shyt. He's more like in the house watching fights or going to a restaurant with girls. He's a normal kid from an urban city. When it comes down to boxing and in the gym, he's a little defiant, but that's what makes these kids good; being a little defiant, being a little arrogant and a little stubborn. That's good because that comes out in the fight when it's time to push or time to give, you don't give the guy anything because of that arrogance and stuff like that and being stubborn. He's a nice kid, man. He don't have weird habits. He's real basic, man. He watches boxing and he's a big Philadelphia Eagles fan.
PC: Anybody else you have on your team that we should be on the lookout for?
SE: Oh yeah, man. I'm telling you, Perc, you guys gotta come to Philly with a camera. We got a renaissance here. I don't know anywhere in the country that's hotter than Philly right now. But me personally, I train a kid named Kyrone Davis out of Wilmington, Delaware, which is right next door to Philly. He trains in Philly, he's 5-0, and he's also signed to Al Haymon. He's won nationals a few times. He is a 160-pounder and I'm telling you, some of the sparring sessions with him and Julian, I could get money for them. It's phenomenal work, but I didn't even let them spar last camp because I would rather let them do the stuff that they were doing to each other to other guys. I also advise a kid by the name of Omar Douglas, who is 13-0, and a kid named Naim Nelson, who is 12-0, and I got Steve Upsher Chambers, who is 24-4 now. I just advise those 3, but I actually train Kyrone and Julian. I think that a lot of the media is overlooking the scene in Philly right now because we don't do a lot of fight shows, but we still got Bernard Hopkins, the ageless wonder, and Danny Garcia. We got Steve Cunningham, we got Karl Dargan, who should be fighting for a title soon, we got Julian Williams, we got Jesse Hart, we got a young kid Stephen Fulton, we got Eric Hunter, who will be headlining a show. I mean, it's crazy. I can't think of no other place in the country where you have this much talent. And everybody from Philly, they all train in Philly; it's just nuts. Gabe Rosado, who was just on HBO, I know he took a loss, but he from Philly. We got the kid Tevin Farmer. His career started out kind of bad, but he's really turned himself around and he upset that Golden Boy kid on FOX a few months back. It's phenomenal the fighters that we have out of the Philadelphia area. Hank Lundy is a contender at 35 and 40. New York, LA, I can't think of nowhere in the country where you got at least 15 to 20 championship level or blue chip prospects out of the same city, and that's what we have right now. I can't think of 3 better prospects than Jesse, Julian, and Dynamite. I don't consider Julian a prospect anymore, so I'ma stop saying that. Even though he made the list of ESPN's top prospects, I think Julian is officially a contender now. That prospect label may be a little insulting to him right now. I think he's definitely a contender. We got a hot bed of talent right here in Philly right now. We really do.
http://fighthype.com/news/article18900.html
I been following this young bul for a minute now and keep trying to get yall on the stanwagon
Only Floyd Mayweather, Canelo Alvarez, and Erislandy Lara would I concede as being better than J-Rock right now at 154. We top 4 in the division and coming for that Junior Middleweight Championship in 2015
I feel sorry for some of yall who only stan fighters who've already "made it". Watching the Adrien Broner's, Julian Williams', and Erickson Lubin's of the world (besides my hometown #OhioPlayas) turn from prospects to serious contenders is what makes watching Boxing so great for me
AB already gave me 3 titles, now it's J Rock's turn to get me 1, and Lubin within the next 3 years
