Photo by Geo IMAGEZ
By Victoria “Vicky” Villa
“I am moving down to 147 lbs. because I feel is the right weight for me. I am not going to have any problems at this weight because my fists will do the talking. I am a strong opponent at Welterweight and I feel I will have a better opportunity to become a world champion,” said Joel Julio in a recent interview when asked about the reason for moving down to 147.
Although Julio’s run in the Jr. Middleweight division was less than stellar, one also has to consider the level of opposition he fought. Losses to ex-champion Serhiy Dzinziruk, hot contenders James Kirkland and Alfredo Angulo although disappointing, can serve as valuable experience for his career. His only other loss was to Carlos Quintana back in 2006 in a fight that saw Quintana outbox Julio to win a decision.
Julio is looking to move down to his old division because he feels that he can have more opportunities and also feels that he is more competitive at his old weight. He wants to leave the losses behind and concentrate on the bigger picture, which is to get a title shot in the welterweight division and fulfill his dream of becoming a world champion.
“I would like to fight Victor Ortiz, Andre Berto, but I am prepared to fight anyone at 147 lbs and I feel I can beat them. My speed and power increase at 147 lbs and I want to remind everyone that I have 31 KOs out of 36 wins while fighting at Welterweight,” Said Julio
He was to have his first test at welterweight in the form of Antwone Smith whom he was slated to fight on May 20th as part of the Friday Night Fights main event, but Smith was forced to withdraw from his fight because of an elbow injury. Instead, Julio’s new opponent is Agnes Adjaho (25-5, 14 KOs) who took the fight on a couple of weeks’ notice and will serve as Julio’s first roadblock as he moves down to his old weight class.
In 2005 Joel “Love Child” Julio was named prospect of the year by ESPN.com and he wants to show his fans that he can be that same Julio once again. No longer the “Love Child” he wants to be known as “Predator”.
“On May 20th you are going to see a different Joel Julio, the same Julio who first arrived in the US, Joel ‘El Depredador’ Julio.”
Also fighting on this card are Sadam “World Kid’ Ali of Brooklyn, NY, (12-0, 7 KOs); Jose “Mangu” Peralta of Jersey City (6-1, 4 KOs); all action fighter Vinny O’Brien of East Hanover, (2-0, 2KOs); Angel Concepcion, (4-0); Bronx, NY’s Joel Castillo, (8-0, 5KOs); and Tyrone Luckey of Middletown, NJ, (3-0,3 KOs).
Tickets are on sale now, $100 for ringside and reserved floor seats, $60 general admission bleachers and $30 general admission standing. Tickets are available online throughwww.ticketmaster.com, Charge-by-phone: 1-800-745-3000, Ticketmaster Express 866-448-7849 and Ticketmaster ticket centers. Tickets are also available at Prudential Center’s Box Office andwww.prucenter.com.