Julian Williams improved to 24-1-1 after defeating Ishe Smith (29-9) by a unanimous decision. This win makes it two straight for Williams and his second in 2017.
Ishe Smith started the first two rounds aggressively by attacking Williams’ body along with creating a solid defense. Williams swung momentum in the third round as he had an effective right upper hook that connected on Smith multiple times.
Williams continued to start off hot in the fourth round as he was able to connect for a knockdown on Smith. Things seemed to go downhill for Smith but he quickly rebounded in the fourth round as he was able to land numerous body shots on Williams that kept him in the fight. Smith continued to connect with these body shots in the fifth round that kept the fight interesting.
Williams went back to utilizing a solid defense at the start of the sixth round and that resulted in him landing a few head shots of his own on Smith. Smith did a great job of attacking the body in the seventh round but his effort would wear off as fatigue kicked in in the eighth round.
Williams was effective in landing more uppercut jabs in the beginning of the ninth round but Smith quickly traded blows back. A tough jab to the chest by Williams that paused the fight looked like it sealed the fight for him but Smith was able to make one last stand by creating his own blows to the chest of Williams. Despite the last effort by Smith, Williams was able to hang on to impress the judges and come out with a solid win in Las Vegas.