By Peter Lim

Undefeated junior middleweights Jermall Charlo (24-0, 18 KOs) and Julian Williams (22-0-1, 14 KOs), both 26, concur that they're facing their sternest tests to date when they clash at the USC campus in Los Angeles on Saturday. They share similar attributes and styles; both are proficient boxer-punchers with decent power in either hand, who match up pretty evenly in speed, defense and skill set.

Charlo is the more stand-your-ground of the two while Williams is more agile and fleet-footed, but not by much. In Williams, Charlo takes on an opponent for the first time in his career against whom he doesn't have a significant size advantage. (Charlo stands six feet even while Williams is 5' 11") Neither fighter's chin has been significantly tested at this juncture of their careers.

Charlo won his belt by dethroning Cornelius Bundrage who can be best described as a caretaker titleholder in Cornelius Bundrage and defended it against Wilky Campfort who can best be described as a fringe contender in  last year. Earlier this year, he adapted and adjusted to methodically outpoint wily veteran southpaw Austin Trout.

"I've trained for (Williams) just like I've trained for everyone else," Charlo said. "If everyone out there is hungry, I'm hungrier."

"I'm smarter and I'm faster," he added. "My game plan is to destroy his game plan so I'm not necessarily worried about what he's doing. I just want to make sure that I'm on my A-game."

While Charlo's level of competition has been decent but far from stellar, Williams has gotten this far by defeating a garden variety of gatekeepers and unproven prospects. His best opponents to date were Hugo Centeno Jr. whom he dominated before the fight ended in a no contest due to a headbutt, and faded former titlist Joachim Alcine whom he outpointed over eight rounds.

"This is a business. (Charlo) has something I want, and I’m coming to get it," Williams said.

“I’ve been waiting a long time to prove to people what I can do. I’ve been underrated and overlooked a lot, but Saturday night is my time to shine."

Given Charlo's slight edge in experience and better knockout percentage, he should enter the ring as a 55-45 favorite. But fights are contested in a 20-by-20 square foot ring and not on a spread sheet; a plethora of intangibles often derails the best statistical analysis in determining the end result when two equally-endowed pugilists violently collide for 36 minutes of unadulterated combat.

Read prediction at: http://peterliminator.blogspot.com/2016/12/jermall-charlo-vs-julian-williams.html