Julian Williams wasn’t interested in engaging in a war of words with Carlos Adames on Thursday.

It wasn’t until Showtime’s Brian Custer and Adames himself urged the former IBF/IBO/WBA 154-pound champion to speak his mind during their press conference that Williams dismissed Adames’ contention that he is the most feared fighter in the middleweight division. Williams obviously isn’t fearful of Adames, whom Williams will challenge for the WBC interim middleweight title in their “Showtime Championship Boxing” main event Saturday night at The Armory in Minneapolis (9 p.m. EDT; 6 p.m. PDT).

“Listen, right, this dude, what this dude is, you know what he is?,” Williams said. “He like a bully, right? And he’s a bully. You heard me. So, I don’t gotta get up here and go back and forth and argue wit him. ‘I’mma do this. I’mma do that.’ I’mma be there. I’mma show up on Saturday night – believe it. I’mma be there. I’m here.”

Williams admonished Adames’ trainer, Bob Santos, for trying to hype up the emerging Adames (22-1, 17 KOs) into something he hasn’t proven to be in the ring.

“See that man right there?,” Williams said as he pointed at Santos. “Been filling his head up, making him think he invincible. You not invincible.”

The Dominican Republic’s Adames is 4-0 since Brazil’s Patrick Teixeira unanimously outpointed him in a closely contested 12-round fight for the WBO’s interim junior middleweight title in November 2019 at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Adames dismantled Mexican contender Juan Macias Montiel (23-6-2, 23 KOs) in his last fight – a third-round knockout victory October 8 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

Philadelphia’s Williams still isn’t overly impressed.

“Listen, I seen – I watched tape on him,” Williams explained. “He ain’t no boogeyman. He a good fighter, but he not unbeatable. I seen him down [against Teixeira], I seen him tired, I seen him hurt. And this sh*t is recently. He’s not no boogeyman. He talkin’ about who duckin’ him – it’s nobody in the division. Jermall been off for two years. Munguia moved up. Who’s ducking him?”

Jermall Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs), the WBC middleweight champion, is expected to end his two-year layoff by challenging Canelo Alvarez next. Their fight for Alvarez’s IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO super middleweight titles likely will take place September 16, though that date hasn’t been finalized.

Mexico’s Munguia (42-0, 33 KOs) recently edged rugged Ukrainian Sergiy Derevyanchenko (14-5, 10 KOs) by unanimous decision in the frontrunner for “Fight of the Year” on June 10 at Toyota Arena in Ontario, California. Munguia’s 12-round win versus Derevyanchenko was contested at the super middleweight limit of 168 pounds.

The 33-year-old Williams (28-3-1, 16 KOs, 1 NC) hasn’t beaten a top opponent since his upset of Jarrett Hurd, who was undefeated at that time, in May 2019. Williams is 1-2 – including back-to-back losses to underdogs Jeison Rosario (then 19-1-1), a fifth-round TKO, and Vladimir Hernandez (then 12-4), a 10-round split decision – since he took the three abovementioned 154-pound titles from Hurd four years ago.

Williams assured Adames he isn’t the least bit intimidated by what appears to be a daunting assignment for him.

“I’m locked in,” Williams said. “I know what this is. I know what he is. I know what he is.”

When Custer requested that he elaborate, Williams wouldn’t say anything else.

“I ain’t tellin’,” Williams said. “It’s gonna show up in the fight.”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.