Q&A: Joel Julio

By Ricardo Conde

Former title challenger and current junior middleweight contender Joel Julio (35-4, 31 KOs) of Colombia looks to rebound, after a devastating loss to Alfredo “El Perro” Angulo this past April, against Jamaal “Da Truth” Davis (12-6, 6 KOs) of Philadelphia, PA on Saturday, August 21 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ in a 10-round junior middleweight bout on the undercard of “The Big Challenge,” which is being headlined by heavyweight contender Tomaz Adamek taking on Michael Grant, and will be shown live on Pay-Per-View and is being presented by Main Events and Ziggy Promotions in association with X-Cel Worldwide. Remaining tickets are priced at $53, $78, $103 and $253 and can be purchased at the Prudential Center Box Office, www.Prucenter.com or by phone at 800-745-3000.

We had a moment to sit down and talk to Joel Julio as he prepares for his upcoming bout, here’s what he had to say:

Give us your thoughts on this fight, do you see the fight going the distance and what’s your prediction of the fight?

I’ve worked really hard for this fight first of all, to put on a good show for the fans and we’re going to be very prepared to give the boxing fans a great show. I worked really hard and we want to finish the fight as soon as possible but we’ll be taking it round by round but I’m definitely coming to win.

What do you know about Jamaal Davis and what’s your opinion of him?

I know he’s a strong fighter, a good fighter and he looks very strong but we’re going to attack the body in the first rounds and try to stop him and take him out of there. 


How is training camp going and with only a week until the fight, how do you feel at this point?



Training camp is going really well, I feel really good. Sparring has been good; I’ll be sparring today and then again on Friday. Training camp has been great with my trainer Anthony Hamm and I think this has been one of the best training camps I’ve ever had. We’re basically already on weight and I feel very strong and in the fight we’ll show the results of camp. In my last fight with Angulo, I was in great condition but I didn’t put all my power into those punches in that fight and in this fight I’ll be looking to land those power punches and fight on the inside instead of boxing on the outside like I did in my last fight.

In your last fight against Alfredo Angulo, which you lost after it was stopped in the eleventh round, do you feel the fight was stopped to soon, give us your thoughts on the fight and what’s your opinion of Angulo?

Alfredo Angulo is very strong but I know I was still in a condition to continue with the fight. I feel the referee should have let me continue the fight and give me an opportunity to get back in the fight because I felt that I was winning the fight. I really feel the referee should have given me that opportunity to fight on because I was putting on a good fight with Alfredo Angulo who is a great champion but I deserved better and it was already the eleventh round and with a fight of that magnitude I should have been allowed to continue. Like I said, I was still in good condition and I should have been given that opportunity to continue. I feel it was a very close fight and I was still fighting back and moving around because Angulo put a lot of pressure early on in the fight but I was expecting that and I was prepared for that.

What kind of statement are you looking to make in this fight with Davis; will you try and go for the knockout?

Yes, I’m going in there looking to get in those power punches and stay on the inside and not let him get off and just put on an impressive showing for the fans.

Should you get past Jamaal Davis, is there anyone you’d like to fight next and would you be interested in a rematch with Angulo and if you were to fight him again, what do you think the results of the second fight would be?

Definitely, I would love a rematch with Angulo that would be my first choice but also a fight with the new IBF champion “K9” Bundrage who I fought and I knocked out in eight rounds. He just became the new champion this past Saturday, I would love to fight him again. I’ve also been thinking a lot about moving down to 147 pounds and if a good fight can materialize there that’s definitely something I would like to do. 


What’s your opinion of the current junior middleweight division?


It’s a very great and strong division. I’ve noticed a lot of fighters are either moving up to it or down to it so it’s a great division to be in right now.

What are some of your goals for the rest of 2010?

Well, just to continue to fight and come out with the win on the 21st and then just continue to fight and hopefully fight for a title at the end of this year at 154 or maybe at the beginning of the year with any of the world champions at 147 pounds. 


In closing, is there anything you would like to tell your fans?

Just to continue to support me and that Joel Julio is training very hard for this fight like I always do and to continue to support me in accomplishing my dream of becoming a world champion. I plan on putting on a great performance on the 21st and show everyone all the work I’ve put into this fight and showing everyone who Joel Julio really is.

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August 11th, 2010

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