Edgar Ortega Ready To Roll With Julian 'J Rock' Williams

By Jake Donovan

Edgar Ortega will fight outside of Mexico for the first time in his young career, answering the call for a December 20 showdown with unbeaten super welterweight prospect Julian ‘J Rock’ Williams.  

The bout will air live on a special edition of Showtime’s

ShoBox

series, taking place at Little Creek Casino Resort in Shelton, Washington. 

At first glance, it appears that Ortega (15-2, 10KOs) is a bit out of his depth in stepping to a rising young talent like Williams (17-0-1, 10KOs). The bout is his first in the United States and at a new weight, moving up in weight and coming off of a disappointing loss in October.  

The silver lining for the young welterweight is that the biggest win of his career also came against an unbeaten opponent, handing Daniel Rosario his first career loss with a decision win in August. 

“The ‘

Nene

’ Ortega everyone saw in his last fight is not a true representation of his capabilities,” insists promoter Felix ‘Tutico’ Zabala Jr., referring to Ortega’s letdown versus Pablo Munguia in October. “Here, we will see Nene rise to the occasion, just like he did in August (versus Rosario).”

Ortega also appears on Showtime for the first time in his young career. His past three bouts have been showcased on Telemundo and its long-running

Boxeo Telemundo

series. 

The Dec. 20 edition of Showtime marks the last U.S. televised show of 2014. Also on the card: Jesus Cuellar faces Ruben Tamayo in a featherweight bout; and unbeaten prospect Julius Jackson takes on Jonathan Nelson in a 10-round super middleweight crossroads clash. Jackson—who along with his brother John Jackson served on the 2008 Virgin Islands Olympic boxing squad—is the son of famed knockout artist and former two-division champ Julian Jackson. 

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as the Records Keeper for the

and a member of

. Twitter: