Columnist Dean Juipe: Williams still has plans for becoming champion

Dean Juipe

Thursday, June 6, 2002 | 10:44 a.m.

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4084.

There was a time in the not too distant past when Jeremy Williams was seen as something better than a fringe contender.

An athletic heavyweight, Williams seemingly had the physical gifts to establish himself as one of the leading men in the division.

Yet a night before Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson fight in Memphis, Williams will fight in Las Vegas to far less attention and acclaim. He's facing Ron Guerrero Friday at Caesars Palace and, to hear him tell it, there's no guarantee he'll even pick up a win.

"Guerrero's a tough, durable guy and goes into every fight to win," Williams said by phone from Long Beach after working out at a gym. "I take every win graciously, but I'd have to say I'll be lucky to beat this guy."

Conversely, Williams still harbors dreams of becoming a heavyweight champion and for all his graciousness toward Guerrero, he still believes he can make it to the top.

"I'll say this in the humblest way I can: I will be heavyweight champion of the world," Williams said.

The conflict -- the uncertainty Williams has that he'll get past Guerrero yet the assuredness of saying he will someday be a world champion -- doesn't make Williams easy to analyze. But, on paper, he figures to defeat Guerrero while needing a succession of additional wins to legitimately rekindle his title hopes.

Williams, 29, is 37-4 with 34 knockouts.

Guerrero, 28, is 15-4-2 with 10 KOs.

They're scheduled for 10 rounds and headlining a card promoted by Cedric Kushner that will be held in the hotel's Palace Ballroom.

For Williams, it's his third fight of the year after spending 23 months away from the sport. He stopped doughboy Louis Monaco in March and then journeyman David Bostice in April, each in one round.

In the latter fight, Williams suffered a cut above his right eye when he was head butted by Bostice just before the latter went down from a blow to the midsection.

"Everything's fine," Williams said of the injury, which occurred in Laughlin, and his overall health.

He hopes to add Guerrero to his list of victims and says he has the mental toughness to do it.

"Don't take my kindness toward him as a sign of weakness," Williams said. "I'm coming up to Vegas to beat the s--- out of him. I'm an A-class fighter and he's going to have to step up to my level, or he's going to lose."

Feeling rejuvenated, Williams is campaigning for an informal tournament of sorts between fighters of his ilk, with the winners continually advancing.

"Why not?" he said. "Of course I want bigger fights and to be at the top venues, but it's time for this little group that I am a part of to make some noise.

"Let the Holyfields and Tysons have their fights against each other. Pretty soon they'll be gone.

"But the rest of us have to realize this is a business and start fighting one another. Look at me: I was offered a fight with Tim Witherspoon, who's 45 or something. What good would that fight do for me? Even if I knocked him out, so what? And if I lost or only won by decision, who would care?

"I want fights that make sense."

And until those fights fall into place, Williams may continue to reside where he sees himself now.

"I feel I'm on the outside looking in," he said of his status in the division. "There's no reason I shouldn't be fighting all these new, young heavyweights. I know I can fight and I want to make some noise."

Guerrero, who has lost only once in his nine most recent fights, may or may not provide a sufficient test.

"Friday's a step toward redemption for me," Williams said. "I stepped away from boxing for almost two years to get my energy back, and I feel good now.

"You can't be lethargic in this industry, and I'm not anymore."

The other six fights all feature heavyweights and include: Taurus Sykes, 18-1, vs. James Walton, 18-1-2, 10 rounds; Eliecer Castillo, 22-2-2, vs. Willie Palms, 10-2-1, six rounds; Brian Nix, 16-8, vs. Kelvin Hale, 12-3-1, six rounds; Todd Diggs, 4-4-3, vs. Barry Lineberger, 3-1, four rounds; Peter Currin, 1-0, vs. Chad Butler, 3-0, four rounds; and Larry Dawson, 1-0, vs. Kenny Lemos, 1-1, four rounds. First bell is 8 p.m.

The sites open to the public include: Mandalay Bay, the MGM, Caesars Palace, the Orleans, the Aladdin, Sunset Station, the Riviera, the Monte Carlo, the Hard Rock, Bally's, the Las Vegas Hilton, the San Remo, the Plaza, the Flamingo Hilton, the Palms, the Luxor, the Excalibur and the Beach. Admission is $60 at each and doors open at 6 p.m.

Besides Lewis vs. Tyson, two fights will be seen: Manny Pacquiao vs. Jorge Eliecer Julio, and Joel Casamayor vs. Juan Arias.

Pacquiao, 34-2, is the IBF super bantamweight champion and is a southpaw from the Philippines. He figures to have his hands full with Julio, a two-time former champion from Colombia who is 44-3.

Casamayor is a former champion at 130 pounds who is 25-1 and coming off a loss to Acelino Freitas. Arias is 33-2-1.