Columnist Dean Juipe: Olympian Williams steps up

Dean Juipe

Thursday, Oct. 31, 2002 | 10:29 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.

In what figures to be the first of many moments of truth in his still-developing career, Ricardo Williams steps into the ring Saturday night with a former world champion.

Williams, the 2000 Olympic silver medalist at 139 pounds, is 7-0 with five knockouts as a pro. But none of his first seven victims will ever be mistaken for the man he hopes to make No. 8, Terronn Millett.

"I figured it was time to step up," Williams said Wednesday, discussing not only his fight with Millett but his position as the primary undercard feature on the Marco Antonio Barrera vs. Johnny Tapia show at the MGM Grand Garden.

Williams may have many defining fights in his career, especially if he succeeds as planned. And this one with Millett may have to be counted among them.

Williams, nevertheless, is extremely confident, as befits a fighter who his publicist describes as "Pernell Whitaker with a punch."

The Cincinnati native, still only 21, has already shown flashes of brilliance.

"Zab Judah beat him when he was at his peak, so I figure I can do it too," Williams said, referring to Judah's TKO-5 victory over Millett two years ago and explaining the challenge at hand.

Since that loss, Millett has lost again -- to Arturo Gatti last January -- and he could be nearing the end. But, at 34 years old, he does have a record of 27-3-1 with 19 KOs and has to be buoyed by the almost $600,000 he pocketed last month as the result of a lawsuit in which he proved he was a victim of discrimination.

Millett, who took the International Boxing Federation junior welterweight title from Vince Phillips in 1999 before surrendering the belt to Judah, last fought in May when he won an eight-round decision over the unknown Damone Wright in Colorado Springs.

Aside from the losses to Judah and Gatti, Millett was also beaten by Sharmba Mitchell in 1995.

While Millett hasn't fought since May, Williams has been out of the ring since February. He had surgery May 20 to repair a torn ligament in his left hand.

"It was good to give my body a rest," Williams said of the layoff. "It's motivated me to fight even more.

"My impatience has turned into hunger."

There may be those who think otherwise, but Williams seemed to be the focal point of the most recent U.S. Olympic boxing team and its most celebrated member. After all, by the age of 17 he had won a national Golden Gloves title, a Goodwill Games gold medal and two Junior World titles.

A boxer since the age of 8, he met his match in the Olympic Games when he lost by decision to Uzbekistan's Mohamad Abdullaev, who has since moved to Las Vegas and opened his pro career with 10 consecutive wins.

Williams and Millett are scheduled for 10 rounds at 140 pounds.

"Terronn's a guy I respect and that's why we took the fight," Williams said. "I still think he's capable of beating most of the good junior welterweights, but I want to make a statement."

Williams is trained by his father, Ricardo Sr., and Buddy LaRossa, who once trained Aaron Pryor.

"I'm just trying to meet my own goals," Williams said. "That's enough pressure for anybody."

The lineup: Kelson Pinto, 14-0, vs. Charles Murray, 44-7, 10 rounds, welterweights; Guadalupe DeLeon, 2-0, vs. Julio Leal, 1-2, six rounds, super bantamweights; Michael Santos, 4-0, vs. Daniel Mendez, 12-17-1, six rounds, welterweights; Henry Bruseles, 16-1, vs. Wilmer Mejia, 12-2-2, eight rounds, welterweights; and Rocky Montoya, 20-1, vs. Sandro Marcos, 22-9-2, eight rounds, junior welterweights.

The opponents for Bruseles, Montoya and Leal all changed within recent days, as Livingstone Bramble (40-24-3), Miguel Angel Escamilla (7-4-1) and Orlando Cruz (3-0), respectively, each fell out for varying reasons.

Doors open at 4 p.m. with the first bell at 4:30 and the main event scheduled for shortly after 8.

Urena is 19-4 with 15 KOs.

Also scheduled: Cesar Bazan, 38-5-1, vs. Joshua Smith, 16-6, 10 rounds, lightweights; and featherweight Steve Luevano, 14-0, junior welterweight Francisco Corrales, 9-1, and junior welterweight Alfonso Gomez, 3-1-1, each in fights against opponents yet to be determined.