Feelin’ strong, keepin’ busy

Dean Juipe

Thursday, Feb. 13, 2003 | 9:20 a.m.

Ricardo Williams has the look of a future world champion, even if there's one other fighter in his division who had his number as an amateur.

Williams, who is fighting Juan Carlos Rubio as part of Saturday's card at Caesars Palace, is an electrifying talent. Strong and busy, he figures to develop into one of the better -- if not the best -- of the group at 140 pounds.

Kostya Tszyu is the reigning undisputed junior welterweight champion, but he's 33 years old. He may or may not be active when Williams is ready to challenge for a major title, which is probably a year or so away.

But there's another guy in the division with eyes on succeeding Tszyu, and it's Las Vegas resident Muhammad Abdullaev. The latter, a native of Uzbekistan, is the reigning Olympic gold medalist and is already 11-0 as a pro.

He also defeated Williams twice in amateur competition, once in the second round of the 1999 World Championships and once in the gold-medal round of the 2000 Olympics. Both results were by decision.

"That doesn't bother me at all," Williams, 21, said this week before working out at the IBA Gym. "I threw more punches than he did in the Olympic bout and I was satisfied with my performance and grateful to be there.

"As a professional, I'd beat him now."

Abdullaev is topical in relation to Williams not only for their past and, perhaps, future clashes, but because trainer Kenny Adams -- who handles Abdullaev -- recently dismissed Williams as a challenger to his man. "We've already beaten Williams -- twice," Adams emphatically pointed out.

"He or his people are going to run their mouths and dig a deep hole that he can't get out of," Williams countered. "If we ever fight again, I'll be bigger and stronger and I'll blow him out."

But Williams doesn't necessarily feel Abdullaev is part of his future, although it's a tremendously marketable fight and could be worth a small fortune to each man. There's also a third rising junior welter to consider: Miguel Cotto.

"I'd fight Abdullaev for revenge's sake, but it would have to be profitable for both of us," Williams said. "But he's already 30, isn't he? I look at him like I look at Tszyu, and I think both of them will be too old by the time I'm 25."

But it doesn't take a crystal ball to see that Abdullaev, who will be 30 later this year, could succeed Tszyu as the 140-pound champion and then be in position to defend against Williams (and Cotto).

"Right now, I don't need Abdullaev," Williams said. "But if he really wants to fight he can replace Rubio and I'll fight him this week."

Williams is 8-0 with five knockouts and is taking on Rubio to prove a point. The latter, who is 26-6-2 with a mere 10 KOs, upset still another undefeated ex-Olympian, Francisco Bojado, a year ago.

"He got a win over Bojado that gave him a lot of confidence, and if he could beat another Olympian he'd really have a lot of confidence," Williams said of Rubio. "He took what Bojado gave and then saw him get fatigued and then tracked him down.

"So I know he's determined and he's going to try to do what it takes to win."

Yet Rubio fits more comfortably into the role of journeyman and isn't expected to upset Williams, who is coming off a decision victory in Las Vegas over former world champion Terronn Millett. That fight, last November at the MGM, went to the judges but Williams won by 10, 8 and 6 points on their cards.

"Other than with his head and his elbows, he didn't hit me more than five times," Williams said. "He said after the fight that I was just too fast for him."

Aside from adding an ex-champion to his list of victims, the win over Millett gave Williams a chance to test his surgically repaired left hand. Due to a torn ligament, he was forced to have surgery on it last May.

"It's been fine and I'm throwing punches with a lot of power," Williams said. "It didn't bother me against Millett."

Williams' trainer (and father), Ricardo Sr., agreed that the hand seems OK and that the only hint of a problem came in their first day of sparring in preparation for Rubio when his son hit a sparring partner on top of the head and felt a momentary twinge.

Father and son agree that the time is right for an impressive victory and they're looking for it to come at Rubio's expense.

"I'm going to be spectacular," Williams said, implying not only Rubio but many others will feel his wrath before he's through.