Ricardo Williams Jr. always had his talent, and now, as he struggles to restart a professional career that was stalled by 31 months in jail, he says that ability still lives inside him. But before, he took it for granted. He says now that hard work will beat talent if talent doesn’t work hard. And before, he didn’t work hard at his talent.
“Everything was kind of easy,” said Williams, a 2000 Olympic silver medalist. “It goes back to my talent. My father has been working with me since I was 6 and 7 years old. A lot of things people have to work hard at, I had it naturally. I took it for granted.”
It showed in his work ethic.
“He never looked like he had seriously trained,” HBO boxing analyst Larry Merchant said. “There was a little softness, but you tended to say, ‘God, look at those hands and look at how he had absorbed the lessons only a father who had fought himself could give.’”
HBO Boxing and Williams
After returning from the Sydney Games, boxing promoter Lou DiBella signed Williams to a $1.4 million bonus to turn professional, and in his ninth pro fight, Williams was boxing in a nationally-televised HBO fight. Williams disappointed.
He faced journeyman Juan Valenzuela, and as he entered the ring looking a little chubby, Williams fell in a unanimous decision. His career went with him.
“In the Valenzuela fight, people thought I won that fight; it could have gone either way,” Williams said. “Even then, I wasn’t in the best shape, but I put up a hell of a fight. I actually got a lot respect. That fight, I stood toe-to-toe, and we traded.”
Ricardo Williams in Prison
Two years later, he was in jail. He had been arrested and charged with drug trafficking. He pleaded guilty in 2005, and the judge sentenced him to three years in prison. Now, he’s out, and he’s resumed his career.
“I never really got to the point where my success in the ring led me to that,” Williams said. “I was at a point in my career where I was trying to maintain that lifestyle. Just making stupid decisions.”
Williams Wants a Welterweight Title
Since his release, Williams has fought and won four times. He’s fought journeymen who are made to order for a slick boxer like Williams. Originally, he wanted to compete at the 140-pound junior welterweight class, but after weighing in at 149 for his match against Doel Carrasquillo in January 2009, Williams decided he’ll stay at welterweight (147 pounds).
Just a few more fights, Williams said, and he’ll be ready to compete for a world title. He’ll certainly have to overcome the odds against him, though. But he can look to legendary fighter Bernard Hopkins, who served a prison stint before his career began, as inspiration.
“There have been a lot of prizefighters who have been incarcerated for short periods of time – a year or less – but off the top of my head, I can’t think of too many that have been away that long (and returned successfully),” Merchant said. “(Bernard) Hopkins had not had a pro fight before he went away.
“If you want to make it a comparison to Hopkins, Hopkins came out of prison determined to live the life of a prizefighter in an almost extreme way. Never going near drugs, never giving himself a chance to misdirect his career. What you think is: what if Williams starts to make it back and starts to have some good wins and starts to get some bigger money fights, is he going to be able to live the life of the fighter, which is a difficult life of self-denial? That’s when you’ll find out if he’s good enough still to get to that point.”
Josh Katzowitz - Josh Katzowitz is a freelance writer who covers virtually all sports for a variety of newspapers and magazines around the country. He's ...
