Friday, April 20, 2001
Williams, Craig step into hometown ring
Olympians get second pro fights tonight at Cintas Center
By John Erardi
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The only reason Ricardo Williams Jr. is not fighting the final bout tonight like a typical headliner is because this is only his third pro bout. He's not ready for the 10 rounds ESPN2 wants for the feature event of its nationally televised Friday Night Fights.
But all the predictions are that the Olympic silver medalist is destined to be a world champion. Tonight at Cintas Center is the local folks' opportunity to see him on the way up.
Williams, 19, didn't give his opponent, Cuban-born Damian Guerra (10-1), the evil eye at Thursday's weigh-in. They're fighting at 141 pounds.
“I asked him how his trip was coming down from Chicago,” Williams said. “He said it was good. That's good, because it's going to be a rough trip back.”
Guerra, 28, has different intentions. He began boxing in Havana at age 12 and had 103 amateur bouts. He left Cuba on a raft with four friends six years ago. After five days at sea, they were picked up by the Coast Guard.
“I fight; I don't play,” Guerra said. “I know the only way I
can win is to knock him out. I'm fighting in his hometown. It would be hard to win a decision here.”
Lou DiBella, of DiBella Entertainment, is the matchmaker for Williams' bouts. He scours the country seeking an opponent who will stretch out Williams and make him learn.
“You're looking for somebody who's skilled enough to stand in there with a world-class fighter, but in a (six-round) fight like this, you're also not looking to get your guy beat,” DiBella said. “You want guys who are used to winning and are there to try to win. Guerra doesn't have Ricky's thoroughbred lines, but he's still going to be a test for a kid with only two pro fights. ... He's going to come at him and try to hurt him.”
The opponent of Olympian Dante Craig is Sherwin Davis, 26, a native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who learned to box in the Army. He is 6-0 (3 knockouts), and all his fights were in Indianapolis. He is a pharmacy major at Indiana University, where he's a sophomore. He's a two-time Indy Golden Gloves champion.
“My first pro bout was 18 months ago, and this is my first TV fight,” Davis said. “I'm not going to let Dante dictate the pace.”
Craig has two first-round KOs in his two pro fights at 147.
“We want to find out what he (Craig) can do when he gets to round five and round six,” said Davis' trainer, Bob Chambers.
Craig gave Davis an evil stare at the weigh-in.
“I gave him the eye, so he'll know what to expect when we get in the ring,” Craig said. “I didn't expect him to be this tall. He's as tall as me. I'm going to take my time and chop him down.”
When: Gates open 7 p.m.; first bout, 8 p.m.
Where: Cintas Center
Tickets: ($20, $40, $60, $100; $10 discount for students) are available at Cintas Center (745-3900) and Ticketmaster (562-4949).
TV: ESPN2 portion of the card (national TV), 9 p.m.
Fight Card:
• 130 pounds, 4 rounds — Kendall Holt (1-0) vs. Scott Kuhn (0-1).
• 160 pounds, 4 rounds — Stefan Pryor* (1-1) vs. Corey McCant (0-2).
• 140 pounds, 6 rounds — Demetrius Hopkins (6-0) vs. Keith Jordan (2-0.)
• 175 pounds, 6 rounds — Ravae Springs* (22-2) vs. Eric Davis (13-20)
• Heavyweight, 4 rounds — Paolo Vidoz (2-0) vs. Bobby McGraw (3-3)
• 175 pounds, 4 rounds — Troy Ross (Debut) vs. Roger Bowen* (2-0)
• 147 pounds, 6 rounds — Dante Craig* (2-0) vs. Sherwin Davis (6-0)
• 140 pounds, 6 rounds — Ricardo Williams Jr.* (2-0) vs. Damian Guerra (10-1)
• 154 pounds, 10 rounds — Michael Lerma (24-4-1) vs. Bronco McKart (42-3)
*Fighter is from Greater Cincinnati.
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Williams, Craig step into hometown ring
