Thursday, February 24, 2000
Williams, Craig set for Box-offs
Local fighters aim for Olympics
BY JOHN ERARDI
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Cincinnati's Ricardo Williams Jr. 18, and Dante Craig, 21, will be competing in the U.S. Olympic Trials' Box-offs in Mashantucket, Conn., tonight through Saturday.
The 12 winners of the Box-offs will be members of the U.S. Olympic team. Those 12 members each will have to win one of three “America's Qualifiers” to box in Sydney at the 2000 Summer Games, but USA Boxing officials consider that to be a mere formality.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has stipulated that only 54 boxers in total from North and South America will get to box in Sydney. The only team exempt from the qualifiers is Cuba, because it is the defending Olympic championship team in boxing.
Williams is the national champion of the 139-pound weight class. He would have to be beaten twice at the Box-offs by runner-up Jose Celaya of Salinas, Calif., to lose a spot on the U.S. team. Craig is the runner-up in the 147-pound weight class. He will have to beat champion Larry Mosely of Los Angeles twice at the Box-offs to gain a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.
The time of the bouts has not been determined yet. They will be set by NBC, which will televise some of the bouts and has not set its schedule yet.
Williams and Craig were raised in the Parktown section of the West End. They still spar together to stay in top form.
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