There are not many athletes that would go into the gym the following day after winning their second consecutive national title, Ricardo did. There are not many 17 year olds that have two consecutive Junior Olympic titles, two consecutive national titles, a national golden gloves title, and a Goodwill Games gold medal, but this one does. Ricardo Williams, Jr., at only 17 years of age, has the dedication of a tenacious lion, the maturity of a seasoned veteran and the heart of a true champion. This boxing prodigy capped one of the most successful years in 1998, ever by a U.S. boxer. Year 1999 started with much of the same success as he continued his winning streak by retaining his light welterweight title.

"This year’s championships was different from last years because there was more pressure to keep the title. Last year I came to make a name for myself, this year I came to uphold it."

Williams was also recently named USA Boxing’s 1998 Athlete of the Year. "This was a special award for me, especially because I don’t think that people expected for someone so young to receive this honor."

Grace, talent, flare and maturity are a few words describing Williams, a senior at Taft High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. He now moves to the head of his class as one of the premier light welterweights in the world, and has become a local Cincinnati favorite, a city that features arguably the best stable of boxers in the U.S. The city of Cincinnati has fallen for the likeable youngster, as may the rest of the U.S. in time. Williams was welcomed back home after the Goodwill Games with a parade, and was bombarded with media requests.

All of the titles and accolades that Williams has won seem to be over-shadowed by a larger goal that drives Williams to succeed.

"I just know that I haven’t really accomplished anything yet," said Williams. "My dream wasn’t to win a U.S. Championship or be a Goodwill Games Champion. My goal is to be an Olympic champion, and until I reach that point I haven’t reached my goals. The Olympics are the culmination of everything that I am working for."

Williams has not reached the top all on his own. He credits much of his success to the tremendous support that he has received from his family and his coaches. Mike Stafford, also of Cincinnati, was named the 1998 United States Olympic Committee Developmental Coach of the Year. He has been working with Williams since 1992 . " The thing that sets Ricardo apart from some of the other boxers is that he is his own natural motivator. He wants to do it. He wants to train harder every day. He just has a knack."

"Ricardo is the type of guy who doesn’t need all the attention," said Mike Stafford, an assistant coach of Williams. "He acts like he is in a world of his own and he’s just going about life like it’s no big deal."

Williams began boxing when he was eight for reasons that are clouded depending on who you ask.

Williams’ mother Margie remembers it like this: "He was getting beat up by the other kids in the neighborhood, so I told his dad that he needed to teach little Ricky how to defend himself. He was my only son and I couldn’t stand to see him get hurt."

Williams has a very different reason for why he began boxing: "Mom didn’t want me to grow up feminine and with three sisters in the house there was a good chance of that. With all these women in the house I had to find something to spark my masculinity. I guess you could call it a blessing."

A blessing indeed and for whatever reason it was definitely the right choice. In 1998, Williams became one of the youngest U.S. champions ever. In fact he barely made the age limit to compete internationally at the Goodwill Games. He turned 17 only a month before the competition began.

"I first realized that Ricardo was gifted when around the age of eight. Ricky just picked everything up quickly and has been improving and winning tournaments ever since," said Margie, Ricardo’s mother.

"What makes him so good is his desire to be the best," said Ricardo Williams, Sr., who used to be a boxer himself. "His main ambition is to be a Olympic champion and he knows he has to work hard to get there."

Stafford, who partners with the elder Williams in coaching little Ricky, adds that he has a certain element that will follow him forever. "He is the most competitive boxer I have ever coached. You tell him to run one mile, he’ll run two miles. He is a leader in our area and he pushes the other kids because he knows that’s what it takes to be a champion."

With all the success he has achieved over the past year, many would think that concentrating on school would be of lowest priority but lil’ Ricky and his mother vow to not let all the success stand in his way of achieving even more outside the boxing world.

"It’s been an exciting time around here," Margie said. "But it’s time for him to comeback down to earth. None of this means anything if he doesn’t graduate. I want him to train his mind as hard as he trains for boxing, because you can lose everything in a second. But if he has an education, he will always have that to fall back on."

In what spare time Williams has, he shares in his fathers enthusiasm for art and often paints pictures alongside his father. He plans on enrolling at the University of Cincinnati next fall to obtain degrees in both art and advertising. Yet, as good as his career seems to be going, his intentions may be little more than something for him to fall back on.

His artistic and creative background plays a role in boxing as well. His footwork is like abstract splatters of paint on the canvas, his speed is like watercolors blending, and his overall mental strategies complete the entire picture. His appearance in the ring is also rather artistic as he sports a mean set of dreadlocks and occasionally mixes in an abstract boxing uniform to complete the image. Nothing expresses this more than his trademark salute that he unleashes following victory. The salute, popularized by the two-time Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos, was unveiled by Williams for the first time during his final bout at the 1998 U.S. Championships. Facing the Army’s James Webb, Williams’ speed and aggressive style forced the referee to stop the bout, and after being declared the winner and 1998 U.S. champion, Williams stood in salute, announcing his arrival to the boxing world.

"I like to have a little fun and enjoy what I’m doing," said Ricardo who also was the team’s song leader and part-time comedian during the Goodwill Games.

It is a trademark that won’t die anytime soon if him and his father have anything to do with it. They seem confident that neither will become complacent with their place in USA Boxing history, nor will they stray from the daily regimen that got them to this point.

"Nobody is ever going to be the complete package," said little Ricky. "No matter what you do, someone can always be better than you. My goal is to never let that happen and in that regard I can never know enough, or train too hard."