Boxer wants to make most of his second opportunity
By JOHN C. COTEY
Published August 8, 2004
Ron Siler, a 112-pounder, is a rare breed - a fighter who sticks around for his chance at the Olympics.
The senior member of this year's squad at the age of 24, Siler lost at the Olympic Trials in Tampa in 2000 but decided to hang around the amateur ranks for another shot.
He heads up a young team, but he has none of the innocence of his teammates. His mother walked out of the hospital and joined the Army just a few hours after he was born, and he was raised by his father in Over-The-Rhine, one of Cincinnati's most crime-infested areas.
A three-time Golden Gloves champion, Siler has run into trouble outside the ring. In 2002, he was fingered as the instigator in a brawl that left a Cincinnati man hospitalized. Siler claimed to know the actual culprit but refused to name him.
He was convicted of assault and and spent nine months in the Dayton Correctional Institution. He got out early, in January 2003, thanks to a community effort to give him another chance.
Siler has five children and is hoping a gold medal will mean a large signing bonus when he turns pro.
AMERICA'S BEST?: Light heavyweight Andre Ward hasn't lost since 1998, a streak he hopes is intact when he returns from Athens.
The 19-year-old Oakland native is a two-time national champion whose versatility might be his best quality. He has been known to mix up his styles midfight, from a smooth technical boxer to brawling, and he has the kind of speed and power that arguably makes him the team's best medal hope.
LOCAL FIGHTER: Winter Haven's Andre Berto was ranked No. 1 by USA Boxing as a welterweight, and was the only fighter out of 11 sent to the 2003 World Championships to medal (bronze). But Berto will box for Haiti, after a controversial decision disqualified him from the U.S. Trials in February.
In his fight with Cleveland's Juan McPherson, Berto was disqualified for throwing McPherson to the canvas with 27 seconds left. The decision was fought and reversed twice, but an arbitartor in Federal Court issued a binding decision upholding Berto's disqualification.
Since his parents were born in Haiti, Berto was granted dual citizenship and qualified for the Haitian team. NOW SERVING - YOUTH: The U.S. team has two teenagers among its nine members - 17-year-old Rau'Shee Warren (106 pounds) and 18-year-old Vanes Martirosyan (151 pounds).
Warren, from Cincinnati, is one of the team's brightest hopes. He began boxing at age 6, and his youthful fire makes up for his lack of world-class experience.
The Armenian-born Martirosyan is the surprise member of this year's squad, having entered the year as an afterthought. He was ranked No. 14 amongst American welterweights in January but won 11 fights in six weeks to claim a spot on the Olympic team.
In the finals of the America's qualifier, he proved he deserved his spot, beating Berto 24-21.
AROUND THE WORLD: Cuba and Russia are expected to dominate, but the heavyweight division won't have to worry about three-time gold medalist Felix Savon - inside the ring, that is.
Though he is retired, he will coach the Cuban team in Athens. He is predicting eight gold medals for his team.
DID YOU KNOW?: Seven former Olympic gold medalists went on to become heavyweight champions of the world - Floyd Patterson, Cassius Clay, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Michael Spinks, Leon Spinks and Lennox Lewis.
