Thursday, Aug. 7, 2008
Gary Russell Jr.'s boxing career began at age 5, shadowboxing in a corner of the gym as he watched his father train seasoned professionals.
Gary Russell Sr. quickly noticed something peculiar about the way his young son mimicked boxing styles.
"The technique stood out so much," Russell Sr. said. "He looked like a kid that was doing it for a long period of time. That showed me he was special and something phenomenal."
Now, 15 years later, the shadowboxing endures as the Capitol Heights resident will take everything he has learned about his beloved sport into the ring in quest of amateur boxing's ultimate prize: an Olympic gold medal. As the 2008 Beijing Olympics begin Friday, Russell is the U.S. boxing team's representative at 119 pounds.
Russell expects nothing less than a gold medal. Last summer, as he trained for the U.S. Olympic Trials, he admitted that, above professional world titles, he coveted an Olympic gold.
"I'm in shape," Russell said recently between training sessions at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. "If I don't have it by now, I ain't going to get it. I've just got to stay focused. I'm going to [beat my opponents] up. I definitely think I'm one of the best in the world."
After an intense fundraising push that started early this year, Russell's two biggest fans will be in China to cheer him on. A series of generous donations will allow his parents to be there for the duration of the Olympics.
LaShaun Yates, assistant director of program development for the YMCA in the District, helped organize the fundraising efforts and is grateful for the community's help.
"The whole goal was to get the parents there," Yates said. "We have been able to do so through generous support through the community. We raised about &#e6;28,000. Without the community support, nothing would have been possible. To know that they wanted to see the family get there was great. It was truly a community effort."
Russell was selected to be the face of the YMCA's national "Physically Healthy and Driven" initiative, aimed at encouraging youth exercise and fitness.
Meanwhile, he has spent the better part of the past year training in Colorado. His time there often included tension between himself, his father and the USA Boxing coaching staff. The spats stemmed from differences in training philosophy.
As a result, Russell Sr. traveled back and forth to the Olympic training facility to work individually with his son. The trips came at great expense, as Russell Sr. said he traveled to Colorado about seven times and stayed a week or two on each trip.
"He had mandatory training sessions with the team, and during those sessions they would work on basic training and cardiovascular exercises," Russell Sr. said. "I don't think that the training is to the extent to which he and I train, which is on a much higher and different level. Our training is more intense, longer, more technical, almost like trying to tune up a car. It involves a lot of technical positioning and punches."
Russell Jr. said the situation alienated him from the rest of the team, especially head coach Dan Campbell. Asked of his relationship with Campbell, Russell Jr. responded, "We don't have much words."
After he returns home, Russell Jr. said he expects to turn pro. The last couple of years in particular have been useful for him, as he has matured to become a young man.
"He realized that he needed a security blanket surrounding him," Russell Sr. said of his son's decision to remain loyal to those who have been close to him for most of his life. "He had to pick certain people he would trust."
Russell has entrusted many of his affairs to his uncle, Jesse Ingram, who has a family-based law firm along with his wife, Imani.
"Being out here, you're on your own," Russell said of his temporary residence in Colorado. "You can't be like, ëdad or ma, help me.' You have to make crucial decisions on what you want to do with yourself and directions you want to go."
No one will be in the ring with Russell except his opponent and the referee when he begins his quest for a gold medal.
Despite that, Russell has no worries about the Olympics.
"Basically, I'm a warrior when I'm in the squared circle," he said. "I'm willing to put my life on the line in the ring."
