Ron Siler Jr., 21, is already being touted as the next Ricardo Williams Jr. Siler Jr. is rated No. 2 nationally as a 106-pound amateur boxer.

        “It's a big compliment,” said Siler Jr., who is trained by Ricardo Williams Sr., Mike Stafford and Billy Joiner, at Mount Auburn Gym. “When you're talking about Ricardo, you're talking about the best. I'd like to represent Cincinnati the way he has.”

        Williams Jr., 20, won the Olympic silver medal as a 139-pounder in the 2000 Summer Games in Australia. As a pro, he's 5-0 (four knockouts) and is seeking a fight against the man who beat him for the gold, Mohamad Abdullaev, of Uzbekistan. That fight could come occur next year, possibly at Cintas Center.

        Stafford will take a Cincinnati contingent headed by Siler and Brandon Bush (No. 3 nationally as a 147-pounder to the Police Athletic League Tournament in Kansas City next weekend.

        Siler Jr. has won the PAL twice. He won the gold medal at the Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia, in September, and won the bronze in the World Championships in Belfast, Northern Ireland, last June.

        “It's a great thing about being a boxer — the places you get to see,” Siler Jr. said. “I really loved Ireland. The arena was great, too. It was at the coliseum where they play hockey. I didn't know hockey was a big sport in Ireland. I love the travel. You learn a lot. The crowd was great. They love their boxing in Ireland.”

        He also has fought in England and Azerbaijan, a former Russian republic.

        Other big victories include the U.S. Championships (twice), national Golden Gloves, Silver Gloves (three times) and the Junior Olympics.

        Siler Jr., of Bond Hill, would be rated No. 1 nationally if the Goodwill Games were a USA Boxing-rated event, but they aren't. Siler delivered a dominating performance in the Goodwill Games.

        “I was hoping to get a shot at the Cuban guy (Van Varela Barteleny) who I lost to in the Worlds,” Siler Jr. said. “But the Russian guy (Sergei Kasakov) knocked off the Cuban in the semifinals, and then I knocked off the Russian (17-6) for the gold.”

        Among the other Cincinnatians competing in the open division next weekend in the PAL tournament: Terry Gladden, 119 pounds (No. 8 nationally); Anthony Walker, 112; James Helms, 147, and Ralph Lawrence, superheavyweight.

        Going into last year's Olympic-qualifying tournament, Siler was touted as having a shot at joining Williams Jr. — and, as it turned out, Dante Craig — on the Olympic team. But Siler Jr. was upset 19-16 in the quarterfinals in Tampa by Glenn Donaire, who in turn was beaten by the U.S. champion, Brian Villoria. Donaire and Villoria are now pros.

        Siler thought about turning pro.

        “But I've got this dream of being an Olympian,” Siler Jr. said. “I saw what the experience was like for Ricardo. I saw him fight those great matches (from Sydney) on TV. I want that. If you're an Olympian — especially if you're a medal-winner, and really especially if you're a gold-medal winner — you can sign a great pro contract. You're more in demand. People take care of you.”

        The 2004 Summer Games are scheduled for Athens.

        “We feel he has a real good shot at going,” Joiner said. “The big thing for Ron is going to be maintaining focus. He has a real good jab (and) a real good right, and good power. But it (2004) is a ways away, and keeping his mind on it — staying hungry — is the challenge for anybody. You've got to really want it.”

        Siler said he does.

        “I haven't forgotten losing (in the Olympic qualifier). I had the combinations and the skills (to be an Olympian) but Villoria had more dedication. I didn't have the conditioning. Toward the end of the bout, I faded out. I think about that now, especially when I run. There's no secret to it. I have to do my running and stay in the gym.”

        He often fights at higher weights — even against 119- and 125-pounders — to test himself.

        But the most challenging part for Siler Jr. may be that his full-time job as a boxer brings in only a $600 monthly stipend from USA Boxing (the stipend goes to the top two nationally ranked fighters in each weight class). He fights about 15-20 times a year, but there's no purse because he's an amateur.

        “With all the training I do — running six miles every morning, then being in the gym every day from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. — I don't have an opportunity to add to my income,” Siler Jr. said. “But, it's the sacrifice I have to make. It's day-by-day. My family is very supportive of me.

        “My father comes to get me every morning to run — I run the hills in Eden Park; my father picked the route. I ride a bus every day to the gym.”

        He started boxing when he was 10 years old. His dad, Ron Sr., a former kick-boxer, wanted his son to channel his energy in a positive, disciplined way, Siler Jr. said.

        “I'd fight on the street and I'd fight in school, so my dad figured I needed to take the fighting spirit into the gym,” Siler Jr. said. “I kept wanting to quit, but he kept pushing me. I hope to reward him with a world championship some day.”

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