By John Erardi
The Cincinnati Enquirer

CLEVELAND - U.S. Olympic boxing coach Basheer Abdullah didn't earn his position by being a fool. He loves the fact that Cincinnatians Ron Siler Jr. and Rau'Shee Warren are sparring partners, and he will begin incorporating that into their training regimen when the buddies arrive Tuesday in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Siler, 23, a 112-pounder, and Warren, 17, a 106-pounder, both made the U.S. Olympic team here Friday night at the Cleveland State Convocation Center.

Now each must qualify for the right to fight at the Summer Games in Athens, Greece, by winning either of two Americas Qualifiers - at Tijuana, Mexico, March 12-20, or Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, April 4-11.

The boxers of the 11-member U.S. team are all expected to qualify to box in Athens. Four years ago, when there were 12 Olympic weight classes, all 12 U.S. Olympians, including Cincinnatians Ricardo Williams Jr. and Dante Craig, passed through the Americas Qualifiers and boxed in the Summer Games at Sydney. Williams won a silver medal.

Abdullah said one challenge he and the rest of his coaches face with Warren is pairing him against different-styled sparring partners to prepare him for the unexpected.

"Rau'Shee has a lot of experience on the junior level (Warren was a six-time national Silver Glove champion), but we've got to do all we can to give him a lot of different looks so that nothing surprises him internationally," Abdullah said. "The great advantage he has is his speed. You can't coach that. For his (international) opponents, that will be the unexpected.

"They don't know him, they don't know how fast he is. It's going to surprise them."

Just ask Siler.

"You don't see his punches coming," Siler said. "I was working on pressing him in the gym (last Monday, to prepare him for Friday's bout here) and I kept walking into right hooks."

Assistant U.S. coach Joe Zanders said Siler has already given Warren a leg up on getting ready for international competition, because Siler is so polished. Siler is great at working the angles in the ring, in going to the body and then to the head, and being able to snap off his punches from a distance without leaving himself open to a shot.

"I like Ron's rhythm, his balance, his general-ship in the ring," Zanders said. "He's always under control. He reminds me of the Cuban fighters. That can only help Rau'Shee to be sparring with Ron."

But, as Abdullah noted, Warren will likely face some international competitors who hit harder than Siler. Training can't prepare one for everything.

Warren will have to adapt as he goes. His speed will be critical to slipping the punches of older, stronger opponents.

When Abdullah was asked if his team had an identity yet, he said, "It's a very fast team, a lot of speed. As you could see with Rau'Shee Warren, Ron Siler, and Andre Ward (a 178-pounder from Oakland, Calif.) and most of the others, it is a very explosive team."

Then Abdullah noted that the U.S. boxers needed to work on keeping their hands up on defense and to avoid getting caught in tough spots.

He wants his guys fighting in the center of the ring.

Queen City is running Olympic boxing ring

Four years ago, Cincinnatians Ricardo Williams Jr. and Dante Craig made the 12-man U.S. Olympic team. Williams won a silver; Craig didn't medal.

Cincinnati also had two fighters (Tim Austin and Larry Donald) on the 1992 team in Barcelona. No Cincinnatians made the 1996 team. But with Rau'Shee Warren and Ron Siler Jr. making the team here Friday night, that's six Olympic fighters on four teams.

"No other city can match it during that time span," USA boxing officials said.

There was a time when Chicago was tops - six boxers on four teams (1988, 1992, 1996 and 2000), but now Cincinnati is tops. Philadelphia is still a great boxing town, but in the past 20 years, it hasn't produced Olympic fighters as fast as Cincinnati. Philly had six Olympians on five teams: 1980-1996.

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E-mail jerardi@enquirer.com