 Silver Belt
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Part 2:
It's a contrast that makes for great theater. Allan lunges straight at his older brother at one point, landing a couple of shots that appear for a moment to rattle Little Gary. But Little Gary responds by dancing away and then darting in toward Allan to deliver a combination to the head before Allan has a chance to react.
"They're night and day," Gary Sr. likes to say of his two oldest boys. When it comes to fighting, he loves these differences because he always has believed each fighter should be able to express his own personality in the way he fights.
But their contrasts also can confound him.
For a long time, Little Gary caused him few worries. This was his perfect child, the one with the single-minded devotion to boxing who identified the Olympics as his goal several years ago and never has strayed from that determination. In 2005, he became the nation's top-ranked fighter at 119 pounds and went to the world championships in China, where he might have won a gold medal were it not for a semifinal loss to Germany's Rustamhodza Rahimov, a medalist at the 2004 Olympics, forcing him to settle for a bronze. Gary Jr. came home more certain than ever to return in two years, this time to carry home a gold.
Allan never has possessed that focus. There have been too many other diversions: for two years, he had a recurring role as an extra on the HBO show "The Wire"; then there was the boy band he was in that he describes as "kind of R&B-hip-hop," which performed a few times at venues in Prince George's County. He also draws for hours and plays the piano.
Brothers Gary Jr. and Allan Russell, both boxing prodigies who were introduced to the sport by their father, Gary Sr., are each serious contenders to make the 2008 Olympic team.
Photos
The Russells' 1-2 Punch
Brothers Gary Jr. and Allan Russell, both boxing prodigies who were introduced to the sport by their father, Gary Sr., are each serious contenders to make the 2008 Olympic team.
In the past, Allan's dalliances concerned the father, who thought his second-oldest child might not be fully committed to boxing. But Allan has shown a new zeal for the sport. Much of it comes from the fact that a lot of what Little Gary has -- the acclaim, the international travel -- Allan would like, too.
"I would be like: 'Dang, he just won that. Now I have to go win a tournament,' " Allan said. "I know my demeanor, I know how I am. I'm real competitive in everything. So even when he said that, I can't argue. It's true."
The best evidence that Allan might be a legitimate candidate for next year's Olympics in Beijing came a few weeks ago at the Midwestern Trials in Cincinnati when, disabled by an injured right shoulder, he fought off several Ohio-based fighters with his one good hand to win the tournament. The victory cheered Gary Sr., who told Allan several times that he could withdraw because of the injury, only to have Allan coolly reply, "Losing is not an option."
The other day, as he watched his sons spar, it was clear that Gary Sr.'s mood had shifted from what it was a few years ago. Instead of fretting about Allan, he is convinced his 17-year-old will try to "brawl" his way through anything that arises in the Olympic trials. He's more concerned about Gary Jr., wondering if two years as the top U.S. Olympic hopeful has left his son so focused on making the team that he is fighting not to lose. He thinks Little Gary has become a more tentative fighter, less fluid -- throwing single punches rather than combinations. This bothers the father greatly. One night last week, he took Little Gary bowling and asked the question that has been gnawing at him for days.
"Have you thought about losing? Because the reality is it can happen." Gary Sr. said.
Little Gary gave him a solemn look and replied, "I don't plan on losing."
As he remembered this story, Gary Sr. shook his head. "Nobody plans on losing," he said.
To guard against any inclination that Little Gary might have to worry about the big picture, Gary Sr. has devised a strategy. He barely acknowledges his older son as the two kids box. He works Allan's corner, leaving Gary Jr. to the family's assistant coach, Robert Martin, a man they know as Herb.
Little Gary also must wear bigger gloves than Allan, a handicap that will keep his punches from landing as hard as they could. Even their mother, Lawan, sitting in a chair by the door to the Nomis Center, seems to pull for Allan, calling out her pet name for him, "Pooh Bear."
All of this Little Gary notices. He rants in mock anger that his father won't coach him, has burdened him with giant gloves and that he can't even get a cheer from his mother.
"If you notice my training, my instruction, there is a method to the madness," Gary Sr. said later, away from his sons. "When I instruct Allan to do certain things to Gary, that's to keep Gary on a certain level. If I can pick out his weaknesses to his brother, he's going to get mad. More head games to offset the head games. It's funny to watch him deal with it. He tries to be cool."
In many ways, Gary Jr. is cool about everything. He never acts flustered and has pictured himself winning in the Olympics so often that he sounds certain when he talks of victory. And given the ease with which he has dispatched recent American challengers, the father's concerns probably are without merit.
Brothers Gary Jr. and Allan Russell, both boxing prodigies who were introduced to the sport by their father, Gary Sr., are each serious contenders to make the 2008 Olympic team.
Photos
The Russells' 1-2 Punch
Brothers Gary Jr. and Allan Russell, both boxing prodigies who were introduced to the sport by their father, Gary Sr., are each serious contenders to make the 2008 Olympic team.
Because Little Gary is ensured of a spot in the quarterfinals next week and thus a place in the August Olympic trials, he boasts about how he wants to use this upcoming tournament as a way of discouraging his potential opponents in the trials.
"When I go in June, I'm hurting everybody," he said, his voice rising. "Now, dude, you got to understand this: I'm fighting in June, right? Everybody I fight in June, I'm fighting in August. I'll tell you I'm hurting everybody because we're supposed to be doing computer scoring. I'm not worrying about computer scoring or any of that."
Such talk makes Gary Sr. uncomfortable, mainly because it speaks to the whole tournament, not each individual fight. Later, after his sons sparred, he expressed these fears to Herb.
But the assistant coach simply shook his head and gently reminded Gary Sr. that they have this conversation every time Little Gary nears a tournament, and by the time the tournament comes, Gary Jr. is ready. Remember, Herb continued, even Gary Jr. throwing single punches is better than 99 percent of the fighters out there at his size.
Gary Sr. seemed to absorb those words. He knows they are true, he knows that he and Herb always have had this gentle tug and pull with Little Gary before big tournaments and everything has always turned out well. Plus, a year ago, with Allan on "The Wire" and obsessed with singing, there was no guarantee the second-oldest son would be as focused on the Olympics as he has become.
And so a few days later, it appeared the crisis had passed. Gary Sr. was back on his stool at the Nomis Boxing Community Center watching Allan shadowbox. Whatever bothered him before no longer was there. At least on this day. He sees Little Gary coming around, he said. He also notices the hunger in Allan, the desire to make the Olympic team, too.
He nodded and then smiled slowly.
"I'm not worried at all," he said.
Just like a father.
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Cintron/Striking/Freedom >>>>> Sherk/Grappling/Terrorism
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