Mighty mite Ali adds to Iraq’s Olympic triumphs with boxing win

By GREG BEACHAM
.c The Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece (AP) – For just one evening, Najah Ali felt 10 feet
tall and unbeatable.

Iraq’s only Olympic boxer added another triumph to his war-torn
nation’s unexpected success at the Olympic on Wednesday, beating North
Korea’s Kwak Hyok Ju 21-7 to advance to the second round in the light
flyweight bracket.

Ali, the games’ smallest fighter at 1.5 meters (4-foot-11) and 48 kg
(106 pounds), outslugged his taller opponent from the start, peppering
the Korean with jabs and combinations. With his nation’s flag on his
chest and his American coach’s chosen slogan – “Iraq Is Back” –
across his back, Ali punched, feinted and danced across the ring for
four impressive rounds.

When it was over, Ali pumped his fist over his head and jumped for joy
while a handful of flag-waving Iraq fans screamed and chanted his
name. Just reaching the Olympics was a triumph – but winning was
unimaginably better.

“It’s a victory for Iraq and for Iraqis all over the world,” said
Ali, who looks much younger than his 24 years. “I’m a symbol for a
lot of people looking for a good life. I’m a symbol for freedom.”

Ali’s victory arrived on the heels of the Iraqi soccer team’s wins
over Portugal and Costa Rica. The Olympics already have been
improbably successful for a nation that was banned from competition
last year by the IOC.

After the fight, Ali received several kisses from Maurice “Termite”
Watkins, a Texan who went to Iraq last year to provide pest control
for the U.S. Army – and wound up coaching 21 Iraqi fighters. Termite
and his mighty mite pursued their dream from the Philippines to
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula – and for four rounds in Athens, everything
came together.

“I felt as good as a man can feel,” Watkins said. “Whether he wins
another fight or not, he’s a winner now in the Olympics.”

Ehad Hussain, the Iraqi press attache, was unsure of his nation’s
total number of Olympic boxing victories, but Iraq has never medaled.

“How can I express my feelings?” Hussain said. “It’s a wonderful
thing for the people of Iraq. Just a wonderful thing.”

The Iraqi boxing program largely was ignored when Uday Hussein ran the
nation’s sports programs – and that might have been a lucky break for
the boxers. Ali has seen the torture and abuse of athletes, mostly
soccer players, who didn’t live up to Hussein’s standards.

Ali, a college graduate who was working in a furniture factory before
joining the team, was introduced to boxing by his father, a former
Iraqi champion.

“I’m sure he’s jumping now in front of the screen,” Ali said. “In
Iraq, everyone is jumping.”

Ali spent six weeks training with the U.S. team in Colorado earlier
this year, also making stops in Houston and Marquette, Mich., with his
colorful coach. Watkins is a raconteur and a boaster, a former
used-car salesman and lightweight boxer who took time out from
dispatching black flies and snakes to rebuild Iraq’s national team.

After training in a bombed-out Baghdad gym, Watkins led his team
around Asia in several failed attempts to qualify any fighters for the
games. When asked to choose one boxer for the IOC’s special invitation
to Athens, he selected Ali.

The fighter carried the flag in the opening ceremonies, leading Iraq’s
delegation of six individual athletes and the soccer team.

Watkins was joined in Ali’s corner by U.S. head coach Basheer
Abdullah, who agreed to help out Watkins in Ali’s corner after getting
to know the Iraqi fighter during training.

The coaches knew Ali caught an enormous break drawing Kwak as his
first-round opponent. The Korean gave perhaps the most awkward
performance of any fighter at the games, completely unable to contend
with the diminutive dynamo ducking and dodging in front of him.

“I don’t want to say anybody is easy in the Olympics, but we thanked
God we had that type of draw to get him some confidence,” Abdullah
said.

After the Olympics, Watkins believes Ali will turn pro, perhaps also
returning to Houston to work on a master’s degree in computer science.

But first, there’s the matter of another Olympic fight Saturday
against Armenia’s Aleksan Nalbandyan. Ali will be a heavy underdog –
but he has faced bigger challenges.

“If he’s right, he can beat anybody,” Watkins said. “He’s that
good.”

08/19/04 02:01 EDT

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress