Reuters
Aug 21 2004

Olympics-Boxing-Iraq’s Ali Dreams On

By Patrick Vignal

ATHENS (Reuters) – Just taking part in the Olympics was a victory for
Iraqi boxer Najah Ali and he could yet write another chapter to his
fairytale adventure by winning a medal.

Ali, who started with a fine win in the first round, will be back in
action at the Peristeri Hall on Saturday in a bid to defy the odds
again.

It seems unlikely that he will beat seasoned Armenian light flyweight
Aleksan Nalbandyan, but if he did he would be in the quarter-finals,
just one win away from a medal.

“I believe that if he gets it right, he can beat anybody,” said Ali’s
American coach Maurice “Termite” Watkins.

“He’s that good.”

Watkins, a former world title contender who went to Iraq to kill bugs
and ended up taking over the national boxing team, says he is not the
only one to highly rate his boxer.

“It’s not just me,” he said.

“Some very good judges who have seen the kid fight think he has a
really good chance of winning a medal.”

Not only Ali could give Iraq something to celebrate, the national
soccer team having reached the last eight of the men’s tournament and
take on Australia on Saturday.

Iraq have won only one Olympic medal, a weightlifting bronze in Rome
in 1960, the year the more famous Ali, then called Cassius Clay, made
the boxing world take notice with a gold.

The Iraqi Ali, a pocket-sized 24-year-old with a boyish face and
wide, dark eyes, may not have the skills of “The Greatest” but he has
come a long way already.

“I’m a symbol for the Iraqi people, who want freedom and peace,” he
said after winning his first bout on Wednesday.
For Watkins, the Iraqi athletes, who once risked torture for failure
at the hands of former Olympic chief Uday Hussein, son of Saddam, are
on a mission to restore their people’s pride.

The 47-year-old Texan first tried to draw together a real team but
none of his boxers managed to qualify and he needed a wild card from
the International Olympic Committee to travel to Athens with just
Ali, who was told to stop eating ice cream.

Each training session began with a team dance and a chant of “Iraq is
back,” a phrase that became a rallying cry and is printed on the back
of Ali’s shirt when he steps into the ring.

Watkins, who fought for the world light-welterweight title on the
same bill that saw Larry Holmes defeat Muhammad Ali in 1980, has
received several offers to turn his life into a film.

Iraq’s Ali had seemed condemned to play a bit part but, with a couple
more wins in Athens, he could end up with the star.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress