Kassim Ouma

The Sparmate electronic timer that runs constantly in any serious boxing gym is a relentless machine that waits for no man. When the timer's red light is on, every fighter in the gym stops shadowboxing or pounding the bag for exactly one minute to take a breather. Then there's an earsplitting tweet, and the green light switches on to begin a three-minute round, and all at once everyone starts punching and circling, and the heavy bags swing on their chains. With 30 seconds left in each simulated round, there's another tweet.

Former world champion Kassim Ouma, best known as the onetime African child soldier who became the junior-middleweight champion, will highlight a boxing card tonight at 7:30 at the Northeast Armory on Roosevelt Boulevard. Ouma, with a record of 25-5-2 with 15 knockouts, is slated to fight Martinus Clay (13-17, five KOs), who trains in Norristown. The card, called "Shamrocks and Dreams" and arranged by Philadelphia Worldwide Promotions, also features three young Irish boxers: Undefeated brothers Patrick and Paul Hyland, and 22-year-old Philadelphia-based middleweight "Slick" Simon O'Donnell.

Kassim Ouma served up his usual high-output performance last night, punching at a relentless rate to defeat the previously unbeaten Sechew Powell by unanimous decision in their junior-middleweight bout at Madison Square Garden. Ouma (25-2-1), a Ugandan who trains in Philadelphia, entered the ring smiling and wearing a shirt and cap promoting the Gulu Walk, a march coming in October meant to bring attention to the plight of children in Northern Uganda. The lefthanded Ouma was the aggressor from start to finish, backing Powell up from with straight lefts and rights.

Kassim Ouma had a pleasant visit to Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. "It was the easiest fight of my career," Ouma said after he defeated New Yorker Sechew Powell by unanimous decision in their junior-middleweight bout. "I never thought it would be this easy. " Ouma (25-2-1) is a Ugandan who trains in Philadelphia. He lost the International Boxing Federation junior-middleweight title to Roman Karmazin last year and has won four straight fights since then. "I'm very disappointed, losing in my hometown," said Powell (20-1)

Former two-time world champion Vernon Forrest scored a unanimous decision Saturday night over Ike Quartey, in a matchup of two aging junior middleweights at the Theater at the Garden in New York. Quartey appeared to connect with more punches, and land more jabs and power punches. But the decision went to Forrest (38-2-0), leaving Quartey (37-3-1) dismayed. "I was shocked," said Quartey, who entered the fight undefeated in three bouts since returning from a 4-year hiatus. "You saw the fight.

When Derek "Pooh" Ennis defends his USBA junior-middleweight title Friday against King Gabriel Rosado at the Arena, the Philadelphian will have a lot more on the line than just his championship belt. Ennis, who is 21-2-1 with 13 knockouts, is ranked No. 12 by the IBF. He is looking to break into the top 10 in his division, and possibly land a title shot in the near future. The 29-year-old Ennis has won his last nine outings. "It's important," said Ennis, who won his IBF championship in October with a unanimous decision over Eromesele Albert at the Blue Horizon.

Kassim Ouma's junior-middleweight championship fight in Las Vegas tonight hasn't received the same media hype as Saturday's Bernard Hopkins-Jermain Taylor extravaganza across town. That's what happens when one event (Hopkins-Taylor) is on pay-per-view at $49.95 per screen and the other (Ouma against Roman Karmazin) will be televised on a weeknight on HBO Latino, in Spanish (10 p.m.). But boxing is boxing in any language, and Ouma, 21-1, is destined for wider exposure. He's a rising star at age 26 who, if he gets past Russian contender Karmazin (31-1)

Oscar De La Hoya sneered at Ricardo Mayorga lying there on the canvas, at the man who had heckled him and insulted his family for months of pre-fight hype. De La Hoya's left hook had blasted Mayorga to the canvas midway through Round 1 of their fight last night at the MGM Grand. Then De La Hoya teed off on Mayorga, knocking him down again in the sixth. Finally, as De La Hoya rained leather on the Nicaraguan, who was splayed defenseless against the ropes, referee Jay Nady stopped the bout at 1 minute, 25 seconds of Round 6 as the sellout crowd roared.

It is impossible to imagine the nightmares that burn in the mind of 27-year-old Kassim Ouma, memories that smolder and crackle like hot coals, forever threatening to burst into flames. The fact that he will fight a must-win boxing match tomorrow night at Madison Square Garden against a dangerous, undefeated opponent has nothing to do with it. The fight is almost a welcome distraction from thoughts of the childhood in Africa that he escaped. At the James Shuler gym in West Philadelphia, Ouma is in the ring, drenched in sweat in a second-story workout room cooled only by two overwhelmed ceiling fans.

Four o'clock on Monday morning is a beautiful time - to be fast asleep. But here was Kassim Ouma, the boxer from Uganda, laughing, sweating, sprinting around the parking lot of an office park in Newtown, in 37-degree weather, carrying a 45-pound steel ball. Between these predawn muscle-building sessions throughout October and November and his sparring at the Shuler Gym in West Philadelphia, Ouma has been the first boxer in years to train in Philadelphia for a world title. The biggest prize fight of his life is tomorrow night in Little Rock.

When Derek "Pooh" Ennis defends his USBA junior-middleweight title Friday against King Gabriel Rosado at the Arena, the Philadelphian will have a lot more on the line than just his championship belt. Ennis, who is 21-2-1 with 13 knockouts, is ranked No. 12 by the IBF. He is looking to break into the top 10 in his division, and possibly land a title shot in the near future. The 29-year-old Ennis has won his last nine outings. "It's important," said Ennis, who won his IBF championship in October with a unanimous decision over Eromesele Albert at the Blue Horizon.

Former world champion Kassim Ouma, best known as the onetime African child soldier who became the junior-middleweight champion, will highlight a boxing card tonight at 7:30 at the Northeast Armory on Roosevelt Boulevard. Ouma, with a record of 25-5-2 with 15 knockouts, is slated to fight Martinus Clay (13-17, five KOs), who trains in Norristown. The card, called "Shamrocks and Dreams" and arranged by Philadelphia Worldwide Promotions, also features three young Irish boxers: Undefeated brothers Patrick and Paul Hyland, and 22-year-old Philadelphia-based middleweight "Slick" Simon O'Donnell.

The Sparmate electronic timer that runs constantly in any serious boxing gym is a relentless machine that waits for no man. When the timer's red light is on, every fighter in the gym stops shadowboxing or pounding the bag for exactly one minute to take a breather. Then there's an earsplitting tweet, and the green light switches on to begin a three-minute round, and all at once everyone starts punching and circling, and the heavy bags swing on their chains. With 30 seconds left in each simulated round, there's another tweet.

Four o'clock on Monday morning is a beautiful time - to be fast asleep. But here was Kassim Ouma, the boxer from Uganda, laughing, sweating, sprinting around the parking lot of an office park in Newtown, in 37-degree weather, carrying a 45-pound steel ball. Between these predawn muscle-building sessions throughout October and November and his sparring at the Shuler Gym in West Philadelphia, Ouma has been the first boxer in years to train in Philadelphia for a world title. The biggest prize fight of his life is tomorrow night in Little Rock.

Former two-time world champion Vernon Forrest scored a unanimous decision Saturday night over Ike Quartey, in a matchup of two aging junior middleweights at the Theater at the Garden in New York. Quartey appeared to connect with more punches, and land more jabs and power punches. But the decision went to Forrest (38-2-0), leaving Quartey (37-3-1) dismayed. "I was shocked," said Quartey, who entered the fight undefeated in three bouts since returning from a 4-year hiatus. "You saw the fight.

Kassim Ouma had a pleasant visit to Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. "It was the easiest fight of my career," Ouma said after he defeated New Yorker Sechew Powell by unanimous decision in their junior-middleweight bout. "I never thought it would be this easy. " Ouma (25-2-1) is a Ugandan who trains in Philadelphia. He lost the International Boxing Federation junior-middleweight title to Roman Karmazin last year and has won four straight fights since then. "I'm very disappointed, losing in my hometown," said Powell (20-1)

Kassim Ouma served up his usual high-output performance last night, punching at a relentless rate to defeat the previously unbeaten Sechew Powell by unanimous decision in their junior-middleweight bout at Madison Square Garden. Ouma (25-2-1), a Ugandan who trains in Philadelphia, entered the ring smiling and wearing a shirt and cap promoting the Gulu Walk, a march coming in October meant to bring attention to the plight of children in Northern Uganda. The lefthanded Ouma was the aggressor from start to finish, backing Powell up from with straight lefts and rights.

It is impossible to imagine the nightmares that burn in the mind of 27-year-old Kassim Ouma, memories that smolder and crackle like hot coals, forever threatening to burst into flames. The fact that he will fight a must-win boxing match tomorrow night at Madison Square Garden against a dangerous, undefeated opponent has nothing to do with it. The fight is almost a welcome distraction from thoughts of the childhood in Africa that he escaped. At the James Shuler gym in West Philadelphia, Ouma is in the ring, drenched in sweat in a second-story workout room cooled only by two overwhelmed ceiling fans.

Oscar De La Hoya sneered at Ricardo Mayorga lying there on the canvas, at the man who had heckled him and insulted his family for months of pre-fight hype. De La Hoya's left hook had blasted Mayorga to the canvas midway through Round 1 of their fight last night at the MGM Grand. Then De La Hoya teed off on Mayorga, knocking him down again in the sixth. Finally, as De La Hoya rained leather on the Nicaraguan, who was splayed defenseless against the ropes, referee Jay Nady stopped the bout at 1 minute, 25 seconds of Round 6 as the sellout crowd roared.

They called Kassim Ouma listless and lethargic after he lost his last fight, and his world title, to Russian junior middleweight Roman Karmazin in July. Nobody could say that last night at the Borgata Hotel Casino. Ouma tattooed Alfredo Cuevas mercilessly from Round 1, knocking him down twice en route to a four-round TKO. Cuevas' corner stopped the bout before the fighters came out for the fifth round. "It was the old me," Ouma said afterward. "I'm hungry and I miss my title.