Zahir Raheem

It had been quiet, as Olympic boxing venues go, until yesterday, when the specter of nationalistic controversy finally reared its ugly head. U.S. bantamweight Zahir Raheem of Philadelphia and welterweight Fernando Vargas of Oxnard, Calif., suffered losses that were tainted by questionable refereeing or judging, leaving Al Mitchell, the usually mild-mannered U.S. coach, calling for a protest to be filed and changes to be made in the scoring system. Alexander Memorial Coliseum was filled with boos after each of those fights, but in the third bout involving an American, heavyweight Nate Jones of Chicago got the house rocking again by stopping Britain's Fola Okesola with just seven seconds left in the match.

The U.S. boxing team, mostly a gaggle of youngsters struggling to establish an identity, peeked out from behind its mask yesterday, and what there was to see looked pleasing. Zahir Raheem and Fernando Vargas punched right through their butterflies on the first day of competition, and their teammates joined a good portion of a packed house of 9,500 at Alexander Memorial Coliseum in rooting them on. "When I turned around and heard the crowd," said Al Mitchell, head coach of the U.S. team, "I was ready to go three rounds.

When he was 15, he was so advanced in his craft that he left home to study with the masters. For almost four years now, he has received training all over the United States, won national competitions, and worked with some of the world's top talents. Now, at the age of 19, he is ready to take on the world. If he were a singer, he would be called the next Sinatra. If he were a dancer, he would be called the next Fred Astaire. But he is a boxer, so veteran trainer Lou Duva calls him "the next coming of Willie Pep. " Duva was talking about Zahir Raheem, a fiery little Philadelphia fighter with a big heart, big ambition and big talent.

Three Philadelphia boxers who have been friends since they were kids hanging around neighborhood gyms became the first members of the 1996 U.S. Olympic boxing team last night. Zahir Raheem, Terrance Cauthen and David Reid scored clear-cut decisions at the Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center and earned berths on the team that will compete in the Atlanta Olympics beginning July 19. Their goal is to join three Philadelphia Olympic gold medalists: heavyweight Joe Frazier (1964)

It had been the prediction of Zahir Raheem, the group's self-appointed spokesman, that the six-man Philadelphia delegation competing here would send at least three fighters to the 1996 Summer Olympics. Raheem took a big step toward upholding his end of the forecast Friday night by winning the 119-pound title at the U.S. Olympic boxing trials. Yesterday, 132-pounder Terrance Cauthen and 156-pounder David Reid joined him with victories in the championship bracket. What all this means is that the three Philadelphia fighters are just one victory away from competing in Atlanta.

City Council president John Street presents citations to Philadelphia boxers (from left) lightweight (132 pounds) Terrance Cauthen, light middleweight (156) David Reid and bantamweight (119) Zahir Raheem at City Hall. Cauthen, 19, Raheem, 19, and Reid, 22, survived the recent Box-offs in Augusta, Ga., to earn a trip to Atlanta as members of the Olympic team. They begin training next week in Portland, Ore.

Zahir Raheem, still healing from a dream-shattering loss in the Olympic Games this summer, began chasing a new dream here last night - the world super-bantamweight title. Raheem, a former national amateur champion who rolled up a 101-4 record in nine years, launched his professional career with a fourth-round technical knockout that pleased everyone in his camp except himself. He stopped Cliff Watford, 24, a Bally's check-in clerk, who also was making his pro debut, but it was less spectacular than Raheem had hoped.

Boxing comes to Trenton tonight with a seven-bout card at the Sovereign Bank Arena that includes Terrance Cauthen, a 1996 Olympic bronze medalist. Cauthen, who trains at Joe Frazier's Gym in North Philadelphia, was part of a trio of Philadelphia fighters who competed in the Atlanta Olympics. Of the two others, David Reid went on to win a title belt as a professional before retiring in 2001 for health reasons. Zahir Raheem spent years as a pro looking for a break, then scored a massive upset of Erik Morales on HBO last month.

Saeed Hawkins survived Alfred Kinsey and fatigue to capture the Open Division 156-pound championship in the Pennsylvania Eastern Region Golden Gloves tournament. "I've been in the gym since September," Hawkins, of the Athletic Recreation Center, said after the four-week event wrapped up Saturday night at the Joe Hand Gym in Fishtown. "I'm tired right now. I can't wait for this thing to be over. " Hawkins and the other Eastern Region winners won't have much time to celebrate or rest, however.

Zahir Raheem failed to realize his dream of an Olympic gold medal when he was beaten by Cuba's Arnaldo Mesa in the second round of the 119-pound weight class in Atlanta. Yesterday, Raheem took the first step toward what he hopes is a more rewarding professional career when he signed a five-year promotional contract with Las Vegas-based Top Rank, Inc. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. "Bob Arum has moved a lot of little guys well," Raheem said of the Top Rank promoter. "I'm very confident I'm going to win a world title with Bob's help.

Boxing comes to Trenton tonight with a seven-bout card at the Sovereign Bank Arena that includes Terrance Cauthen, a 1996 Olympic bronze medalist. Cauthen, who trains at Joe Frazier's Gym in North Philadelphia, was part of a trio of Philadelphia fighters who competed in the Atlanta Olympics. Of the two others, David Reid went on to win a title belt as a professional before retiring in 2001 for health reasons. Zahir Raheem spent years as a pro looking for a break, then scored a massive upset of Erik Morales on HBO last month.

North Philadelphia's Zahir Raheem was supposed to be another stop on Erik Morales' road to a rematch with Manny Pacquiao. Instead, Raheem is the new WBC lightweight champion. The 1996 Olympian won a unanimous, 12-round decision over Morales, a world champion at three weight classes, in an HBO-televised bout Saturday night at the Staples Center. "I beat a legend tonight," said Raheem, 28, who now fights out of Tulsa, Okla. "I've always believed in myself. I have just always needed an opportunity like this.

Then there was one. Out of eight Philadelphia-area entrants in the U.S. Olympic Boxing Trials, only one - relative long-shot 165-pounder Randy Griffin - remains unbeaten and in the championship bracket of the double-elimination tournament. One is eliminated. Twins Rock and Tiger Allen are waiting for word on their grievance after being eliminated at the weigh-in. The other four have no room for error, with one loss each through last night's semifinals. It is not what the Philadelphia contingent envisioned.

Years ago, it seemed every Philadelphia community had a crop of young boxers jabbing toward recognition and a neighborhood hall with a ring as its centerpiece. There were the Cambria and the Alhambra and the old Arena at 48th and Market. Local kids could punch their way out of the clubs and into the spotlight, even if only for a few minutes. Henry A. Ortlieb, president of the Northern Liberties brewery that produces Poor Henry's beer and Dock Street ale, wants to rekindle that neighborhood feel the way he resuscitated his family's brewery business.

Sugar Ray Leonard is contemplating another comeback. "This reminds me of my youth foundation in Los Angeles," Leonard, the former five-division world champion, said of his first guest appearance at the Boxers Ball. "If my schedule permits, I'll be here every year. " Should Leonard become an annual visitor, he'd join a long list of boxing notables who have made the Boxers Ball, which was held for the fourth time last night, a unique part of the city's social and sporting landscape.

Saeed Hawkins survived Alfred Kinsey and fatigue to capture the Open Division 156-pound championship in the Pennsylvania Eastern Region Golden Gloves tournament. "I've been in the gym since September," Hawkins, of the Athletic Recreation Center, said after the four-week event wrapped up Saturday night at the Joe Hand Gym in Fishtown. "I'm tired right now. I can't wait for this thing to be over. " Hawkins and the other Eastern Region winners won't have much time to celebrate or rest, however.

It took Keith Mullings nine hard rounds to win the WBC super welterweight title from Terry Norris, and it took just five easy rounds to defend it last night at the Trump Taj Mahal. Mullings completely dominated previously unbeaten and No. 1 contender David Ciarlante, cutting his eye, mouth and fracturing his nose so badly that ringside doctor Howard Taylor stopped the fight after the fifth round. Mullings, 16-4-1, had Ciarlante's left eye cut and bleeding by the end of the the second round but did most of his damage in the fourth.

Last spring, when Terrence Cauthen was in California for the Olympic boxing trials, a strange woman claiming to be clairvoyant stopped him on a street in San Francisco. "There's something unusual about you," she said. "You're filled with gold and wealth. " Cauthen, a prayerful, church-going young man who had dreamed of winning the Olympics for years, brushed it off at first, but later thought it might have been a sign from God. Olympic gold, maybe? And wealth from a pro boxing career?

As his harshest critic, Zahir Raheem has been a tormented soul in search of the only thing that will satisfy his all-consuming competitiveness: a flawless performance. Raheem, one of three Philadelphians on the 1996 U.S. Olympic boxing team, said his second-round Olympic loss to Cuba's Arnaldo Mesa was "like losing a family member," so perhaps it is understandable that he was not content with his professional debut Saturday night at Bally's Park Place, even if it did bring him a fourth-round technical knockout of fellow rookie Cliff Watford (0-1)

Zahir Raheem, still healing from a dream-shattering loss in the Olympic Games this summer, began chasing a new dream here last night - the world super-bantamweight title. Raheem, a former national amateur champion who rolled up a 101-4 record in nine years, launched his professional career with a fourth-round technical knockout that pleased everyone in his camp except himself. He stopped Cliff Watford, 24, a Bally's check-in clerk, who also was making his pro debut, but it was less spectacular than Raheem had hoped.