Page B6
-M) B lack H istory M onth .W
February II, 2004
special
co u era a e
Younger Lampkin Claims the Ring
continued
from Front
Since qualifying for Olym pic
tryouts, h e’s stepped up training
to seven days. He runs four miles
a day, follow ed by w orkouts at
the Knott Street Boxing Club at
the Matt Dishman Com m unity
C enter in northeast Portland, in
cluding punching and bag drills,
mix sparring, sit ups and pushups.
He acknowledges that the work
outs are grueling, but has the
attitude o f a champ.
“I’m almost there so I’ve got to
do it,” he said. "My life can
change in the next m onth.”
L am pkin’s older stepbrother
just missed achance to join him in
Athens. Marcus Pernell, 23, is a
light heavyw eight. He won a
bronze medal Saturday during
regional USA Boxing finals in
Bakersfield, Calif., but finished
one notch from qualifying for the
Olym pic tryouts.
P hotos by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
Portland boxing great Ray Lampkin (above left) supports
his son Ray III develop the necessary skills to compete as
a world-class fighter. “Rentlentless Ray" Lampkin III is
determined to qualify for the Olympics in the featherweight
category. He trains at the Knott Street Boxing Club in the
Matt Dishman Community Center, a Portland Parks and
Recreation facility in northeast Portland.
Wallace Traded in Five Player Swap
Promised a new
slate in Atlanta
(A P)— The PortlandTrail Blaz
ers’ problems o ff the court are well
documented, and no one symbol
ized what was wrong with the fran
chise more than bad boy Rasheed
Wallace. SotheTrail Blazers finally
did something about it. Portland
sent the volatile forward and re
serve Wesley Person to the At
lanta Hawks late Monday night for
ShareefAbdur-Rahim, Theo Ratliff
and Dan Dickau.
“This trade helps the franchise
in many ways,” Trail Blazers presi
dent Steve Patterson said. “We get
a younger core of players and can
remain competitive in both the
Western Conference the league.
“Another factor in the deal is
that we are also acquiring three
players of good character.”
The same probably can't be said
of Wallace. He drew the ire of NBA
commissioner David Stem this sea-
ShareefAbdur-Rahim
son when he told The Oregonian
newspaper that the league’s white
establishment is exploiting young
black athletes to enrich itself.
Wallace later issued an apology.
Last season, he was suspended
by the league for seven games for
threatening an official on the load
lion in the final year of his contract,
and already indicated that he did
not want to re-sign with Portland.
“What you do in this situation is
very clear, you start with a clean
slate," Hawks general manager Billy
Knight said. “You judge people on
the way they are with you. I’m not
going to go on what someone else
said.”
The announcement of the trade
came about 90 minutes after the
Hawks beat the Dallas Mavericks
102-96. Abdur-Rahint had 27 points
and 10 rebounds in the victory, and
is averaging 20.7 points and 8.4
rebounds this season.
The Blazers pick up a forward in
Abdur-Rahim, a center in Ratliff
Rasheed Wallace
and a point guard in Dickau. Ratliff
ing dock at the Rose Garden Arena is averaging 8.3 points and 7.2 re
after a game. It was the longest bounds, and Dickau is averaging
suspension ever handed down by 2.1 points.
the NBA that did not involve physi
“I can't explain enough how
cal contact or substance abuse.
tough a trade it was for me person
In the 2000-01 season, Wallace ally, because of Shareef,” Knight
set the NBA record with 41 techni said. “He’s a class guy and the
cal fouls. He is set to earn $17 mil consummate professional.
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G ood thru 2-21-04
Boxing pro
moter Don King
(right) greets
Venezuela
President Hugo
Chavez. (AP
photo)
Promoter Praises Venezuela
(AP) — Boxing promoter Don
King praised P resid en t Hugo
Chavez and his “revolution" dur
ing the Venezuelan leader’s weekly
radio and television program.
‘T o see what is happening here
makes me feel good all over,” said
King, of Chavez’s government and
his efforts to bring social justice to
Venezuela’s poor majority.
“You are a president of the
people, for the people and by the
people and your magic lies in your
people ties. You are the one con
cerned about the ptx)r.” King said
during Chavez’s “Hello President"
program
Chavez, a leftist former para
trooper who is facing a possible
recall referendum this year, wel
comed King as “a fighter of many
years” and “a man of justice.”
After a brief conversation in
which the two recalled past boxing
matches, Chavez and King hugged
and called each other "brothers" in
English.
King was in Venezuela for an
anti-drug boxing tournament in
Caracas.
Two weeks ago. actor Danny
Glover also joined Chavez during
the show and applauded his pro
grams for the poor.
1
i