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Thursday, August 08, 2002

Tonight he fights close to his Aliquippa home for the first time in two years. Since last seen around these pugilistic parts, he has grown into a two-time U.S. amateur boxing champion and rising star. He foresees so much more for himself in the years to come: Athens in 2004, a lightweight championship bout against Paul Spadafora, the world.

	Verquan Kimbrough: The 2004 Olympics are in his sights. (Lake Fong, Post-Gazette)

Right now, though, Verquan Kimbrough's having a little problem with tickets for a little bout in West Virginia's northern panhandle.

These ring dreams take time.

"Aw, everybody wants tickets," Kimbrough said of the pro and amateur card he headlines tonight inside the Grande Ballroom of Mountaineer Race Track & Gaming Resort in Wheeling. "That never stops. Just about everybody I ever met wants tickets. I can't picture them saying they want to go to a title fight. This fight's only $10, $20, $30; a title fight's a thousand dollars. I don't picture them going to any title fights."

By that, he means any of his title fights.

And you believe him when he tells you, with a knowing grin, that he'll get there.

Emanuel Steward, the longtime trainer recently named to direct the U.S. Olympic coaches, believes as well.

Our Sugar Ray Leonard, Steward has called him.

This star in the making came to the Beaver County Youth Boxing Club, on the second floor above the Polish Falcons of America Nest No. 182 in Ambridge, when he was 11 years old. Back then, Tom Yankello wasn't so busy with a young pug named Spadafora that he couldn't work with the new kid. Kimbrough arose through the amateur ranks under the trainer's careful hand, winning the U.S. Challenge box-offs last year and defending his 132-pound title again in April. Now he spars and sweats and toils in the same gym with Spadafora, the International Boxing Federation lightweight champion, whom he cannot wait to face as a pro someday.

"Paul, that's my man," said Kimbrough, 19. "He taught me a lot, especially in this gym. He's a world-championship fighter, you can't ask to work with anything more. I'm in good company here."

By that, he also means lightweight Scott McCracken, another Yankello fighter on tonight's Mountaineer card, and Monty Clay, who happens to be the Aliquippa kid's opponent from his most recent local appearance -- two years ago in Bellevue. "He was the only person around here who'd fight me," Kimbrough said. "And I fought him three times."

Clay's name found its way into newspapers this winter and spring over allegations of a January assault at the hands of police and a lawsuit. Kimbrough's name gets bandied about in public on occasion for his ring exploits. Sometimes, though, siblings receive front-page attention: one older brother was killed in a shooting; another, Michael Nashae, is serving 15-30 years in the State Correctional Institution-Greensburg on drug charges.

Nothing seems to deter the baby brother of six. He is a kid with an effervescent personality and electric fists and the shaved-head persona of Apollo Creed. He is one month shy of 20 and still living at home with his parents. No job, just boxing, while he focuses on the path before him.

Get recognition.

This explains why an amateur is the headliner on an eight-bout card that also includes the current U.S. amateur welterweight champion, Juan McPherson of Cleveland, and the fifth-ranked amateur 147-pounder, Durrell Richardson of Youngstown. Boxing has taken Kimbrough to Ireland and France and Hungary, to competitions across the United States. But he needs to come home and groom a local fan base for his pro future.

"I mean, it's hard as an amateur, especially getting your name out there," he said. "Don't seem to be many amateurs doing what I'm doing. I'm probably the only one."

Get to the 2004 Olympics in Greece.

"I'm going," he said with a stern stare. "I'm outta here. I'm going to Athens." Then he added, grinning and looking around the Ambridge gym at Yankello and Co.: "I don't know about these guys, I don't know if they're going. But I'm going."

Get Spadafora. And some pro titles.

"Tell him I'm coming up, and I'm hitting the gym hard," he said. "I train even harder now. Everything I accomplished, I came back and trained even harder."

And you believe he'll get to everywhere he wants to go.

Tonight, 28 miles from his Aliquippa home and far removed from international boxing circles, he takes another small step down that path. The heck with Donnie Hannon, a 1998 Pennsylvania Gold Gloves winner from Uniontown. Kimbrough's main opposition tonight is the Steelers' exhibition game -- vying for the local sports fans' attention. But he figures he'll offer quite an exhibition himself.

"I plan on putting on a performance. Something nice."

At that, he grinned again.

Chuck Finder can be reached at cfinder@post-gazette.com and 412-263-1724.