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Street-smart

Bantamweight resists life's hard knocks

"Boxing's been an escape for me," says Clarence Vinson, a 5-foot-2, 119-pound dynamo from Washington

September 3, 2000
Web posted at: 11:23 PM EDT (0323 GMT)

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By Greg Botelho
CNNfyi writer

Profile: Clarence Vinson
Age: 22
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
Weight: 119 pounds
Height: 5 feet 2 inches

(CNNfyi) -- The thoughts of his slain friends and relatives, constant peer pressure to use drugs, countless obstacles working against him -- Clarence Vinson could have given in to them, or he could have fought.

U.S. weightlifter Cheryl Haworth U.S. boxer Brian Viloria U.S. archer Karen Scavotto U.S. Paralympian Trischa Zorn   Moroccan runner Hicham El Guerrouj Romanian gymnast Simona Amanar U.S. equestrian Robert Dover Multimedia: Olympic interviews

It wasn't easy, but the 22-year-old Washington, D.C., native chose to fight. This resolution has helped Vinson earn trips around the world, a college scholarship and a shot at the top prize in amateur boxing.

Part of Vinson realizes that he has worked harder and sacrificed more than most people could imagine to reach this point -- the 2000 Olympics, where he's a member of the U.S. boxing team. But another part realizes that he's living a dream.

"People would give their right leg to make the Olympic team," he said. "I finally felt like I accomplished something that I worked so hard for."

In both a literal and figurative sense, Sydney is a world away from where Vinson grew up. In Vinson's old neighborhood in Washington, hope was a precious and rare commodity. The best that anyone could do, it seemed, was get out.

Many close to Vinson never did. His brother, John "Pony" Smith, and cousin Stephen Williams died in separate robbery attempts, and many of his neighbors and classmates were also struck down by violence. The temptation to do drugs, join gangs or plain give up was everywhere.

"On my street, a lot of things happened -- people got killed, people got locked up," Vinson said.

Vinson started boxing when he was 8, following his cousins' lead. In time, it became therapeutic.

Bantamweight Vinson boxes Aaron Garcia of Vista, California, during the U.S. Olympic Team Box-offs in Mashantucket, Connecticut

"Boxing's been an escape for me," Vinson said. "My cousin was killed, and I know this is what he wanted me to do. It helps relieve some of the stress, and I enjoy it."

The sport has helped him in other ways, too. "You know, when I was first boxing, I didn't have any discipline. I didn't like to listen," he recalled. "I've learned discipline -- and discipline not only goes along with the sport, it goes along with life. Just being dedicated to something, that can carry you far."

From the 7 a.m. runs to 9 p.m. sparring sessions -- the norm during the Olympic team's workouts this summer in Colorado Springs, Colorado -- the 5-foot-2-inch bantamweight (119 pounds) has come to understand what it takes to be an elite athlete. For him, boxing is "a combination of fun and work."

"The boxing inside the ring, that's the easy part," Vinson said. "When you are training, that's hard."

Boxing may be a tough sport, but it doesn't compare to Vinson's life. He credits his uncle, Mark Johnson, for pushing him in the ring and his parents, married for more than 30 years, for giving him support.

All these people's efforts, and his own hard work, have landed Vinson in Sydney, where he will be the first U.S. boxer to take the ring in competition. Weeks before he headed to Australia, Vinson said that he was excited, but said he knew it'd only get better. Famed boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, among others, told him that "when it is really going to hit me is the Opening Ceremonies. It's going to be an unbelievable feeling."

"Unbelievable" could also describe Vinson's dedication, determination and hard work.

"It takes a lot of sacrifice," he said. "But I wouldn't change my life for anything."

U.S. Olympic Committee
Sydney 2000 Olympic Games
USA Boxing
Northern Michigan University

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