The Neutral Corner

Click to watch VIDEO of Ali's visit to the East Harlem Boys & Girls Club

By Marcus Henry
Marcus.henry@newsday.com

When the US Olympic boxing team walked into the gym of the East Harlem Boys & Girls Club on Thursday, no one was more pleased than Sadam Ali.

The 19-year-old lightweight contender said he is primed and ready to go for the gold at the Summer Olympics in Beijing in August.

But it wasn’t a smooth ride for the Brooklyn native, who was actually suspended late last year after testing positive for cathine, a banned stimulant usually found in cold medicines. Ali’s positive test came after participating in the USA vs. China and Kazakhstan exhibition held in Zunyi.

A positive test carries a two-year suspension from amateur boxing, which would have meant a disqualification from the 2008 Olympics. But Ali appealed the ruling and eventually prevailed after it was determined that he received the cathine from a local doctor after contracting a cold.

Rather than receive a two-year ban, Ali accepted a three-month suspension which expired in February. Ali said it was refreshing to return to the sport he had been involved in since he was eight. “You always have to go through a struggle,” Ali said. “But that was a little bump in the road and it feels good to be here today.”

As for the positive test Ali knew he was innocent. “I was just shocked and surprised, but I knew I had nothing to do with any drugs,” he said. “I knew it had to come from the doctor.”

Considering what he went through, Ali said it’s more important than ever to pass on his experiences. “I love kids,” he said. “Just to watch little kids come up to me is great.”

East Harlem Boys & Girls Club director David Giordano said he was pleased to have the Olympic boxing team in attendance. “The kids were very thrilled,” Giordano said. “This is a great way to expose kids to new opportunities and other kind of experiences.”

The event, which was organized in part by the Everlast and the Children’s Aid Society, was also used to get across the message of good nutrition, according to Children’s Aid Society CEO Bill Weisberg.

“We have a full summer curriculum about champions and healthy bodies,” Weisberg. “[The children] know they won’t be Olympic boxers, but seeing the boxers will teach them to keep in shape and take care of their bodies and don’t get into destructive habits.”