TIME TO BOX : Hembrick Hoping to Erase Image as Tardy Olympic Fighter

For Detroit boxer Anthony Hembrick, a professional career is a chance to make his mark on the sport, to go down as one of the legends of the ring.

It also is an opportunity to erase his image as the boxer disqualified from his opening match at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul for showing up late.

Since the bruising event seven months ago, the 23-year-old light-heavyweight says he has re-evaluated his goals and regained his confidence in preparation for his professional debut, set for Saturday at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Hembrick will fight Ron West of Toledo, Ohio, in a four-round match. The evening also features World Boxing Organization title defenses by Detroiters Michael Moorer and John David Jackson.

‘I Took It Like a Champion’

“I think I took it like a champion,” Hembrick said of his early exit from the Olympics. “There’s no revenge here. The Olympics is past. There’s no bitterness. This is a new game now.”

Hembrick arrived late for his bout with South Korea’s Ha Jong Ho in the 165-pound division. Ha was declared the winner by a walkover while Hembrick was in his dressing room.

Hembrick and U.S. boxing team officials made unsuccessful appeals to have officials reconsider.

His only fight since the Olympic trials last July was a three-round amateur bout Jan. 7 against South Korean Chung Dong Hwan at Atlantic City, N.J.

Though Hembrick won, he broke his left hand, delaying his professional debut.

At 177 pounds, he has moved up a weight class from that in which he competed as an amateur.

Hembrick, who is being managed by a team headed by Frank Kane of Fairfax, Va., wants to shed his nickname as well as his image. He thinks his old one, “Hollywood,” appears too tame.

“Just being known is making me happy,” he said. “They know me, they know my name. Now I’ve got an opportunity to correct something.”

He also is hoping to follow other champions who trained at Detroit’s Kronk gym, including Thomas Hearns.

“I don’t want to be just one of the boxers,” he said. “I want to be one of the legends of boxing.”