The air is filled with the smell of sweat and the sound of fists hitting punching bags. The white brick walls are adorned with posters from fights and autographed pictures of famous boxers. A man floats alone in the ring, jabbing and throwing hooks at an invisible opponent.
He is a man who lives by the philosophy: "I'm a man about my business now, so I can be a kid about my fun later." He is a man who is a role model to numerous young children in his hometown of Oakland.
He is 19-year-old Andre Ward and many believe he is the man with the best chance at bringing home a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.
"He has the perfect style, physique and temperament,'' said Candy Lopez, a veteran boxing coach who teaches at the Police Activities League gym in San Jose. "Right now in the U.S., nobody can take him in terms of boxing ability. He's the best the U.S. has to offer in that weight class."
Ward won the Everlast Boxing Championship in March, which qualified him for the Olympic Trials in February 2004.
"People say he probably has the best chance of winning the gold medal and I believe them," said Donald Eames, Ward's assistant trainer. "When he was about 14, I believed that he was going to be an Olympian."
Ward's accomplishments in the ring include winning the Junior Olympic Championship in 1999, the Caribbean Tournament, Everlast U.S. Challenge and Championship in 2001 and the Everlast Fran Jones Under 19 National Championships in 2002.
Ward has been boxing since he was 9. His late father, Frank, got him into it by telling Ward and his brother, Johnathan, stories about when he used to box.
Virgil Hunter, who has been in the boxing game for almost 30 years, said he saw something unique in Ward the first time he saw him at the gym with his father and brother.
"I was working out in the gym one day on my own. I happened to see this little boy hitting a bag,'' he said. "This little kid had a natural pop. He would turn around and look at me, I'd nod my head at him, he'd turn around, punch the bag, look back at me, and I'd nod at him again. "
A week or two later, Hunter saw them again. Ward's father asked Hunter if he knew any trainers who could train his two sons. Hunter offered to train the boys. He and Ward have been together ever since.
Those who follow boxing say many factors have put Ward above other boxers.
"He has composure, technique and a competitive drive," Lopez said. "He has an inner drive that sets him one notch above everybody else."
Hunter, who also is Ward's godfather, attributes the young boxer's success to his will to win, intelligence and his gift of the combination of speed and power . And though Ward has been boxing for years, Hunter says that he is still a student of the sport.
"His defense is impeccable,'' Eames said. "As a young kid, he had the ring intelligence of a veteran."
Ward has enjoyed much success in the game at an early age. However, the most important person to him, the man that first got him into boxing, is no longer here to be in his corner. Last fall, Ward lost his father and mentor to a heart attack.
"I was sort of in a depression,'' he said. "My dad was my everything. He gave me the foundation I have now."
Luckily, Ward had close friends and family to help him through the tough time. Ward's father was on his mind in February when he fought - and won - in the Titan Games in February 2003.
"It was my first boxing match since my father passed. It was in San Jose, my back yard. It was close to home so I had lots of support," Ward said.
Even with all of his accomplishments, Ward remains confident, yet humble. Ward is serious and soft-spoken, only cracking a smile when he showed off the tattoos of two sons' names, Andre, 2, and Malachi, 2 months old. Ward also has his father's name tattooed on his arm and "royal soldier" written in Chinese.
When Ward is boxing, he's concentrated on his moves, oblivious to everything around him. However, when he steps out of the ring, it's just the opposite. One of Ward's main goals is to help people. He knows that success in boxing would bring him all the money in the world, but that's not what he's looking forward to.
"I want to help a lot of people whether it's spiritually, financially, with organizations, homeless, young children, just in any way I can," Ward said.
Ward says he is a very spiritual and family-oriented person. Coming from a close-knit family, he holds the values his father taught him close to his heart. Frank Ward taught his son to be a God-fearing man and a good dad.
After jabbing and throwing hooks at an invisible opponent, Ward stepped out of the ring and started hitting a bag with 12-year-old Demaree Cole, who lives down the street from Ward. Cole, who just won his first boxing match, said Ward was one of his main inspirations. Ward welcomes the chance to be a role model for young kids. He carries himself in a way that he thinks is best, both for himself and those looking up to him.
"I really want to be known as a God-fearing man and a good dad. I've had my foot out there and it's not for me anymore. I just want to live my life and be a good man," Ward said.
Next summer, Ward will still be the same confident, yet humble man that neighborhood kids look up to. He will still be the man floating in the ring, throwing jabs and hooks. Except next summer, the opponent will be real; he'll be in Athens instead of Oakland; and, if everything goes right, he'll be stepping out of the ring with a gold medal around his neck.