Rau'shee Warren fires a flurry of punches into Freddie Roach's ribs, peppering the green chest protector with ''WILD CARD'' emblazoned on the front.
''Double it. Again. Harder,'' Roach says calmly, wincing in sync with the percussive pop of Warren's gloves.
Roach doesn't have to take this punishment and certainly not from some amateur fighter. He's the most respected trainer in pro boxing, guiding Manny Pacquiao, Amir Khan and 25 other fighters to world titles from his dilapidated Hollywood gym.
But Roach is training Warren, Raynell Williams and several other top American amateurs out of patriotism and embarrassment. For the next year, he's acting as a hands-on consultant to USA Boxing, the beleaguered amateur organization that has produced just one gold medal in the last three Olympics.
''If there's anything I can do to help these guys out, I want to do it,'' Roach said after his first training session with Warren, who's hoping to become the first three-time Olympian in U.S. boxing history. ''I want the American team back where it belongs. It doesn't sit right with me that we're not up there with the best.''
The U.S. Olympic team once was world-class, sending Cassius Clay, Sugar Ray Leonard and Oscar De La Hoya to gold-medal glory. Even after its precipitous decline over the past two decades, Americans have won an Olympic-best 109 boxing medals, easily leading Cuba's 63.
Roach tried and failed to join Leonard on the 1976 team, but he absorbed the American aura while fighting in an Olympic test event in Montreal.
''You knew the respect other countries had for us,'' Roach said. ''They don't have that any more.''
Roach won't be in the U.S. fighters' corners during matches, but he hopes to sharpen their skills and mental approaches during sessions at the Wild Card. He'll also travel with the team to meets worldwide, including next week's Olympic trials in Mobile, Ala., when he isn't training Pacquiao for his third fight with Juan Manuel Marquez.
''I know I'm spread pretty thin, but I like to work, and I want to do this,'' Roach said.
Warren and Williams didn't seem intimidated by their surroundings at the Wild Card, even when stepping into its ring right after Roach wrapped up a session with Khan, the 140-pound British champion who fights Zab Judah on Saturday.
''Freddie Roach builds champions, so maybe he can build an Olympic gold medalist,'' said Warren, who stuck around to make history after losing both of his bouts in Athens and Beijing. ''I like being pushed. I like being challenged. I think we're on the right path now with USA Boxing.''
While Roach quietly instructed Warren on the finer points of a particular combination, U.S. national coach Joe Zanders watched from the ropes. The 37-year veteran of the amateur game said he has no problem allowing Roach onto his turf.
''Freddie is the first to admit that he doesn't know anything about the amateurs, and the coaches that we have, we think we know quite a bit,'' said Zanders, a tall, intense Long Beach native. ''But the way I look at it, you'd be a fool to turn down an offer to help from somebody who has something to offer. This program is in a shambles, and we have to bring it back. Freddie is an American. He wants to help the Americans. We want to work together, and I think we can make it happen.''
Zanders assisted Dan Campbell with the disastrous 2008 team, which managed just one bronze medal in Beijing after endless infighting and a poorly received residency program that trapped the fighters in Colorado Springs for a year. Williams quit boxing for a year in frustration over his Beijing loss.
''It's an honor just being in here,'' Williams said, staring at the old photographs covering the Wild Card walls while Roach taped his hands. ''A lot of people are wishing they were in this spot. It makes you want to be better, to get to that podium.''
Zanders also is hoping Roach's imprimatur helps American fighters in what's still a highly subjective sport, despite another round of changes to its much-derided scoring system.
''When the judges see Freddie Roach's name associated with the American team, I think we'll get treated a little bit fairer,'' Zanders said.
In a change from past Olympics, the London-bound fighters will be allowed to work with their personal coaches, but Zanders and Roach will make sure they've got a solid foundation - often a rarity in American amateur gyms. Some amateur fighters find dedicated, competent coaches, while many others are surrounded by sycophants and groupies disguised as mentors, relying on the fighter's pure athleticism.
Roach and Zanders agree the Americans must embrace teamwork in this highly individual sport. After the roster is narrowed down at the Olympic trials, the coaches will work on building camaraderie along with their fighters' skill.
''We're about 2 1/2 years behind in terms of development, because the program has been in disarray,'' Zanders said. ''I've seen the success, the pinnacle, and I've seen us starting to go the other way. Nobody is going to expect much from us, but with hard work and American ingenuity, we expect to go in and make some noise.''
