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Devin Vargas will enter the ring at Cleveland State University’s Convocation Center tonight, circle left and go into the neutral white corner.

Moments before he meets Chazz Witherspoon in the Olympic Box-Offs, the heavyweight from Toledo will say a prayer, cross himself and mention a little boy’s name three times.

"Last week I told him, ‘I’m going to win the Olympic Trials for you, bud,’ Vargas was saying earlier this week. "I just want to keep reminding myself what I’m doing this for. I’m doing this for Bishop."

Bishop is Devin’s son, born 16 months ago out of a relationship with his girlfriend, Megan Hanna.

With a favorable decision tonight, Bishop’s daddy - the winner of last week’s Olympic Team Trials in Tunica, Miss. - will represent the United States in the Olympic Games this summer and fight for a gold medal in Athens.

A loss to Witherspoon - the champion of the Trials’ losers bracket and a fighter Devin has never met - and Bishop will be back in Cleveland tomorrow afternoon with his mom and grandparents to watch dad fight the second cousin of former WBA and WBC heavyweight champ Tim Witherspoon one more time, in a winner-take-all match.

Devin Vargas works out with his trainer, Gil Yanez.
( THE BLADE/JETTA FRASER )

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This weekend’s loser will serve as the alternate in Greece come August.

"It’s all for him," Vargas said. "Eventually, when all of this turns into money, I’ll be able to take care of him financially and not rely on my parents."

Devin’s dad Ray is a former amateur boxer who works in nuclear maintenance at Davis-Besse and, along with Gil Yanez, serves as Devin’s trainer. His mom Robin is a secretary at Scott High School and a certified boxing judge.

It has been hard for the grandparents to train themselves not to judge their son’s situation.

"I do think it’s settled him down a little bit and focused him," Robin said. "He was just going along at whatever rate Devin Vargas was going along at. He had boxing and sports and whatever 20-year-old guys do at that age."

Running around and partying with friends was one thing.

Taking responsibility was another.

"Scared," Megan said of Devin’s reaction when she told him he was going to be a father. "That’s the word for it, scared."

At first, Devin did what many young people do when facing that situation. He ran.

"When he was born I had mixed emotions," Devin said. "It was great to have a kid, but then I was thinking, ‘Am I going to be able to box?’"

The couple broke up for a while. They eventually reunited, brought together at first by their love for Bishop.

The son was growing up, and so was his father.

"One thing I did tell him, and I’ve told my other sons, ‘If the lady ever tells me that [her] son doesn’t have this and doesn’t have that, and if I catch you at the bar, I’ll knock you off the bar stool,’" Ray said. "As far as I’m concerned, you can’t ask for anything better to say about a man than he’s a good father."

Last August Devin moved in with Megan and Bishop. The three live in a small, two-bedroom home in West Toledo.

"After everything I put Megan through, she’s still there," Devin said. "She’s a great mother and I like being around her and him. We’ve talked about a wedding. I said sometime in 2005, because by then I’ll have enough money.

"It all started with Bishop. He’s helped me put the focus on the family. Now that I’ve got Megan and him, it’s made me realize that I’ve got business to take care of."

A lucrative pro career likely awaits the 2000 Start High School graduate, USA Boxing’s top-ranked amateur heavyweight. A victory today or tomorrow will guarantee a substantial post-Olympic payoff.

"I’ll do anything for my son" Devin, 22, said. "I’m going to be a big part of his life. That’s what my dad did for me."

Right after Devin won the National Golden Gloves in 2000, Ray told him to take the garbage out. The son declined, pointing out that he was the heavyweight champ.

It didn’t take a former boxer like Ray long to counter-punch.

"I said, ‘Listen son, I can see the headline in the newspaper right now,’" Ray said. ‘Heavyweight Champ Has Dad’s Foot Taken Out Of His Backside.’"

The story never made it to print. Devin took out the trash.

It’s a lesson that hasn’t been forgotten.

"Bishop’s not going to get everything handed to him, even if I am a millionaire," Devin said. "My dad always says, ‘We’re a working family. We’re laborers.’ He’s going to have to work for everything."

On this day at the Glass City Boxing Gym, Devin is in the ring, working on his repetitions with Yanez. Under Megan’s watch, Bishop is running around, wearing a pair of boxing gloves that dwarf his body.

Before Bishop knew how to walk, Ray would carry him past a speed bag and the child would want to stop and throw a punch.

The toddler can’t talk, but already he’s shadowboxing with his father.

"They’re exactly alike at the same age," Ray said of son and grandson. "The apple didn’t fall far from the tree."

With a new fighter in the fold, the Vargas camp has branched out into T-shirts. On the front, the Olympic hopeful’s picture is framed with the words, "Devin Vargas, Going for Gold." On the back, there’s a listing of his championships.

At the bottom of that lengthy scroll is one word: Next.

It’s followed by three periods to let everyone know there’s more to follow.

Then, on the left sleeve, you notice something else.

It’s a picture of Bishop.

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