Sew what? Troy Amos Ross -- that's what!

 ATLANTA -- Troy Amos Ross is a boxer who likes to sew. Or is it a sewer who likes to box?
 Ross himself is unsure of the answer. Left cross, cross stitch. Both of his are solid. He looks good in boxing gloves and is a natural in a thimble. He can follow a fight plan or a sewing pattern. Boxing gear or sewing kit, he carries both comfortably.
 The Brampton, Ont. resident had hoped to make his Olympic debut yesterday wearing an outfit he designed and sewed himself. But he didn't get it finished in time. Still, the Canadian light heavyweight champ cut a dashing figure.
 Just ask Roland Raforme.
 Come to think about it, Raforme may not be the best guy to ask. His recollection of Wednesday afternoon may be a bit fuzzy after the way Ross pounded him around the ring.
 Ross, a devastating counter-puncher, knocked the Seychelles champion to the canvass in the first and second rounds, then ended the fight with a jackhammer right at 2:16 of the third. Raforme went down like Ross dropped his sewing machine on him.
 Ross is the first to admit that boxing and sewing are an odd combination. And, yes, his friends kid him about it. Good naturedly, of course. Ross, 21, has always been a powerful puncher. He's not a guy you'd want to provoke.
 "There's always teasing going on with my friends,'' says Ross, smiling. "But I think they see now that it's not just a hobby and that I'm going far with it.''
 After the Olympics, Ross will return to George Brown college for the final semester in a creative fashion course. He got the sewing bug while attending Brampton's North Peel Secondary School, where he took his first design course.
 He figures he inherited his fondness for clothes from his mom, who sews for a living.
 "She had a sewing machine at home,''he said. "I wanted to learn so she taught me.
 "I think I've always liked fashion and been interested in design. I enjoy being able to create clothes and wear stuff that you can't find in any stores.''
 His love of boxing came from his father, who fought in the Olympics years ago for Guyana. Ross is also a cousin of Egerton Marcus, a 1988 Olympic silver medallist for Canada. His older brother, Sean, also boxed.
 "It runs in the family,'' Ross said.
 Ross came to Atlanta with the reputation of being a great puncher with either hand but an unpolished overall boxer. In trying to land wild haymakers, he often left himself exposed to counter punches and, on occasion, was himself knocked out.
 To go far in this tournament he understands that he has to demonstrate the complete boxing package. And that's why his coaches were so encouraged yesterday. Ross was leading on points 10-1 in the third round when he ducked a punch and countered with a combination that sent Raforme to the canvass and Ross to the Round of 16.
 "We want him to show that power and then switch to boxing,'' said national team coach Yvon Michel. "It was his boxing that gave him the lead today and his power that terminated the fight.''
 Ross admits he came to this lesson slowly, and painfully. He failed to qualify for the 1995 Pan Am Games after he went looking for a knockout and found himself face down on the canvass, losing to an inferior fighter. He was struggling at the Canadian Olympic trials when his coaches read him the riot act.
 "It took me a long time,'' Ross said. "But finally I see the coaches were right. Basically I'm a counter puncher. Now when I enter the ring I expect every fight to last three rounds.''
 "The last two years were a very big learning experience for him,'' Michel said.
 Besides his power, what sets Ross apart is his composure. Michel says Ross almost fell asleep in the dressing room before the fight.
 "He's very easy going,'' Michel said. "No matter what you say, everything is always all right with him. He has incredible composure.''
 That type of patience is a valuable commodity for a boxer. It's also helpful to someone who likes to thread needles.
 Ross says he has no idea which direction his life will take after the Olympics. His sole priority is to win a medal, to sew it up, so to speak.