Athlete of the Week: Amir ‘Cash’ Anderson

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — He’s the top-ranked boxer in the country for his weight class among 15 and 16-year-olds, meet this week’s Athlete of the Week, Amir “Cash” Anderson.

“I was nervous. I didn’t want to cry in front of everyone and be embarrassed,” Anderson said.

Seven years ago that was Amir “Cash” Anderson’s first thoughts when his mom, Toni, helped introduce him to the sport of boxing. Now 15, the PSLA at Fowler sophomore is on the cusp of stardom.

“I wake up at five in the morning and I run. I have to sacrifice my time spending with my friends. I have to sacrifice how I eat sometimes. I have to sacrifice my weight. I sacrifice almost my whole life, and I’m dedicated to that,” Anderson said.

In 2019 alone, Cash Anderson has won the National Silver Gloves, the Eastern Regionals, and most recently the 154-pound Junior Male USA Boxing National Championship.

“He is kind of being an ambassador for the amateur sport of boxing,” Anderson’s trainer, Chris Burns, said. “To show that these are youth that although they are youth at risk, and they might be in a high poverty area, they are using what they learn in the ring outside in the classroom. Not on the streets fighting, but in the classroom.”

In the classroom, Anderson is an honor-roll student. He knows he wouldn’t be where he is today without the love and support of his family.

“They supported me, like when no one was there. I knew that my mom was there in spirt. My little brother and little sister supported me 100 percent too,” Anderson said. “That’s what motivates me to be great when I get older. I want to make my mom proud. That is my ultimate goal.”

Amir is pushing towards qualifying for the 2024 olympics.

“I see myself as being a 2024 Olympian; being a gold medalist,” Anderson said. “It is going to take a lot of training and a lot of sacrifice. I am willing to do it. I am dedicated to the sport.”

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