text: WASHINGTON'S FAVORITE TRUCK STOP RINGS A BELL - Orlando Sentinel
  WASHINGTON'S FAVORITE TRUCK STOP RINGS A BELL
  Pat Washington is no different from the thousands of nondescript fighters who work in anonymity, passing through cities as faceless strangers consumed by hope and ambition.
  Meals are late-night diner cholesterol specials, motel rooms smell of stale cigarettes and cheap disinfectant, and highways often are littered with cumbersome logistical potholes.
  A truck driver by necessity, Washington once drove a load from Orlando to Knoxville, Tenn., parked his rig at a truck stop, got his boxing gear and went to a local arena. After knocking out his opponent, Washington took a shower, jumped back in the truck, and headed north toward Ohio.
  In a week defined by the overwhelming hype of Las Vegas, where heavyweights Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield will split an estimated $65 million, Washington will earn between $10,000-$15,000, hoping to quietly continue his rise from a truck-drivin' man to a champion in his true profession.
  Washington (20-0, 15 KOs) fights Corey Johnson for the vacant North American Boxing Organization welterweight title tonight at Phoenix Coliseum.
  Perhaps Orlando - home for much of Washington's life - finally will begin to notice.
  "I'm just coming out of the bushes with some major stuff," Washington said after a recent workout at the Scrap Yard Gym in Orlando. "I do plan on opening up doors for boxing in Orlando. Antonio Tarver came out with the Olympics. He built up the cake. The Camachos came out and they put the icing on the cake. And all I'm going to do is put the cherry on top of the cake."
  Without the financial cushion of a million-dollar contract or the influence of prominent promoters, Washington fueled his professional aspirations after 300 amateur fights while stationed in the Army at Fort Bragg, N.C. Despite the rush of jumping 42 times as an 82nd Airborne Paratrooper, Washington found his greatest thrill in a boxing ring.
  Three years ago, at the prodding of his trainer, Raymond Lopez, Washington moved back to Orlando and turned pro. He subsequently signed with Jacksonville's Peter Kahn, who had experience working for Don King Productions, to handle the managerial obligations.
  Building up his record slowly, Washington has taken advantage of the alphabet-soup proliferation of sanctioning groups, winning the World Boxing Federation Intercontinental junior welterweight championship before vacating it to move up in weight. After picking up a number of "resume belts," Washington, now 28, hopes to be in position to fight for a major boxing title in 3-6 months.
  "If you haven't come from the Olympics or if you don't have a decorated amateur career, then you have to go about it the way most people have to go about it," Kahn said. "And most people have to go and work and earn a living. That's honorable. That's admirable. Not everybody comes out of the Olympics like Oscar De La Hoya or Pernell Whitaker. Most guys don't get million-dollar signing bonuses. That's not the norm. The norm is that you have to go work for a living, build up your record, and then you get your opportunity. Our whole key is timing. We haven't rushed anything."
  While biding his time for a chance at boxing fame, Washington labors as a "casual" driver for Frito Lay Inc., which calls for a delivery assignment three times a week to a warehouse or store. Using only a dolly, Washington will unload 2,000 cases of potato chips, cookies, pretzels and "'other goodies," in about six hours.
  His supervisors have been very supportive, accommodating Washington's fight and training schedule. On most days, Washington trains from the garage at home, going to the gym only for sparring purposes.
  Personally, Washington gains strength from the support of his wife, Dionne, who believes in her husband's promise that "it's not going to be this way forever. She's been right there for me."
  Washington's way includes pit stops in South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia and Central Florida, where he fought on a card at the Kissimmee Civic Center. On some fight nights, Washington - a 5-foot-7, 149-pound southpaw - has been forced to show his driver's license, pleading with a security guard or doorman to let him in the building.
  There has been no face time on TV, either. Insisting that at this point - "why should we give people a sneak peek?" - Kahn purposefully has avoided using his influence to get Washington on a nationally televised card on USA Network or ESPN.
  "There's been a lot of fights when I just jump in the car and ride," Washington said. "We go up and fight, handle business and come back. I always say to myself, 'It's not going to be this way forever. One day I'm going to be getting first-class plane tickets.' And if I take care of business riding in a car, you can imagine what I can do if I'm flying."
  Prospects are encouraging. With the backing of Kahn, Washington flew into Phoenix on Saturday and is staying at a Holiday Inn. He will earn considerably more than the $250 paycheck for his first professional fight. Most importantly, a victory will set up a six-digit payday and continue his evolution as a blue-collar boxer to rising star.
  "This is the year that Patrick Washington makes a stand," he said. "This is perfect timing because I've been in the game three years as a pro. It's just a matter of time."