By STEVE BUFFERY -- Toronto Sun
  SYDNEY -- Waterloo fighter Artur Binkowski wants to become a goldsmith. But right now, he just wants gold.

 Actually, a medal of any colour would do just fine.

 Binkowski, 25, is the only Canadian boxer alive at these Games and a win today against Asian champion Rustam Saidov of Uzbekistan will place the Polish-born pugilist in the medal round. A loss and Canada is shut out of the boxing medals for the first time at an Olympics since 1976 (Canada boycotted the 1980 Moscow Games).

 "TEDDY BEAR"

 "Artur has a way of dealing with pressure. He's a big pussycat, a big teddy bear," Hank Summers, the Canadian team manager, said early today after Toronto heavyweight Mark Simmons lost his bout. "Ever since I've known him, he's been able to deflect pressure by just clowning around or saying something foolish. That's his way. He'll be all right."

 It won't be easy. Uzbekistan is traditionally a boxing powerhouse and its fighters have looked good here at the Sydney Convention Centre. And of the seven Canadian fighters at these Games, super-heavyweight Binkowski was probably the least heralded.

 That's not to say the 6-foot-1, 201-pound brawler is a soft touch. In his first-round bout against big Michael Macaque of Mauritius, Binkowski pounded out a gutsy 21-14 decision. What Binkowski lacks more than anything is international experience and size for a super-heavyweight.

 Canada tasted bitter defeat for the sixth time earlier this morning as Simmons, 26, was outclassed by German champion Sebastian Kober. The clash was stopped with eight seconds left in the third round after Kober took a 16-1 lead. Olympic boxing matches are stopped automatically if one fighter takes a 15-point lead.

 Simmons, a York University kinesiology graduate, could not penetrate the crafty German's armour. Kober, using the classical European style of moving in and out with straight lefts and rights, frustrated his Canadian opponent and, quite frankly, put on a bit boxing lesson.

 TAGGED

 Simmons has good hand speed, but just could not figure out a way to get in without getting tagged with one of Kober's piston-like straights.

 "I watched him fight on video and I thought I knew what to do," Simmons said. "But ... it's too bad.

 "I'm just upset. He didn't hurt me. He just touches you," Simmons added, while expressing frustration that he rarely gets a chance to travel to Europe to fight the heavyweights on that side of the Atlantic.

 "This meant a lot. I wanted to win a medal. If not a medal, at least put on a good show."