Luis Yanez and Kimdo Bethel are pictures in contrast.
Yanez is a 5-foot-3, 106-pound 19-year-old, who, at first glance, looks about as threatening as a lapdog. Bethel, a thick 200-some pounds, has biceps as large as logs and cuts an imposing figure even when sitting down.
But Yanez and Bethel have the same thing on their minds - representing the U.S. in the boxing ring at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
These two fighters, along with nine other Americans, took on Team Puerto Rico in a Dual on Saturday at Temple's Liacouras Center, transforming the Owls' home court into a haven for amateur boxing fans.
The carpet was unfurled for the few high-rollers that ventured ringside, but the stands were mostly filled with Philly sports fans looking for a good old-fashioned international rumble.
And while the crowd wasn't as swanky as a professional prize fights - Miller Chill stood in for champagne at the ringside tables - Liacouras had a distinctly un-Philadelphia atmosphere.
While Team USA came in as a heavy favorite, there were plenty of fervent patriotic displays from both sides.
Chants of "USA! USA!" were often drowned out by a steady stream of "Bo-ri-cua! Bo-ri-cua!" from the Puerto Rico natives in the stands.
The fights spanned the weight classes, from Yanez at light flyweight up to Bethel at super heavyweight, and Team USA displayed some patented American muscle, taking nine of 11 bouts and a team win.
But for Team USA, the most important thing wasn't notching a victory.
For the fighters who have already qualified for the Olympics - Yanez, flyweight Rau'Shee Warren, lightweight Sadam Ali and light welterweight Javier Molina - Saturday was about assessing fitness, working on technique and getting a look at the competition.
"You gotta have a little taste of almost every country before going into Olympics, because that's what you're going to be competing against," said the 19-year old Ali, who bested Reynaldo Ojeda. "It's also fun at the same time."
For the other seven whose fate is uncertain, however, the Dual was a chance to prove something.
Welterweight Jovantae Starks, for instance, just turned 19, and is fighting for a seat on the plane to China - even if it's as an alternate.
"I like watching the guys work hard, seeing their intensity in the gym," said Starks, who notched his first major international win with his victory over Ricardo Reyes. "It makes me wanna get up and work hard."
Team USA has been doing just that at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., where the workouts are just a wee bit tougher than a jog up the Philadelphia Art Museum steps … la Rocky Balboa.
And take Team USA's word for it - they visited the Philly landmark on Saturday afternoon.
"It wasn't nothing to what we really be running," said light heavyweight Siju Shabazz, who dropped a tight contest to 6-foot-7 Carlos Negron, Puerto Rico's lone Olympian.
Shabazz hopes to make the trip to Beijing as a training partner, but he and the rest of the team are well aware that nothing is guaranteed.
Bethel, for instance, knows that all he can do is try to impress the coaching staff with strong dual performances, like his 28-5 domination of Puerto Rico's Juan Jacob on Saturday.
With showings like that, who knows? Maybe the big fella will be strutting his stuff in the Far East instead of North Philly.
"That would be a great opportunity," Bethel said. "That's a lifetime experience right there."
