``It's so close. It gives me a real incentive to train even harder,'' the 18-year-old Augusta College freshman said.

When the Olympic Box-offs begin at Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center on Thursday, Brandon will be there, the only Augustan to make it this far on the journey to the '96 Games.

It's a long way from the basement of his Lincolnton, N.C., home, where Brandon's father, a former professional boxer, began teaching him how to spar when he was 6 years old.

``He looked so cute. Those gloves were twice as big as he was, and I wasn't too worried about him getting hurt,'' his mom, Carol Mitchem, said. But as he got older and the competition got stronger, Mrs. Mitchem began having her doubts, especially when he grew into the 147-pound class.

His freckled cheeks dusted with a hint of black peach fuzz, Brandon would have trouble getting into an R-rated movie, but he is fighting men almost twice his age.

Still, his boxing injuries have been minor compared with wounds suffered playing other sports. He once suffered a hairline fracture to his wrist during a boxing match, but Brandon broke three fingers playing baseball and sustained a concussion and injured both knees as a football linebacker. One of his knee injuries required surgery.

An errant baseball recently beaned his 14-year-old brother, Cameron, in the head, fracturing an eye socket.

``Yeah, I tell my mom that I box so I won't get injured as much,'' Brandon said.

Brandon and his parents say he was born into boxing. His father, Randy Mitchem, was a professional boxer in the mid-1980s, fighting welterweight world champions such as four-year champ Simon Brown. Mr. Mitchem would often take his son along with him to bouts in Europe and around the United States, where Brandon would visit with the sport's best.

``It just seemed natural to me. I remember working out with my dad in the basement every morning, and I thought that's what all the kids did,'' Brandon said.

When Brandon began winning junior tournaments in North Carolina, he gained the notice of coaches, including Augusta Boxing Club's Tom Moraetes, who told Mr. Mitchem that Brandon's skills had outgrown the basement workouts.

Convinced Brandon would one day be an Olympic-caliber boxer, the Mitchems quit their jobs in North Carolina and moved the family to Augusta more than three years ago.

``You don't see that kind of dedication in parents these days. Most kids are lucky if their parents show up for their Little League games, but these folks moved to an entirely new city so their son could do his best,'' said Mr. Moraetes, who said Brandon's skills rival club alumnus and super-lightweight champion Vernon Forrest.

Mr. Mitchem often visits the club after a full day of delivering Pepsi-Colas. He spars with his son and offers pointers picked up in his more than 140 amateur and professional fights.

``He's a good kid. He's got a lot more discipline than I ever had. He makes good grades in school, and he sticks to his program. Not a lot of kids will get up every morning at 5:30 a.m. to run three miles, but he's got the drive,'' Mr. Mitchem said.

Some college freshmen have been known to spend a night on the town, but Brandon said he rarely visits clubs or parties, preferring instead to spend free time with his family, a close circle of friends and his girlfriend.

The pre-med major netted an ``A or B average'' in high school and is getting the same grades in college, he and his parents report. As a shot at the Olympics becomes more of a possibility, Brandon has taken off the spring and summer sessions at Augusta College to concentrate on his training.

``When I was younger my dad told me I couldn't box if I got bad grades, so I started studying hard so I could box,'' said Brandon, who wants to go into sports medicine after his amateur and hoped-for professional boxing careers are over.

But first on his schedule is getting to Atlanta. Two weeks ago, Brandon was one of 96 boxers hoping for one of 12 spots on the U.S. team. This week, Brandon is one of 24, and only one boxer, Fernando Vargas of Oxnard, Calif., stands in his way of securing the 147-pound weight class slot.

Because Mr. Vargas has won more fights in the Olympic elimination process, Brandon must defeat the Californian both Friday and Saturday to win the trip to Atlanta.

Brandon's teammate, 17-year-old Jacob Hudson, lost his chance at the '96 Games during last week's Olympic trials in Oakland, Calif.

Mr. Mitchem smiles broadly at the suggestion that his son is two fights away from being an Olympic athlete.