Hollister boxer Tony Corrales will head to Michigan in May to
compete at the National Golden Gloves Championships
Hollister
In his 15 years of training, Zeke Lopez has seen fighters of Tony Corrales’ potential, has trained fighters of Tony Corrales’ caliber. Many times, he said.
But never, not once has a boxer entered the Bull Dog Boxing Club in Hollister and delivered upon the promise Corrales displays.
“I’ve had many, many kids like Tony. But they quit and go to college, which is good, or they quit and get in trouble, which is bad,” Lopez said. “I feel good that I’ve got someone who’s doing good.
“I’ve had kids good enough to make it, but they fall behind. Tony stuck to it, and it’s hard … He’s got a lot of potential to do something.”
Corrales, 17, continues to live up to that potential, as he won by unanimous decision over Roberto Reyes of Los Angeles at last weekend’s California state Golden Gloves championship.
At 141 pounds, Corrales, who represented both Northern and Central California at last weekend’s bout, will now represent the state at the National Golden Gloves Championships in May.
He is the first national qualifier for Lopez.
“I’m just not gonna quit,” Corrales said. “I appreciate that Zeke is here for me to make the right decisions. I know I just won’t let him down.”
Surprisingly, Corrales said his match with Reyes was one of the easier fights he’s had in his recent run through the Golden Gloves ranks. The Hollister boxer delivered three standing eight-counts on Reyes, in the first, second and fourth rounds, to improve to 38-10 in his career.
The 141-pound fight was so one-sided in fact, that the one knock on Corrales was that he didn’t knock out Reyes.
“He could have finished him but he didn’t jump on him,” Lopez said. “He pummeled him. He controlled him from the beginning of the fight to the end of the fight.”
Corrales usually employs a strategy of reading his opponent in the first round, feeling his challenger out before going on the attack in the later rounds.
In hindsight, Corrales said he could have stopped Reyes and the fight. But in the ring, when he is on the attack and going all out, and his opponent doesn’t go down and stay down, Corrales admits to playing it safe.
“If I keep going hard and he doesn’t fall, it’s a waste of energy,” Corrales said. “Sometimes I get that instinct in my head and I don’t want to get winded, so I stay paced.”
Nevertheless, the 17-year-old boxer continues to conquer fighters who are older than him. Corrales is at the age minimum for Golden Gloves, where fighters can be up to 34 years of age and still remain eligible. Although Corrales said he was not aware of how old Reyes was, he suspected him to be 19- or 20-years old, and most likely had more fighting experience. Said Lopez, “Down in Los Angeles, they fight Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I knew we were in for a challenge, but Tony made it look easy – too easy.
“Los Angeles is a tough place to go, but now they’re pulling in everyone from the nation.”
Corrales will need to be in top shape for nationals, as he’ll be boxing in a tournament that could last a week, with fight after fight bring the country’s best competition.
Corrales says he’s already reached one goal – triumphing at state – but since he’s only in his first year of eligibility with Golden Gloves, a long run at nationals would simply be the icing on the cake.
“I’m the best in the state and I’m gonna be fighting the best of other states,” Corrales said. “I didn’t know anything about [Reyes], I just went down there and did what I had to do.”
Corrales will compete at nationals on May 3 in Grand Rapids, Mich. Already a promising young fighter, Corrales will once again look to deliver on his potential.
“Every year we get more boxers (at Bull Dog),” Corrales said. “They start off good and they’re good boxers, and something happens where they end up quitting and not doing anything.
“I like boxing. I enjoy it. I like coming in after school because school is so stressful. Coming to the gym gets me motivated and I have something to look forward to everyday.”
