After going to Bakersfield the previous week and not having the
opposing team show up, Bulldog Boxing owner and trainer Zeke Lopez
was a little flustrated to find out that most of his boxers would
not be able to fight during the Central California Box-offs in
Salinas Saturday.
After going to Bakersfield the previous week and not having the opposing team show up, Bulldog Boxing owner and trainer Zeke Lopez was a little flustrated to find out that most of his boxers would not be able to fight during the Central California Box-offs in Salinas Saturday.
He had just two boxers who found matches against other boxers, most of which didn’t make weight in weigh-in. Both Jorge Hernandez and Carlos Vargas won their bouts.
Hernandez, 10, improved his record to 9-1 even though he got off to a slow start in his 125-pound bout against Jose Garcia, of Salinas.
But Hernandez came back strong to win the final two rounds of the three-round bout. The Central California Division title gave Hernandez his third belt of his career.
“They were both matched up evenly and both had about the same number of fights,” Lopez said. “Jorge came out a little sluggish. He came back to the corner, and I told him I wanted a lot more speed and power. And he picked it up.”
Vargas, who has been training with Lopez for just three months, won his debut fight against Gilberto Rodriquez, of Watsonville, in the 12-year-old 98-pound category.
“I was a little skeptical about the fight,” Lopez said. “On paper, everything looked good. But the kid looked more muscular, and I said to myself that this couldn’t be the kid we had to box. I told him we would just have to do what we had to do.”
Lopez wanted his young fighter to go to his strength – the straight left then a right hook. Combined with his jabs, Vargas was able to get the decision.
“I didn’t think Carlos would do that good because the other kid looked so big,” Lopez said. “Carlos was nailing the kid with punches from everywhere, and I was surprised and proud at the same time. You can’t always judge a book by its cover, and I should have known it from all the years I have been coaching. I have relationships with the kids where they are almost like my kids, and I get over-protective.”
