Three rounds to a champion win

By Millie Diaz
Sports Writer
Dominic Lopez said boxing gets his adrenaline going, and his first amateur Golden Gloves win last month in Corpus Christi pumped his spirits up even higher to face more opponents in the ring.
At 106 pounds, Lopez, boxing with the team 2 Countries Boxing of Victoria, went three one-minute rounds against an opponent similar in weight, yet taller than him.
“I went into the fight not knowing much about him, but face-to-face he was taller. I prayed in the corner for my nerves, and once I got into the ring, fighting him was like sparring with anyone else.”
Lopez said he normally spars with boxers from the gym, Heart of a Champion, also in Victoria, and those opponents average 20 pounds heavier, so he didn’t see a large difficulty factor in the fight. “Once I stunned my opponent I scared him, I think, because he stopped throwing as many punches as I expected.”
In his eight months of getting to know the sport, Lopez said he trains by hitting bags, sparring, and running to keep his stamina up. Lots of running. “When I get into the ring I remind myself: this is the reason why I train, for the few minutes in the ring.”
Lopez is a freshman at Victoria East High School and is the son of Veronica Lopez of Edna and JJ Lopez of Victoria. He is the grandson of Anna Maria Sanchez, Ernesto Granados and Juan Lopez Sr.
JJ said he thought himself to be more nervous than his son on the day of the big fight. “I think it’s a big deal when you have a child who’s about to go blow-to-blow with another kid, but it’s the thing he chose so I’m good with that.”
Lopez enjoys playing basketball, but said boxing has kept his attention, enough for him to strive to the next level. He needs 11 more fights to move up to the open category, and at 17 he can compete at the state level. Within a month he will be fighting in Victoria at a competition called Tough Enough to hopefully add to his first win in Corpus.
“I like boxing because it gets my blood going, and I like one-on-one side of it. You can’t blame someone else for any mistakes, it’s all on me,” Lopez said.
His father said he just wants his son to dream. “I told him it’s about character and how you carry yourself in this world. I want him to have a future in whatever he does and I’ve told him: If he dreams, I’ll help him catch the dream.”