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Bulldog boxers flex their muscles By Don Hunt CENTRAL POINT � Troy Wohosky admits part of his past is tainted with trouble. But now that he�s become one of the top boxers in the nation at his age group, he�s cleaning up his act. The South Medford High freshman dazzled a crowd of about 1,000 at the Jackson County Expo Friday night when he dominated his opponent at the Silver Gloves Region 7 Tournament. Wohosky was one of eight Medford-based Bulldog Boxing Club members to win on the 15-bout card as he displayed quick hands, fancy footwork and brutish power to outclass Rudy Valdez of Idaho. The tournament concludes tonight at 7 o�clock at the Expo. Central Point�s Mike Wilson, the reigning U-19 national champion and an alternate with the U.S. Olympic team last summer, highlights the card. Wilson, 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, will fight 6-4, 280-pound Brian Torzewski of Tacoma, Wash. Junior Olympic bronze medalist and state Golden Gloves champion Ricky Gallegos of the Bulldog club is also on tonight�s card. Wohosky was expelled from school last year for fighting outside of the boxing ring and admits to skipping a class or two when he�s been in school. But Bulldog boxing owner Joe Pedrojetti and team manager Jim Pedrojetti � Joe�s son � are doing their best to keep Wohosky in school and instill in him the value of discipline and hard work. It seems to be working. "I look at Joe as my father and Jim as my brother � they�re like family to me," Wohosky said. "They�ve taught me how to box, and they�ve been so good to me. I don�t want to let them down." Wohosky certainly didn�t disappoint his mentors Friday as he dominated Valdez from the opening bell. The victory boosted his career record to 40-6 and earned him a berth in tonight�s regional finals match. "That�s the smartest I�ve ever seen Troy box," Jim Pedrojetti said. "Troy sometimes likes to play to the crowd too much and brawl, but tonight he fought like a pro. He used his speed and power. He got in and back out. That other kid (Valdez) is a good boxer, but he barely laid a hand on Troy." A victory tonight would vault Wohosky into the national Silver Gloves tournament, where he has finished runner-up the past two years. "This is my last year in Silver Gloves, and I definitely want to win a (national) title," Wohosky said. "I�ve been running five days a week and training in the gym every day." Other notable performances from Bulldog boxers were turned in by Manuel Gonzalez, who scored a second-round technical knockout over Armando Rodriguez of Idaho at 90 pounds; Javier Torres, who needed a strong third round to decision Eloy Perez of Washington at 119; Junior Rios, who scored a TKO over Jesus Paredes of Idaho at 125; and Alex Trujillo, who dominated Chris Baz before that 156-pound bout was mercifully stopped. The small but powerful Gonzalez had the crowd buzzing early when he fired punches in machine-gun like fashion at the outclassed Rodriguez. "We call him �The Machine,�" Joe Pedrojetti said of Gonzalez. "We just turn him on and let him go. He does that every fight." The 12-year-old Torres, the only Bulldog boxer ever to win a Silver Gloves national championship, had his hands full when he stepped into the ring with the 14-year-old Perez. Perez nailed Torres with several hard counterpunches, administered a standing eight count in the first round and inadvertently tagged him with a low blow. But Torres rallied in the third and final round to get the decision and boost his career record to 21-3. "That�s my toughest fight ever," said Torres, a seventh-grader at McLoughlin Middle School. "I knew it was close and I knew I had to win the third round. I gave it everything I had." MATCH BOUTS 9-10, 55 pounds � Dillon Tabino, West Portland, dec. Alan Silva, Bulldog Boxing Club; 10-11, 75 pounds � Cody Kelly, Bulldog Boxing Club, Sven Harrison; 12-13, 90 pounds � Manuel Gonzalez, Bulldog Boxing Club, d. Armando Rodriguez, Idaho; 14-15, 112 pounds � Antonio Lopez, Idaho, dec. Michael Chamberlain, Central, Or; 12-14, 119 pounds � Javier Torres, Bulldog Boxing Club, dec. Eloy Perez, Washington; 14-15, 201 pounds � Leonardo Garcia, Idaho, TKO over Tyler Redi, Washington. SILVER GLOVES SEMIFINALS 14-15, 106 pounds � Josh Groat, Idaho, dec. Luis Dealba, Bumble Bee; 14-15, 119 pounds � Troy Wohosky, Bulldog Boxing Club, dec. Rudy Valdez, Idaho; 14-15, 132 pounds � Roger Cantrell, Summit, Wash; dec. Ty Stevens, Sanddragon. SILVER GLOVES CHAMPIONSHIPS 12-13, 100 pounds � Eloy Fabian, Idaho, dec. Justin Watson, West Portland; 12-13, 106 pounds � Orlando Hernandez, Idaho, dec. Chris Rife, Washington; 12-13, 112 pounds � Willie Padilla, Rock Springs, Wy., TKO over Steven Walker, Sweet Home; 14-15, 125 pounds � Lorenzo Rios, Jr., TKO over Jesus Paredes, Idaho; 14-15, 147 pounds � Todd Nanamkin, Washington, dec. Rant Cleberg, Idadho; 14-15, 156 pounds � Alex Trujillo, Bulldog Boxing Club, TKO over Chris Baz, Central, Or. OREGON USA CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT 165 pounds � Jeff Leonard, Sweet Home, dec. Nathan James, Bulldog Boxing Club. OREGON USA MATCH BOUTS 201-plus � Duncan Hunter, Bulldog Boxing Club, dec. Michael McNeil, Tacoma, Wash.; 125 � Lionel Leon, Bulldog Boxing Club, dec. Luis Gomez, Rock Springs, Wy. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.