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Anyone who has met Bulldog Boxing owner Zeke Lopez knows that he would never be stopped by a minor issue such as being evicted from his gym by the city after spending almost three decades training hundreds of local kids there for free.
Now, as he starts his third year at his new gym at 640 McCray Street—built with funds, materials, equipment and labor donated by the community—Lopez is hosting a couple of upcoming events. They include an “Ignite the Ring” amateur boxing tournament at Bolado Park on July 12, and a drive-through BBQ benefit on July 26, all while putting the finishing touches on a youth center in the adjoining building that once housed the Animation Dance Community studio.
“For me,” Lopez said, “it’s more than just seeing how these kids progress in boxing. What I enjoy the most is seeing them develop into great people and hearing them say they’ve done something with their lives because of this gym.”
The center recently began offering a series of classes in Kung Fu, Zumba and guitar. It’s also being used as a practice space for a folklórico dance group and the Hollister Vikings cheerleaders. Bulldog regulars also learn silk screening on a recently donated machine and have access to a pool table, as well as the gym’s extensive DVD collection.
Recently acquired computers, pending the installation of internet access, will be used as part of a tutoring program offered by educator Peter Serracino, who also teaches the gym’s Kung Fu class.
Serracino, who has more than 20 years of experience teaching technology and digital art at institutions including San Jose High and Lincoln High schools, as well as the Dual Language Academy of Monterey, said that the center will be an “incredible resource” for the kids at the gym.
“I think it’s something that Hollister needs for growth and learning,” he said. “Kids will be able to get caught up on their homework, but also be a place where they can exercise and develop skills and disciplines.”
The gym has a roster of about 60 students, with a core group of about 30 training regularly. Instruction for those under 18 is free; those over pay $50 a month.They attend tournaments as far away as Nevada and usually do very well—including a win for 13-year-old Pedro Villalobos at the 2024 Central California Silver Gloves Boxing Tournament.
Lopez said that Villalobos has been coming to the gym since he was seven and has fought in about 15 sanctioned tournaments. Even though he was competing against fighters with 30 or 40 fights under their belts, Lopez said Villalobos held his own and will soon be ready for international tournaments.
“He’s done very good and won a lot,” Lopez said. “He’s still working on his footwork a little bit, but he’s got a lot of speed. He loves to brawl, and he’s got the power for that.”
Villalobos said his grandmother, who loved the sport, was his inspiration for taking up boxing. He said he lost his first two fights but then went on a winning streak which ended after he advanced to the state finals following his Silver Gloves win.
“I lost to the kid who was No. 1 in the nation,” he said. “It was a really good fight, but I lost by a split decision. I felt good, like I was ready to take on more fights, and I have been on a winning streak ever since.”
Villalobos, along with Bulldogs Jorge Rodriguez, Kallum Dollan and Damien Yerena, will be participating in the gym’s “Ignite the Ring” tournament at Bolado Park on July 12.
Lopez said that Rodriguez, 21, has learned quickly for someone who has only been in four fights, but is performing at an unexpectedly high level.
“Jorge’s been doing very well,” Lopez said. “His strength is that he’s really, really smart. He picks up things very quickly. He also has fast hands, fast feet, and the power is there.”
Rodriguez trained as a bodybuilder but said he took up boxing after getting into a fight and realizing he couldn’t defend himself effectively with just muscle. He lost his first fight to nerves, he said, which was a humbling experience.
“It’s what I like about the sport,” he said. “You live by the sword, you die by the sword. You have to come in here every day and work hard. If you’re not putting in that work, it shows in the ring.”
Lopez described Dollan, 19, as “a powerful kid” who is beginning to pick up speed. With only six fights, Lopez said, Dollan still managed to take a split-decision second-place finish in the novice division at the Golden Gloves.
Dollan said he began fighting only two years ago, having been “pretty locked in on football” in high school. Holding a 3-3 record, he said he feels he has improved after every fight, which he attributes to Bulldog coaching.
“I’ve been to gyms in San Jose,” he said, “I could come in overweight and no one would care. But Zeke is going to push me, and get on me. I feel as if every day I have to get better and better.”
So far, Yerena, 17, has won his only fight, an impressive standing count at a tournament in Visalia. Lopez said that he is “fast, he’s got power, and he’s a quick learner.”
Yerena said he became interested in boxing as a means of self-defence, and because he had seen friends of his who had trained at the gym in preparation for fighting at tournaments. He said his first and only victory was a complete surprise to him.
“The first round was kind of tough, Yerena said. “He came at me pretty hard, but when I was in the corner, coach told me, ‘He’s gassed out. You go right at him.’ I hit him pretty good in the second round, and in the third, I gave him an eight count. I was pretty hyped.”
Tickets for the July 12 “Ignite the Ring” boxing tournament at Bolado Park and the July 26 Drive-Thru BBQ at Bulldog Boxing, 640 McCray Street, Hollister, are available from Zeke Lopez at (831) 756-1082.
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