An unexpected career
Terrance Woods wants to be a boxing champ, and his trainer thinks he has the stuff to do it
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Terrance Woods vs. Alfonso Castillo
What: 175-pound division boxing match
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Where: San Miguel Arena, Houston
Tickets: $20 general admission, $30 floor seating, $60 VIP.
BAY CITY - Terrance Woods seems oblivious to the dark clouds and lightning in the distance as he bounds from side to side, throwing punches in a ring crammed into a metal carport.
The threatening weather is a blip on the radar compared to the storm building inside Woods since he put on the gloves for the first time four years ago.
"I see myself fighting for a championship," Woods said. "I want to win a championship. I see this going as far as God will allow it to go. Whenever He says enough is enough, that's it for me."
Woods takes the next step in an unlikely journey when he climbs into the ring against Alfonso Castillo of Brownsville in a 175-pound bout at the San Miguel Arena in Houston on Saturday night.
Woods won his first four professional fights, including three by knockout, which he finds amazing since he never considered boxing until ending his professional track and field career to help take care of his mother.
Woods won three medals in the triple jump and one in the high jump at the state track and field meet while at Bay City High School and went on to win six national track and field championships at Abilene Christian University. He competed on the international circuit in Europe and South America before returning home.
Woods was substitute teaching at Bay City Junior High when he happened to see Mike Zavala, who would come to the school on Fridays to eat lunch with the fighters he trained at the Soldiers for Christ Boxing Club.
"That was all fate. I truly believe that was all fate," Woods said. "I mean, what are the odds of me running into him? I heard that there was a boxing club. I didn't think I was ever going to box. When I went to see about it, I wasn't going to actually compete. I figured I'd go and do some boxing training. Here I am four years later and now I'm a professional boxer."
Zavala welcomes any fighter willing to join the club and train in the makeshift facility outside his home. But Zavala noticed something special about Woods.
"I could tell he had all the tools. He was super-fast and strong," Zavala said. "I could see as long as he had the tools we could make him into something. He was very self-disciplined. He's very focused and knows what he wants."
Woods admits the transition from track and field to boxing was an unusual one, but has found a parallel in the training.
"I do plyometrics a lot," Woods said. "Plyometrics help me with my speed, my stamina, my endurance and it helps me with my power and the bounding and jumping I do. You have to be very explosive in those jumps. That helps me to be explosive in my punching and helps my punching power."
Woods fought for three years as an amateur, winning a state Golden Gloves title and advancing to the quarterfinals of the national tournament before turning pro at the age of 29 at the suggestion of Zavala.
"I'm young as far as a boxer is concerned because my body doesn't have the same wear and tear as a normal boxer," Woods said. "I thought about it and prayed about it and called coach back and said, 'Man, you might be right.' The main thing is, I trust my coach. I trust him with my life."
Woods made his pro debut at the Erwin Center in Austin and won by unanimous decision. He returned to Austin for his second fight at the Hilton Hotel, which he won when his opponent didn't answer the bell for the third round. His third fight was in West Memphis, Ark., and ended in a second-round knockout.
Woods faced his biggest challenge in his fourth fight when he traveled to Little Rock, Ark., to meet Eric Howard, who had fought 27 times as a professional.
"He came to get me," Woods said. "I hit him with a four-punch combo to get him off me. I had noticed on You Tube that you could hit him with a right and he was open to a left hook. I hit him with a straight right and he was on the ropes. I hit him with a left hook and he was out before he hit the floor."
The knockout occurred 56 seconds into the first round, which came as no surprise to Zavala.
"Terrance learns a lot because he watches a lot of boxing," Zavala said. "He records and studies it. He'll grab something from each successful boxer. He's strong. He can knock you out with either hand. He gets better by the week. He's a good student of the sport. He's a full package. He's got everything he needs to be a world champion."
Woods is training for a championship by rising at 5 a.m. to run from 3 to 5 miles before going to work as a lineman apprentice at Jackson Electric Cooperative. Woods drives to Zavala's house after work and trains for up to three hours, while helping other members of the club.
"It's getting harder and harder and harder, and I really feel like it's getting that way because something great is about to happen," Woods said. "Satan doesn't want me to succeed. I'm out in the hot sun all day and it's zapping my energy. I have hardly any energy when I train.
"It starts with the training. You have to be able to stay calm and that's where I learned that. That's why I was able to win my last fight. I was able to stay calm when the guy was all over me."
Zavala was happy to get Woods a fight in Houston, which will give many of his friends and family a chance to see him box for the first time.
"We do have a plan," Zavala said. "We're looking at getting him eight or 10 fights and there are a couple of promotion companies we're looking at that can get him on television. This is a way to get more experience. We hope that in less than two years he'll be ready to fight for a title. Everything is falling into place. He has a very bright future."
Mike Forman is a sports writer for the Victoria Advocate. Contact him at 361-580-6588 or mforman@vicad.com, or comment on this column at www.VictoriaAdvocate.com.
