Bobby McCarthy, Lacey boxer, finds himself in the ring Asbury Park Press 7-3-10 LACEY &emdash; Bobby McCarthy is an individualist. And a pretty fair boxer, too. "What I like about boxing is that it's different from football," the Lacey High School rising junior said. "Football is a team sport. If you win in boxing, you appreciate what you did. If you don't win, you won't be picked on in boxing. "It's a selfish sport and that's what I like about it. It gives me a way to express myself that no other sport does. You will find out what kind of a person you are in boxing." McCarthy recently found out he's the kind of person who wins medals. While competing as a super heavyweight (240 pounds) at the National Junior Olympic Tournament in Camp Lejeune, N.C., McCarthy came away with the silver medal. In the final, he lost 8-6 to Minnesota's Ryan Watson. "A silver now means a gold medal later down the road," said McCarthy, who trains at the Gladiator Boxing Gym in Lacey. "I feel proud of my performance. I feel I should have won the gold, but there are other tournaments. It's not like this is the biggest tournament of my life." McCarthy said he was fatigued in the final 30 seconds of the three-round bout from throwing so many punches. "The referee did not give him any standing eight counts and I was pounding him," McCarthy said. "I don't understand that." His coach Shawn Darling agreed that McCarthy had his opponent in trouble several times. Darling estimated the referee could have handed out at least three standing eight counts. Still, McCarthy learned a valuable lesson. "You can't always depend on the judges to score it right," he said. "You have to put it in your own hands. You have to stop your opponent." McCarthy wasn't Darling's only representative at nationals. Southern Regional rising junior Rocco Salimbene advanced to the quarterfinals, where the the 132-pounder struggled to make weight. Salimbene had earned a trip to the nationals with a victory in the Northeast Olympic Championship Tournament in Lake Placid, N.Y. Salimbene, whose 20-10 record includes 13 knockouts, fell in love with boxing because of his dad, Dan "He began teaching me the sport when I was real young," Salimbene said. "We found the gym and I began working out there. I love the aggression that's in the sport. I like working hard for something."McCarthy had to work hard to advance to the final. He just didn't have to work very long.He put away Missouri's Joe Shaw with a left hook to the body and a straight right to the head. Victory came about one minute into the second round. McCarthy, the New Jersey state champion, won the Silver Gloves Tournament in February to qualify for the nationals. He owns a 19-3 record in three years in the ring. Fifteen of those wins have come via the knockout.The 6-foot-2 McCarthy is durable. He credits strong legs and a "pretty good jaw" as factors in avoiding injury. And Darling sees a bright future for his protege. "Professional promoters have called me about him," he said. "They want to meet him, see him in person and try to sink their teeth into him before he even turns pro." McCarthy's journey to this point began in Brooklyn, N.Y. He moved from there to Lacey as a seventh-grader and his mom, Debbie, learned of the gym. But he didn't start out as a silver-medal-caliber fighter. "I was liking boxing, but I was not doing that well," he said. "I was not able to find the rhythm needed for boxing. One day, it clicked and it kind of all came together."