The lights of Purcell Pavilion shine brighter than any you have ever known. Your closest friends and family members passionately chant your name. As you look upon the face of your opponent, you are overcome by a novel combination of anxiety and serenity. In this moment, time slows dramatically, and a powerful sentiment becomes clear: You are a part of something greater than yourself. Before the first bell rings, before your bout begins, the referee utters three words of immense gravity: “Be Notre Dame.”
Recently, The Observer published a Letter to the Editor, written by my fellow Dunne Sentinel, Alex Stevinson, entitled “Bengal Bouts: a legacy worth questioning.” Therein Alex provides powerful and personal testimony detailing his battle with chronic headaches. He attributes said headaches to a concussion he sustained while training with Notre Dame’s Men’s Boxing Club approximately 14 months ago. Subsequently, Stevinson argues that “it is time to re-explore the Bengal and Baraka Bouts programs” due to safety concerns. I wholeheartedly empathize with Alex, and in no way seek to invalidate his experience. However, I do not feel that his effort to “re-explore” the men’s and women’s boxing clubs at Notre Dame was a fair one; in no way did it do justice to the immense role boxing plays in our University’s mission to be a force for good in the world, nor did it provide adequate insight into the tremendous camaraderie fostered within the clubs. Each of these benefits receives a mere passing reference. Stevinson’s letter lends an exorbitant scope to the potential dangers of boxing, but fails to acknowledge the clubs’ extensive efforts to keep boxers safe. EMS supervision, frequent health checks and regular use of protective equipment serve to make boxing at Notre Dame rather safe, but I will say more on this later. Alex believes that it is time to “re-explore the Bengal and Baraka Bouts programs.” I commend him for this initiative. I only ask that he gives a fair and impartial analysis which accurately takes into account how safely each club is run, and truly encapsulates how special each club is at individual, campus-wide and global levels. In fact, a logical analysis of boxing at Notre Dame serves to bolster arguments for this tradition’s continuation. The more one learns about our university’s Men’s and Women’s Boxing Clubs, the more one will see that they epitomize the spirit of Notre Dame.
Each and every student at Our Lady’s University is gifted with some level of exposure to the Congregation of Holy Cross and its rich spiritual and ministerial tradition. Students are required to take an introductory course named for the Congregation’s founder, Blessed Basil Moreau. Every applicant to the University is forced to contemplate Moreau’s powerful stance on education, which demands that “the mind will not be cultivated at the expense of the heart.” It is in its identity as a mission-driven institution, coupling purpose with all earthly pursuits, that Notre Dame stands apart from its peers. Mendoza students are encouraged to “grow the good in business.” High-level scientific research is done with great purpose, as researchers are challenged to ask themselves, “What would you fight for?” In every academic, spiritual and extracurricular pursuit at the University of Notre Dame, students are challenged to advance the University’s mission as a force for good in the world. In few, if any, places is this mission better fulfilled than in Notre Dame’s Men’s and Women’s Boxing Clubs. As Stevinson’s letter mentions in passing, each year’s Bengal Bouts tournament raises funds for the Congregation of Holy Cross’ missions in Bangladesh. What he did not mention is that each year’s Baraka Bouts tournament does the same for the Congregation’s missions in Uganda. Over the past four years, the collective efforts of the men’s club alone has amounted to the raising of $1.1 million dollars for the feeding, housing and education of those in need (This total is astronomically impressive when one considers that a mere $50 donation funds a teacher’s salary in Bangladesh). Each week, boxers are reminded of the purpose for which they compete, and thus encouraged in their training and fundraising efforts: Bangladeshi speakers, handwritten notes from grateful beneficiaries and heartfelt testimony from fellow boxers who have, themselves, volunteered in the missions, all serve to remind boxers that Bengal Bouts is truly a mission-driven club. Not only do Bengal and Baraka Bouts maintain an intimate relationship with the Congregation of Holy Cross and its ministry, their successful execution directly results in the service of those on the margins of society. Notre Dame and its students are remarkably charitable in a variety of ways. For instance, the annual sale of “The Shirt” serves to support students struggling with unexpected medical expenses. But I wonder how many people who don The Shirt each football Saturday are aware of where this money is going. Bengal and Baraka Bouts are unique in that our mission is at the forefront of all we do. We never forget the immortal words of Bengal Bouts legend Dominic “Nappy” Napolitano: “Strong bodies fight, that weak bodies may be nourished.”
The global and charitable impact of boxing at Notre Dame cannot be denied. Countless lives have been touched by the efforts of boxers and their fundraising efforts. Such love for one’s neighbor, neighbors most of us have never met, should be enough to justify the sustenance of boxing at Notre Dame. But if more convincing is needed, allow me to expound upon a less quantifiable impact of this incredible tradition; the personal formation which Bengal Bouts offers is truly remarkable. Each and every day, practice is an arena in which boxers cultivate not only skill, but virtue. As Alex’s letter mentions, training is grueling. For example, an annual tradition of the Men’s Boxing Club is “1,000 Pushup Day.” It is in such moments of hardship that one learns to dig deep, to overcome adversity and become the best version of oneself. When one’s muscles are on the verge of failure, when one feels as if he or she can no longer breathe and when one simply wants to quit, he or she is afforded the opportunity to cultivate, in addition to physical strength, tremendous mental resilience. But we could not do this alone. When I want to quit, and I see my peers pushing themselves to their limits, I am called to a higher standard. When I see my peers struggling, I am afforded an opportunity to provide words of encouragement, the same kind of encouragement which older boxers have provided to me time and time again. The aforementioned chances to grow in virtue are only those afforded outside the ring; between the ropes, however, moral instruction increases tenfold. In sparring, boxers are told to respect one another, and to refrain from throwing potentially harmful punches. The respect grown outside the ring grows into a mutual trust. Each boxer seeks to improve his craft, push himself and help his teammate do the same; if this means that a veteran boxer should refrain from throwing certain combinations against a more novice boxer, this will be the case. If this means that a boxer should let his teammate out of the corner to improve the quality of the spar, this will be the case. At practice, boxers not only learn to push themselves and each other to their very limits, they also learn to respect one another, and to foster improvement, even if this means adjusting training as the situation demands. Yet captains tell novice boxers time and time again: Nothing you do, workouts, spars or technique-drills, can quite replicate the experience of a bout. Just as the intensity of an official bout is significantly elevated from that of any spar, so too is the opportunity to grow as a person. To pour yourself into competition is special in and of itself. But when that final bell rings, boxers must learn to win and to lose with grace. Boxers must learn to be happy for their victorious opponents, who are, after all, their teammates, and to remember why they fight: That weak bodies may be nourished. In all of these ways, boxing is more than an extracurricular activity. It is a venue in which one can grow immeasurably as a person, and in ways one never thought possible. Is personal growth of students not integral to the mission of Notre Dame?
Stevinson’s letter, I felt, did not adequately convey the positive benefits which I have enumerated, and thus it was necessary to explain them. Similarly, he did not give due credit to the hard work of Bengal Bouts’ coaches, managers, captains and support staff who work diligently to maintain the safety of participants. For those who have not participated in Bengal or Baraka Bouts, you should know that one cannot simply walk in and start throwing haymakers; to ensure each participant has adequate defensive and protective technique, contact is gradually elevated, with zero contact occurring between boxers for the first few weeks of practice, then light contact (for which a mouthguard is required), then spars. Keep in mind, training begins in October, giving a boxer months of training to prepare himself before sparring even begins. At the end of many practices, neck exercises are performed by all boxers in order to strengthen neck muscles, and thereby limit boxers’ susceptibility to concussion. In order to qualify to spar, one must have attended a sufficient number of practices so as to demonstrate defensive and protective proficiency. In addition, one is not allowed to spar without approved protective equipment, including a foul-belt (cup) and mouthguard. Boxers are not allowed to spar on consecutive days, thus capping voluntary participation at three spars per week. At each and every spar, there are EMS present, who monitor the action, and evaluate each boxer as he or she leaves the ring. As Stevinson’s letter mentioned, boxers cannot qualify to compete if they have not completed a minimum number of these controlled, supervised spars. What’s more, before publishing a tournament bracket, Bengal and Baraka Bouts coaches are required to justify each matchup to a board of medical professionals on the grounds of safety. Once again, at each bout, medical professionals are on-hand to not only monitor all bouts but also evaluate each boxer’s state as he or she leaves the ring. It cannot be denied that boxers face a higher risk of head injury than participants in many other sports. But participation is completely voluntary; participants box at their own risk. Stevinson’s letter compares Notre Dame’s boxing program to the recently discontinued tradition of interhall tackle football. But this comparison is an invalid one. In his statement on interhall tackle football’s discontinuation, Fr. Gerry Olinger, C.S.C. cited decreased participation, and a “large disparity in ... experience” as reasons for the University’s decision. Bengal and Baraka Bouts have not seen a decrease in engagement. In fact, qualifying for participation in each tournament is more competitive than it has ever been. As for prior experience, boxing’s decreased popularity in the United States has meant that very few Notre Dame students arrive on campus with boxing experience, and thus, there is a relatively level playing field which contributes to a safe environment for participants. Moreover, boxers are asked on their medical approval form (yet another safety measure) if they have prior boxing experience. If a student’s boxing experience is significant and poses a safety concern, the student is barred from competition. Additionally, Bengal and Baraka Bouts offer eight practices per week where participants can learn to safely box. Interhall tackle football teams, on the other hand, practiced once per week, at best. Finally, interhall tackle football featured no regulations regarding weight or size, whereas Notre Dame’s men’s and women’s boxing clubs will not allow any bout to occur in which there is a disparity in weight between competitors greater than or equal to 10 pounds. Again, I do not seek to invalidate Alex’s experience. I do not deny that there is risk involved in boxing. However, his letter did not take into account the Herculean efforts made each and every season to ensure that risk is reduced and student health is prioritized. There is great risk in driving cars, and each time one steps into a car, one faces the risk of a gruesome, life-altering accident. But each of us subconsciously weighs this minor risk against the great good of transportation which automobiles empower. If boxing at Notre Dame were as dangerous as Stevinson claims it to be, surely participation would have dwindled in the last 95 years. But it has not. The program is safer and stronger than it has ever been, and I pray that this trend continues.
I feel unworthy to write this letter. My words simply cannot do justice to the incredible impact which the tradition of boxing at Notre Dame continues to have on countless lives all over the world. Many boxers come to mind who embody what it means to be a Bengal or Baraka Bouts participant. They push themselves to grow every day and use the gifts God has given them in the service of the most vulnerable members of our world. Some have led grueling workouts, some have given me words of encouragement when I needed them the most, some have spent their summers volunteering in Holy Cross’ foreign missions, and some have spent hours upon hours fundraising and supporting the clubs’ noble cause. They truly follow the advice of our beloved coach and referee, Kevin Smith: “Be Notre Dame.” The men and women whom I have come to know through boxing at Notre Dame will go on to be the best citizens our world can ask for and live according to the charity, perseverance and courage which the two clubs have taught for decades. Stevinson’s letter seems to suggest that boxing is continued at Notre Dame simply because it is a hallowed tradition, one which needs to be re-examined. But after engaging in the very reflection which Stevinson encourages, I have never seen more clearly how beneficial and essential the tradition of boxing continues to be for Notre Dame and for the world. To conclude, my words will never do justice to the experience of boxing at Notre Dame. Don’t just take my word or anyone else’s; come and try it. Be a part of something greater than yourself. Be Notre Dame.
Ryan Lally, junior
May 1, 2025
