Few sports are as physically demanding as boxing, which requires agility, strength, and endurance. The challenge of the sport sparked an idea for sophomore Miles Meth, the current president and founder of the UR Boxing Club.
“I started the boxing club last semester in an effort to provide a club sport that allowed for some people to just focus on getting fit,” Meth said, “and for others to commit to leaning how to actually box.”
This semester, about 10 students have been working out twice a week on campus, in addition to a weekly trip to the ROC Boxing and Fitness gym, where they take lessons from a trainer. The group started out with basic instruction about punching and blocking technique, but has progressed to the point where they are now working on defense and sparring. In addition, “each lesson incorporates a tough fitness aspect, as it is vital to be in excellent shape for boxing,” says Meth.
The club’s progress in the ring this semester led Meth, along with fellow sophomore Jeremy Reich, to set up the first ever UR, “fight night.”
“After working hard both at these classes and at on campus workouts, we decided to pull together a fight night event,” Meth said. “Students [will] get the opportunity to show off the skills they have learned in a sparring setting.”
The UR Boxing Club Fight Night is slated for Friday, Dec. 13 at 8 p.m. at the ROC Boxing and Fitness gym, and will give club members the opportunity to spar while also allowing UR students to watch the unique sport. The night will also feature bouts of local amateurs, offering those in attendance an idea of what more experienced boxers look like in the ring.
Transportation to the Fight Night, which is co-sponsored by the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, will be available by bus with a ticket to the event, which costs $2 for students at the Common Market in Wilson Commons.
Shapiro is a member of the class of 2016.
