
Over the weekend, the University of Notre Dame hosted its Bengal Bouts Finals at the Purcell Pavillion. Bengal Bouts is a boxing club within the University where students strive to do two things: become physically stronger and fit, and support the Holy Cross mission in Bangladesh through charity and fundraising.
This year was the club’s 94th year, being started in 1920 by legendary football coach Knute Rockne. Rockne started the boxing club centered around the idea that “strong bodies fight, that weak bodies may be nourished.”
The club’s tradition of fighting for the improvement of the lives of people across the globe has stayed strong. The club proudly advertises that last year they raised over $250,000 and educated more than 129,000 children. Such an incredible cause is what draws many young men at the university to join the club.
And the boxing? Nothing to ignore, either. This year there were 3 rounds (quarterfinals, semifinals, finals) in the tournament for 12 different weight classes. Athletes represented their halls and their hometowns in an incredible showcase of strength and a culmination of months of daily practice.
Here are the results:
153lb: Nolan Lyon over Phil Pollice
192lb: Ijeh Nwaezeapu over Mike Guyette
197lb: Niko Tarasenko over Justin Darwin
169lb: Nicholas Buhay over Marcello Nanni
Heavyweight: Jesse Salazar II over Joe Fuchs
172lb: Rob Rucki over Logan Bayer
147lb: Emilio Fernandez over Joe Rozgonyi
160lb: Jackson Amorosa over Sean Mullen
179lb: Andrew Cassidy over Kamsi Ejike
177lb: Matthew Turzai over Connor Hinkes
186lb: Ryan Hersey over Also Plascencia
167lb: Jack Lannon over Christian Miller
For the Bengal bouts seniors, the end of the season is bittersweet, being involved in something so truly special. “Winning under the lights of Purcell Pavillion in front of my family and friends is an experience I will remember forever, but the journey to get there and those smaller moments matter as much as anything” said Senior Nolan Lyon, champion of his weight class.
The impacts made in the ring and in the world are exactly what makes Bengal Bouts such a truly special tradition for the University. As the season comes to a close, the fight for health and prosperity across the world remains a strong part of the mission, inspiring the next year’s generation of Fighting Irish in this extraordinary club.