Why Do I Fight?

For me, it’s never about hurting another person. Some people enjoy the contact, but I’m not so much into that, although it is satisfying to land a punch.

I joined the boxing club my freshman year. I had taken a self-defense class that gave me a lot of confidence, and I wanted to continue some sort of combat. I expected to see big, bulky guys who liked to hit things, but instead I found a great place with great people and Coach Rocky Snow, the most persuasive person I’ve ever met. He convinced me to spar and then to fight.

Prefight, I have my hands wrapped, and then I try to isolate myself, maybe listen to metal or something else upbeat. I’m nervous until I step into the ring. When the bell goes off, I’m in the go-go-go moment. I’m a righty, but I fight as a southpaw because I’m more comfortable in the lefty stance. I like the right jab and the left cross where I can get more torque and load it up; Coach calls that one-two move our bread and butter.

When I’m hit, the adrenaline is going and I don’t register the pain, but the next day, it feels as if I got hit by a train. I’m lucky because I have a nose that doesn’t break easily. I also have what they call a good chin versus a glass chin; I’ve taken a lot of hits from bigger people, and I don’t waver much. The jaw is where you don’t want to be hit—you’ve got to keep your hands up and protect your jaw all the time. Overall, it’s scary, but once I realized I could take a punch, I was like, “Bring it on.” The more you get hit, the less you fear it.

I feel if I can get in the ring with someone and get punched in the face repeatedly, I can do anything. Boxing has made me more certain about my decisions and how I interact with other people. It puts everything in perspective. I’ve learned to apply the mental aspect of training to schoolwork and studying; I just sit down and get stuff done. 

I’ve met my goal to box in the [National Collegiate Boxing Associa­tion] nationals in April. After that, I’ll stop competing, but I won’t be done with the sport. I want to keep on sparring and training others. 

AS TOLD TO PATRICIA SULLIVAN