After 8 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, if a student chooses to leave the shelter of their dorm and bravely venture into Leo’s Down Under, they may find themselves rubbing elbows with one of the most underappreciated, dedicated sports programs on campus. Following a long practice of “keeping calm and dropping bombs,” the members of the co-ed Georgetown Boxing Club like to cool down by heading to late night for a family dinner. The relationships forged between these teammates on the Hilltop ring give a whole new meaning to the term “tough love.”
The Georgetown boxing program was founded in 2007 in an attempt to resurrect the illustrious (yet mostly unknown) boxing history found within the annals of the Hilltop. Since its creation, the club’s membership has grown rapidly. Where five fighters once stood, 40 active members now attend practice regularly, and condition with a group or with a partner Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“We have practice five or six times a week, and we have 40 active members, so yeah, normally we’ll have 25 people show up to work,” smiled junior co-captain Blair Vorsatz (COL ‘14), radiating pride.
As the club has grown larger, it has also become one of the most diverse groups on campus.
“The boxing club supports so many different cultures and ideologies,” said sophomore boxing co-captain Adan Gonzalez (COL ‘15).
“All the students on the boxing team are so different in an interesting and unique way. No two boxers are the same!” Vorsatz added. He isn’t exaggerating. The boxing club boasts members of Bajan, Chinese, Korean, Mexican, and Jamaican descent.
Beyond growing in numbers, the team has quickly expanded its reach outside of D.C. In just two years they’ve gone from practicing semi-regularly at a gym 40 minutes away from campus to competing internationally, sending fighters to the collegiate boxing nationals, and hosting the first boxing showcase Georgetown has seen in fifty years.
“We hope that after this event the program will be more recognizable,” said Gonzalez.
On Saturday, April 20, the Georgetown Boxing Club will be hosting a group of fighters from the U.K. in the first real boxing event this campus has seen in half a century. But, the showcase isn’t all about throwing fists.
“At the end of the day we are Georgetown,” Gonzalez said. “We’re promoting that the campus is diverse. There’s the opportunity for different clubs around campus to work together as one and represent what the school has to offer.”
Aside from the Saturday night fights, the event will feature clubs and organizations of all purposes. A capella group Achordance will sing the national anthem and perform, while groups like Ballet Folklórico will also contribute to the festive atmosphere.
Besides getting the green light to host their own boxing showcase, the club has also found success nationally, as five Hoya fighters travelled to the U.S. Intercollegiate Boxing Association’s national championships in San Diego this semester, including Gonzalez himself.
“Being in the ring knowing that I’m not only representing myself, but my family, my community at home, and Georgetown University was difficult! Being one of the captains and the more experienced fighters here on campus, I felt that pressure a lot. If I failed, I would have felt the program had failed, “ said Gonzalez.
Thankfully for Gonzalez and the program, he won his final fight against Sebastian Doehr from San Francisco University and now holds the USIBA national light welterweight boxing title.
Said Gonzalez, “Hearing that I won, the first thing that came to my mind was my parents wishing me luck before coming to Georgetown. I didn’t know what I was going to encounter [on the Hilltop] but I’m thankful I found the boxing team and was able to grow.”
Both captains hope that their recent success in nationals, and their upcoming events will attract more attention to a program they feel is worthy of the notice of the Georgetown community.
“My goal is to have this event become a sort of SAC fair,” laughed Gonzalez. Vorsatz quickly followed up, “And to have it be annual! The flyers [for the event] say annual!”
Despite their aspirations for recognition here on campus, the members of the program remain grounded in humility.
“We got a lot of compliments from every school,” said Gonzalez. “Our team really showed those Jesuit ideals of being one of helping each other through everything. Once fans from the other schools started chanting Hoya Saxa, at that moment, we knew what we did as a team.”
The Georgetown Boxing Club will host their boxing showcase on Saturday, April 20. The event begins at 3 p.m. in Yates Field House.
