Georgetown Boxing Club practices aren’t easy places to enter. Opening the doors of their practice space in Leavey and walking in is akin to walking blindfolded in Red Square between classes. There’s no clear path to your destination, bodies are flying around every which way, and if you’re not careful, someone will accidentally throw an elbow your way.
Last week, one man sat at the center of it all with a smile on his face and a stopwatch in his hand. Intercollegiate boxing champion and co-president of the Georgetown Boxing Club, Adan Gonzalez (COL’ 15) sat in his sweats and cheered on the two girls sparring in front of him. Gonzalez managed to keep his cool while encouraging his teammates despite being in the process of preparing a group of his peers for what will most likely be the largest fight of their entire lives.
Six members of the Hoya Boxing Club (four men and two women) travelled to England this past week to compete in a boxing showcase to be staged on Jan. 25. The Hoyas will be fighting in front of a crowd of 500 at a boxing-specific stadium in the city of Portsmouth. “We’ll be representing the United States Intercollegiate boxing team, and obviously we’ll be fighting against the U.K. collegiate boxing team,” Gonzalez said. None of the words that came out of his mouth fazed him.
Luckily for Adan’s teammates, this event won’t be the first time their captain has competed overseas. During his freshman year, Gonzalez took a similar trip across the Atlantic. He boxed and won against the then intercollegiate U.K. champion, (so he’s seen a punch or two.) His fellow fighters, on the other hand, don’t share his level of experience. They’ll be fighting in the competition’s novice tier, while Gonzalez competes in the “elite” category.
This opportunity for the Hoya boxers has been born out of hard work both in and out of the ring. “The [United States Boxing Association] contacted us and wanted Georgetown to represent the U.S.,” Gonzalez said. “Coaches from other schools chose … [which] boxers were ready and … deserved the opportunity to compete at this elite level.”
“Right now it’s all about getting them focused and getting them ready mentally. You have to understand that you’re not just representing not just Georgetown, not just the country, but you’re representing yourself. At the end of the day, having the courage to put those gloves on speaks volumes about the character of a person,” said Gonzalez. “First thing we’re doing when we get off the plane? We’re going to the hostel. Second thing we’re doing? Heading straight to the gym. We’ll still have two days to work out and practice!”
Thankfully for the Hoyas, not every moment of their time in the United Kingdom will be spent in the pursuit of sport. Just as Gonzalez and co. did their best to make the U.K. team feel at home when they came to the Hilltop last year for the Annual Boxing Showcase, the Brits will try their best to immerse the Hoyas in English culture.
“My freshman year, the team from the U.K. hosted us really well,” Gonzalez says. “This last year when we hosted them at the Georgetown Boxing Showcase, we didn’t just have a party for them, but we took them around the city. When we go there, we’ll go to Stonehenge and London. They have lots of fun stuff for us to do and they do go out of their way to make us feel comfortable,” said Gonzalez.
While the team is sure to feel relaxed during its stay, there will be a bit of culture shock for the women competing in the ring. England lags behind the United States in its efforts to encourage female athletics, especially in the realm of boxing. It’s not all doom and gloom on the British Isles as the U.K. begins to introduce new initiatives to help females not only on the field or in the ring, but those who work for sporting organizations as well.
Vania Silva (COL ‘16), one of the women competing in the showcase’s exhibition match, could help develop that pursuit in the realm of female boxing. Silva says that fighting in England won’t be different from fighting anywhere else because women’s boxing is so under the radar. “People usually don’t believe me when I tell them that I box, so going abroad and fighting in England adds a little bit of pressure. We want to show that women can box. Hopefully we can open the sport up a bit.”
Gonzalez believes that bringing women to fight in an exhibition match in a male-oriented sporting environment fits right into the mission of the boxing club and the University. “I think that we have an opportunity to lead by example. It’s an excellent opportunity for Georgetown to be a vehicle of change as a leading institution. We do represent moral values, but we have the opportunity to lead with action. This is an incredible opportunity to do so.”
