While the sport isn’t at the peak of popularity with spectators today, boxing is still popular with athletes. Many organizations and clubs are designed for those with extensive experience; NC State’s boxing club is quite the reverse.

“It was started by Mahmoud Khader,” said Adam Bonfield, club treasurer and sophomore studying human biology. “He founded the club after he saw people in the bag room — they were just throwing punches at the bag, almost hurting themselves.”

Khader was concerned about people injuring themselves with bad form, so he rounded up some friends and started the club to teach novices correct boxing habits. Today, the club has grown beyond a basics class to a close group of friends.

“I think we’ve built a pretty tight-knit group, and it feels good to be part of that and help make it better,” said Meredith McNamee, club secretary and *sophomore studying biochemistry.

McNamee and Bonfield are both enthused about the friends they have made and relationships they have built through their participation in the club since its founding in 2014.

While club leadership is pleased with where the club is now, they still have significant goals to bring the club up to the next level in the future.

“We’re joining NCBA, the National Collegiate Boxing Association, and we have a staff adviser who is going to be our coach for that so we’re getting that together, and then we’re just going to see where it goes from there,” Bonfield said.

The club is currently just a student organization and not a club sport. Liability issues pertaining to the hazards of boxing have made it difficult for the club to acquire approval from University Recreation. After a back-and-forth battle for official approval, the group plans to proceed independently.

“That’s our goal — to become a club sport and start competing on a regular basis,” McNamee* said. “We don’t have to be affiliated with UREC [sic] to do that.”

In the meantime, the group focuses on form and conditioning on campus and attends off-campus sparring events with other local universities. The club meets for practice Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on the field in front of Witherspoon Student Center. A typical group is five to 15 for a practice.

“Outside of that, we just leave them to their own devices for the rest of the week; we tell them to practice shadow boxing and go to the heavy room and stuff like that,” said Kendall Cooper, club vice president and senior studying environmental sciences.

The club is always “in season” during the academic year. The boxing club is growing quickly and is always open to new members and no experience is required.

“It’s a great way to get in shape, hone your agility and just get fresh air. And it’s a really great stress reliever,” said McNamee, who got her first experience with boxing when she joined the club last year.

Bonfield and Cooper emphasized the benefits of building close friendships and getting excellent workouts in at the same time.

Anyone interested in developing existing boxing skills, learning a new sport, making friends or staying in shape can contact the club at ncstateboxing@gmail.com.

*Editors note: The article clarified McNamee’s academic year and corrected the spelling of her name.