Boxing Club Workouts Pack a Punch

After a long day in the plastics engineering lab, second-year Ph.D. student Halka Inagaki likes to throw a few punches.

Not in anger, of course, but as a member of the UMass Lowell Boxing Club.

“I’m busy, so it’s nice to show up and have a coach just tell me what to do for an hour,” the Austin, Texas, native says. “I get a good workout in before going home.”

Inagaki is among more than 40 members of the fast-growing club sport who train four nights a week, Monday through Thursday, at Evolution Performance Center in Tewksbury. 

Senior business major Brandon Diaz founded the club two years ago after transferring to UML from Middlesex Community College. The Lowell native started boxing when he was 14 and has taught the sport to local youth through the Lowell Police Department’s boxing program. 

At UML, he began offering informal boxing workouts to fellow students in the yoga rooms and racquetball courts at the Campus Recreation Center. When the fledgling club outgrew the space, it found a fully equipped boxing facility off campus.

“A lot of students don’t really think they’re interested in boxing, but once they try it, they’re hooked,” says Diaz, who enlisted Xavier Vega, a four-time New England Golden Gloves champion, to serve as the club’s volunteer coach.

The club welcomes students at every level. Beginners focus on conditioning and fundamentals, while more experienced members pursue sparring and competition.

Senior business major Marckensly Benoit’s competitive path took him all the way to the finals of this year’s New England Golden Gloves tournament. Competing in the 154-pound novice division, Benoit won his first two fights before falling in the final at Lowell Memorial Auditorium. 

“I definitely surprised myself by making it all the way to the final,” says Benoit, a Billerica native who took up boxing shortly before joining the club at UML. “I didn’t think I was ready for the Golden Gloves tournament, but my coach and teammates told me I was more than prepared, and that was all the motivation I needed to enter. It was a great experience and I learned a lot about myself mentally and physically.”

First-year criminal justice major Matt Scott, who has boxed since he was 13, says the club is “a big reason” why he chose to attend UMass Lowell.

“When I saw that there was a boxing club, that made my decision to come here,” the Marshfield native says. “It’s cool to have something to do in college that I do back home.” 

First-year mechanical engineering major Will Becker of Haverhill had never boxed before, but quickly found his footing with the club.

“The coaches are really responsive and give nice feedback,” says Becker, who enjoys the community aspect of the club.

Sophomore biomedical engineering major Kiva Schraven had also never boxed before joining the club this year. She’s now the club’s captain.

“I’ve always been involved in competitive sports, and I knew I needed something active to put my energy into,” says Schraven, who transferred to UML from Binghamton University, where she served as captain of the rowing team.  

“Everyone genuinely cared about my progress,” she says of the boxing club. “Teammates were always willing to offer tips, and the coaches provided hands-on training.”

For students who don’t have their own transportation, Schraven and Diaz arrange carpools to and from the training sessions in Tewksbury.

“Even the car rides to and from boxing became a place where I made some great friends,” Schraven says.

Once in the gym, students quickly learn that there’s more to boxing than just throwing punches.

“It’s really more about the legs, which I like,” says Inagaki, who had done some kickboxing but had never boxed before joining the club. “I used to think that my balance was so good before, and then I got here and I kept tripping over myself. I realized I have stuff to work on.”

“It’s one of the best cardio workouts you can do,” adds Nicholas Whalen, a junior mechanical engineering major from North Reading who has boxed for six years.