Before the ring: Night of Champions

Photo by Senior photographer Isaac Vacheresse

For the past three years, Lee Boxing club has hosted Night of Champions by bringing together Greek clubs to compete in the ring. The competitors have been training at Five Point Boxing in preparation for the event. The event will be held during Homecoming weekend and is open to all students and faculty.

Coach Ralf Santiago is the sponsor of the Lee Boxing Club and founder of Five Points Boxing in downtown Cleveland. Santiago has been involved with boxing since he was 19 and previously ran a gym in New York City before moving to Cleveland.

A Lee student originally pitched the Night of Champions idea to Santiago.

“A member of Tau Kappa Omega came to me and said, ‘I think it would be a great idea to start a boxing club at Lee.’ I thought he was crazy, but it worked,” said Santiago.

In the first year of the club, there were 54 students and 50 students in the second year. During the COVID-19 pandemic, engagement slowed, but the club still functioned.

“This fight night is going to be better this year. The university is going to help us out this year, and we’re doing it during Homecoming, so there will be a lot more people around, more exposure to the program, and hopefully, that expands to us getting a college team where we can travel and compete,” said Santiago.

The fighters competing in Night of Champions said the decision to represent their club is also a commitment to putting in the work and training for the event.

“There is a lot of running calisthenics, a lot of ab work and add in spar work and hitting on the bags. It’s grueling and a lot of work, but it’s worth it,” said sophomore business administration major Zachary Constantinescu, a member of Alpha Gamma Chi.

Santiago views the training as a way to engage students in a sport they may not know while pushing themselves to learn new skills and complete workouts.

“It’s a great sport, not just for the competitive part, but most of our students do well,” said Santiago. “Their focus is there; they are burning energy that needs to be burned, and they can focus more and relieve stress.”

Sparring introduces the fighters to the environment inside the ring and to attack and defend against their opponent. Within the gym, fighters rotate sparring while Santiago times and coaches them on their technique.

“We have to build up our bodies before we learn how to box,” said senior human development major Gina Demarco, who is fighting for Omega Alpha Phi. “Sparring is very intimidating at first, but it’s cool being thrown in. You realize you can do it, and it’s going to be fine.”

Many competitors said the extensive workouts contributed to a focused mindset while learning how to box and move within the ring.

“It’s tough because the coach exhausts you with running, jumping and all sorts of stuff,” said sophomore business administration major Ethan Hime, member of Alpha Gamma Chi. “Then sparring someone, which is another mental game as well, but the training prepares you for the fight.”

Many of the competitors were inspired to fight for their clubs by attending Night of Champions in the past.

“When I was a freshman, I saw my RA was fighting, and I was cheering her on. It seemed really fun and really cool, so I wanted to be a part of and experience that,” said Demarco.

Some fighters were introduced to the sport through Lee’s boxing club.

“Ever since freshman year, my roommate and I would spar in our dorm rooms and mess around. Then we started getting serious and started boxing at the gym with the Lee Boxing club. Then, I got into Chi and decided I wanted to fight for Chi,” Constantinescu said.

Night of Champions highlights Lee Greek clubs and their alumni as competitors show their training and club pride in the ring.