"I'd always been interested in doing Baraka Bouts, but I kept saying to myself, 'Next year.' But when I was approaching my senior year, I realized it was now or never. So I trained in boxing over the summer, including with one of the boxing captains, who I'm rooming with in Texas next year. There are qualifications to box, including winning a certain number of practice rounds, and coming to practice four days a week. It took a lot of time-management, but I qualified.
"I had a bye in the Baraka Bouts semi-finals, but I was nervous and didn't know what to expect, so I begged the captains for a fight anyways. They didn't change it, though: they said I was ready.
"Before the match, I went to the pit to warm up with my opponent. We're friends, so we practiced some smack talk, but it just ended up being funny. Then before the match, I was dressed in a blue jacket, hood up, and I walked into the arena. Before we fought, a priest said a blessing over us. Which made it feel a little bit like we were fighting to the death or something. The arena was unreal--nerves nerves nerves. Lights, and hundreds people looking at me. But once the fight started, all the sounds went away.
"My future roommate was my cornerman. After the second round, she said, 'It's all about heart. You've got a chance at getting a split decision.' But when the match was over, and the referee held both our wrists, I heard a voice overhead say, 'In a unanimous decision...' and I thought, what?! But when I heard 'the boxer in blue', it felt a little unreal.
"I'd been on such a strict sleep and dietary regiment to prepare for my match...so afterwards, my friends and I to Olive Garden and ate as many of the breadsticks as possible.
"Our season's basically over now, and that makes me a little sad. But I definitely intend to continue boxing in the future. And I'm so glad that I finally mustered up the courage to participate, after years of thinking about it."