51 minutes and approximately 50 miles from UW-Whitewater is JJ’s Boxing & Wrestling LLC, a well-loved boxing gym in Sun Prairie. This gym is home to Adam Davidov, a UW-W sophomore and accounting major. Davidov is the founder, president and assistant coach of the UW-W club boxing program.
“I am excited that I get to bring such a big part of my life to UW-W,” Davidov said. “Boxing has been a pretty big part of my life since the beginning of high school and the only sport I could find at UW-W was jujitsu. I heard people saying they wanted boxing and so I had the idea to start a club.”
Davidov and Seth Kosky, also a UW-W sophomore and coach and vice president of club boxing, started the process of creating the club in January and into February. They worked alongside UW-W Assistant Director of Intramural & Club Sports Matt Schnider to get the club approved and started. This fall marks club boxing’s first official semester.
They practice every Tuesday and Thursday 5-7 p.m. in Esker room 108. The program is planned to run during both fall and spring semesters and is still looking for more students to join.
“Our motto is to train to learn the sport and not hurt someone,” Davidov said.
Something unique about UW-W club boxing is the format of their practices. Each practice is two hours long, with one hour of class and instructional learning, then the last hour is open mat and sparring.
Club boxing is brand new at UW-W but very anticipated with over 80 people showing interest at the recent involvement fair. Cooper Talbot, a freshman business analytics major, and Caiden Eastlick, a sophomore political science major, both are members of club boxing.
“The boxing club to me is a chance to exercise my full potential as a person. I can express leadership, strength, a fighting spirit, and motivation. It is a platform for me to grow as a fighter but to also motivate and lead those around me to unlock their full potential. In regard to club boxing, this is my first time I have been involved in anything like this,” Talbot said.
Beyond learning boxing on a deeper level, it is also seen as a great mental health outlet in the stressful moments college brings.
“For me, boxing is an outlet that helps me focus my energy into something physically and mentally healthy. The boxing club is newly formed so I’m proud to say that I’ve been involved since the beginning,” Eastlick said.
Even though this club sport is quite new it has already reached international appreciation.
“It brings a whole new sport that a lot of people were wanting. For example, one of our boxers is an international student and loves the opportunity to learn a sport like boxing in the USA,” Davidov said.
Considering the freshness of club boxing they are working towards a few goals for the program. They are looking to gain more professional coaching with the goal being to have three coaches on staff. Davidov looks to bring his home gym into the work more as he also looks to obtain more equipment and create fundraising opportunities to help the community. Lastly, he’s looking into growing their social media presence and finding a professional photographer to share their passion on the mat.
“It’ll come with time,” Davidov said.
The club is still on the lookout for more students to join regardless of prior experience. To see what club boxing is up to, you can follow them on Instagram @uwwhiterwaterboxing.
“Not only do the boxers of the world get an opportunity to rekindle their love for boxing, but it also offers a chance to learn some self-defense and new fighting skills,” Talbot said. “The club equally gives each person an opportunity to become a true warrior. A disciplined fighter driven with the intent to lead, good sportsmanship and a relentless fighting spirit.”
