Boxing Boys

Photos by Camille Talkington

Twenty minutes after school ends, seniors Colin Hueser and Max Nabazas slip their hands into their bulky black and white boxing gloves on the Harmon Park tennis courts. Senior Henry Leopold stands behind them, giving back rubs and pep talks while a crowd of five fellow-senior boys watch, leaning against the edge of the dark green courts. The one-minute round is about to start and Leopold reminds everyone of the one rule – “Don’t hit anyone in the crotch.”

The boys touch gloves and within the first few seconds, Nabazas gets in a straight shot to Hueser’s face, followed by an array of “ooohhhs” from the
surrounding crowd – plus a few extra bystanders.

The blow to Hueser’s face was expected. According to the poll sent out in the “Fight Club” GroupMe, the odds are stacked against him. Hueser had only two votes to Nabaza’s 50. The third and last round is closing out and Hueser, to the crowds surprise, has Nabazas backed into a corner thanks to a few solid hits. Nabazas throws off his gloves. That’s the match. Hueser for the upset.

A few weeks ago, a bet between Mikkelson and Hueser about who would win in a fight sparked the idea for the boy’s new ho
bby.

Or as they like to call it, ”Fight Club.”

So far there have only been three fights: Hueser vs. senior Jack Mikkelsen, Leopold vs. senior Ben Jolles and Hueser vs. Nabazas. While some hits have ended in bloo

dy noses and possible lost teeth, this club is centered around fighting friends – just for fun. They meet after school in the same tennis court for their short matches.

“It’s all for fun so [there are] no hard feelings at the end of the day, only respect after the fight from each fighter,” Mikkelson said.

The fun aspect is created on the belief that no one knows enough about boxing to seriously hurt someone.

A typical fight consists of three one-minute rounds, full of unblocked faces and accidental air punches with the occasional solid hit. At the end of each round, the fighters retreat to their corners, huffing and puffing til the next round. Some boxing matches are completely abandoned and end in the tackling of their opponents.

Luc
kily for them, their opponents have the same level of insight. Leopold wasn’t worried about getting injured or being outmatched during his fight against Jolles because all members of the group are on a level playing field.

Even with their lack of experience, most of the boys know basic boxing rules to set the fight’s standard. Ultimately it is up to the audience, made up of random people who heard about the fight that day in the hallway, to decide who won. Since the boys are just doing it for a good time, winning isn’t that important during the fights.

In order to keep everything under control, they have agreed to follow basic boxing standards such only being able to attack with their hands and not being allowed to grab at people or throw them to the ground.

Leopold has had to step in to break off a fight a few times when they are at a standstill with two guys holding on for a long time in a hug-like stance, trying to get the upper hand. Even so, it has surprised both Hueser and Leopold to see how intense the fights can get – experienced or not.

“I wasn’t sure if it was going to be much of a fight, but [Hueser and Mikkelson] got in some good big shots,” said Leopold.

After one of those good shots, you can even hear the fighter who just delivered the blow say “hey, you good?” to make sure everyone was okay to continue. None of these fights are for the sole purpose of hurting each other according to Leopold, that is just a side effect of these matches.

“It sounds weird but it’s just like any other sport except it kinda hurts sometimes,” Leopold said.

But it’s not only the fighters who experience the thrill of the fight. Some students like senior Andy Freshnock have heard about Fight Club through friends and just come to support or watch.

“I’m not a big fan of the fighting but it’s fun to watch other people do it,” Freshnock said.

During Hueser and Nabazas’s fight, advice was constantly coming their way from the sidelines in the form of “you had him stumbling” or “he’s not guarding at all.” The boys also help the fighters stay supported and hydrated by opening water bottles for the boxing boys when their gloves don’t allow them to do it themselves.

Now, fight club is growing. The GroupMe that started out with as few as 10 members now has over 120 – all waiting to either participate or watch the next fight.

While Mikkelson likes to see that they started something people want to continue, Jolles is not looking to get into fights with people who either have more experience or are less worried about keeping a friendly atmosphere.

For Fight Club to continue, the boys have to sign a waiver.

Fight club used to be just another excuse for the boys to hangout and blow off some steam – not to prove anything.

Although the future of Fight Club is murky, the original six will always have their first few fights.

They know as soon as the third round is over, all fighting stops. Mikkelson calls to congratulate Hueser and Nabazas on a good fight. Red-faced and breathing heavy, Hueser and Nabazas walk out together after their two round fight, complimenting each other on powerful hits and trying to figure out what to do with the rest of the afternoon.