83rd Annual Bengal Bouts

Notre Dame Boxing carries on one of the most meaningful traditions on campus:

The 83rd Annual Bengal Bouts to benefit Holy Cross Missions of Bangladesh

More information available at: http://bengalbouts.nd.edu/

FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHT COMES TO NOTRE DAME

On Friday, September 16, undefeated light heavyweight fighter and 2009 Notre Dame graduate Mike Lee will be fighting in the first professional boxing match ever held on campus. Lee will be headlining a six-bout charity night starting at 9pm ET in the Joyce Center, which has been dubbed “Fight Like a Champion.” Keeping with the Notre Dame spirit of service to others, all proceeds will go to the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation and the Robinson Community Learning Center in South Bend. Tickets for the event are available through the Notre Dame Ticket Office online, by phone (630 400-6380), or at the door on fight night.


Upon graduating as a three-time Bengal Bouts champion, Lee won the 2009 Chicago Golden Gloves competition before joining forces with Top Rank Boxing and professional trainer Ronnie Shields, who once worked with boxing legends Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson, Pernell Whitaker, Arturo Gatti, and Juan Diaz. Since turning pro, Lee has amassed an unblemished 6-0 record, 4 of which he ended by knockout.

I recently caught up with Lee for an Irish Creed Exclusive in anticipation of his upcoming fight:


TheNDleprechaun: First off, can you give us a rundown of the fight night Notre Dame is hosting on September 16? What can fans expect to experience when they attend? 

MIKE LEE: The fight night Sept 16 will be starting at 9pm in the JACC the night before the home football game vs Michigan St. This is the first professional boxing event in Notre Dame's history, so it is very special to me. It is a charity event and my foundation (Mike Lee Foundation) will be personally donating $100,000 to the Robinson Community Learning Center and the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation. I would tell fans that they can experience some top-tier professional Top Rank prospects on this card. Anyone who hasn't been to a live boxing match needs to experience it first-hand. The atmosphere in the building on a fight night is amazing.

TheNDleprechaun: You've gone on to remain undefeated since the last time we interviewed you. Can you share what this means to you and how it affects your mindset as you prepare for each fight? 

MIKE LEE: Staying undefeated is my main goal right now. I understand that naturally there is a target on my back, but without the pressure I wouldn't perform as well as I have. I love intensity and energy on fight night and being undefeated only pushes me harder. The fear of failure is a huge motivating factor for me.

TheNDleprechaun: You have quite a following here at Notre Dame, including Coach Kelly who has been known to send shoutouts your way via twitter. How does it feel knowing so many members of the Notre Dame family continue to follow your career? 

MIKE LEE: Having so much support from the Notre Dame community is HUGE for me. I have spent time with Coach Kelly (who is a big boxing fan) and it is so cool for me to see him give me a few shoutouts on twitter and to hear that he is following and supporting my career. He is an awesome guy and exactly the type of coach that Notre Dame needs. He is a true motivator.

TheNDleprechaun: Given the rich boxing culture at Notre Dame, and the legendary sports tradition that goes along with the Fighting Irish name, what does it mean to represent your alma mater in the first professional fight ever to be held on campus? 

MIKE LEE: It means so much to me to represent my alma mater in this huge homecoming and be part of an event where I get to do what I love in the ring and help out the Notre Dame/South Bend community in the process. Everyone will see on Sept 16 how hard I have trained, how explosive my style has gotten and how bad I want to impress the fans. I guarantee they are in for a great show!!

Thanks Mike, good luck, and we look forward to seeing you in action on September 16! 


Irish Fans: This is an event you WILL NOT want to miss! If you plan on coming to campus for the football game this weekend, come out Friday night to witness history as Mike Lee shows us the true meaning of the words Fighting Irish!

Irish Creed Exclusive: Fighting Irish in the Ring

Four years before he led the Fighting Irish to their first national championship on the gridiron, head football coach Knute Rocke started a tradition that has since taken on a life of its own and become a central part of the Notre Dame experience.

Two Notre Dame men fight during a recent Bengal Bouts tournament

Beginning in 1920, boxing quickly became a favorite pastime for the collection of “tough gentlemen” that exemplified the ideal student at Our Lady’s university.  In 1931, boxing coach Dominic “Nappy” Napolitano brought the burgeoning popularity of the sport in line with the mission of service that Notre Dame had inherited from the Congregation of Holy Cross.  Since then, the annual amateur boxing championship known as the “Bengal Bouts” has trained countless Notre Dame men to become fighters in the name of charity in order to fund Holy Cross Missions that provide education and serve the poor in Bangladesh.  The official motto of the Bouts, a quote from Nappy himself, boldly states: “Strong bodies fight, that weak bodies may be nourished.”  In today’s world of sports, where little if anything at all remains sacred, Notre Dame Boxing represents competition in its purest form.  Each year, a new band of fighters contribute their blood, sweat, (not tears), tenacity, and toughness, not in the name of glamour, but out of the deep respect they have for everything at Notre Dame worth fighting for.

Throughout their history, the Bouts have not gone without recognition.  Described as “what boxing can be like at its honest best” by SI columnist Bud Schulberg in 1955, the tournament has seen its fair share of talented fighters along with the occasional guest appearance from the likes of Mohammad Ali and Rocky Marciano.  A long line of distinguished champions has come out of Notre Dame, and many have gone on to great accomplishments at the next level. 

Recent Notre Dame alum Mike Lee, a Bengal Bouts captain in 2008 and 2009 and three-time champion, has already amassed an impressive resume as a professional fighter during the short time since graduating in 2009.  He was crowned as the Chicago Golden Gloves Champion that same year, and has since earned a 3-0 record with two KOs as a 175lb Light Heavyweight.  He is currently trained by Ronnie Shields, who once worked with the likes of Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson, Pernell Whitaker, Arturo Gatti, and Juan Diaz. 

On November 13, Mike defeated Keith Debow by KO as an undercard to the Super Welterweight World Championship in Cowboys Stadium on a night which featured an impressive victory by the biggest name in boxing right now, Manny Pacquiao.  I recently had a chance to ask Mike about his impressions of the fight and his days at Notre Dame:

TheNDleprechaun:  What fighting experience did you have before boxing at Notre Dame, and how did the Bengal Bouts influence you as a fighter?

ML:  I was brought to a boxing gym in Chicago when I was 16 but most of my boxing career began once I got to Notre Dame.

TheNDleprechaun:  What did it mean to play such a prominent role within a tradition that began during the days of Knute Rockne? 

ML: Being a part of the Bengal Bouts was incredible and becoming a three-time champion was an honor because the program has had so many great fighters and a strong tradition that I'm just glad to be a part of.

TheNDleprechaun: What one moment stands out as the highlight of your boxing career at Notre Dame, and in your career in general?

ML: The highlight of my Bengal Bouts career was winning the 175lb championship my junior year. I fought another Bengal Bouts captain who was the best fighter I had faced so far, so winning was a big deal for me.  Coming out in front of over 75,000 people in Cowboys Stadium was a dream come true and honestly pretty difficult to describe.  I remember feeling really loose, relaxed and strong.  I came out to "Good Life" by Kanye West and just fed off the energy of the crowd.  Fighting in front of large crowds in the JACC at ND definitely prepared me for moments like that.

TheNDleprechaun:  On the same day that your Fighting Irish upset Utah in Notre Dame Stadium, you were rocking the Blue and Gold along with a Notre Dame flag during the biggest fight of your life. What influenced you to rep your alma mater like that on Saturday?

ML:   I have always worn the blue and gold gear from head to toe for all my professional fights. Notre Dame was such a huge part of my life and the amount of ND fans and alumni who have supported my career so far has been amazing, so it's just my way of showing my appreciation. Plus the gear looks great, so that doesn't hurt.

TheNDleprechaun:  Glad to see that you’re staying Gold and Blue through and through.  Finally, what are your plans for the future?

ML:  I plan on having a huge year next year, continuing to learn and get better every fight and finish out the year 10-0 and highly ranked in the Light-Heavyweight Division. The boxing world/writers have been very complimentary of my style and performance so far so I plan on keeping that up.

Many thanks to Mike for taking the time to catch up with Notre Dame nation.  Congrats on your latest KO and best of luck as you continue to represent the Fighting Irish in the ring.  Follow Mike’s career at www.mikeleeboxing.com